Chapter 2 The Third Wheel

Early the next morning, I went to the front door to pick up a package.

The first thing I noticed was a pair of bunny slippers sitting on the shoe rack.

The shoes I wore every day had been shoved all the way into the back corner.

Chester came out of the kitchen.

Seeing me staring at the shoe rack, he looked a little guilty as he explained, "Linnea came by yesterday before I left for work. Her back's been bothering her, and she gets tired if she stands too long.

"I only got her a pair because she's your best friend. Don't read too much into it."

I nodded. I did not ask when the two of them had become so close. I did not ask why an outsider's things had been placed where mine belonged.

I turned to the refrigerator for a bottle of water. The moment I opened the door, I found the iced Americanos I always kept stocked had been moved to the very bottom shelf.

In their place were two neat rows of honey citron tea, Linnea's favorite.

Chester walked over and casually handed me a bottle. "Her stomach hasn't been doing well lately, so I picked some up. Besides, don't you like sweet drinks too?"

I forced a smile and closed the refrigerator.

He remembered wrong. The one who had always liked sweet drinks was Linnea.

Seeing my reaction, he suddenly seemed to realize something. He hurried to smooth things over. "Come on. Don't hold it against someone who's sick."

Before he even finished speaking, his phone chimed with a voice message from Linnea.

His hand slipped, and he accidentally played it over the speaker. "Chester, Mount Auster tickets are buy one, get one free today. Will you go hiking with me this weekend?"

His fingers flew across the screen as he texted back, casually filling me in. "I'm going to Mount Auster with Linnea this weekend. You'll have to figure out dinner on your own."

I looked up at him. "What about me?"

He glanced at me as if the answer were obvious. "If you want to come too, just buy another ticket yourself. Linnea's easygoing. She won't mind."

My fingers tightened around the bottle, but I said nothing.

After all these years, this kind of thing had become routine.

Whenever there was a second drink for half price, it was always the two of them splitting the deal.

Whenever the mall had a spend-more-save-more promotion, their purchases always lined up perfectly to hit the discount.

Even with amusement park tickets, his first thought was always to pair up with her for a buy-one-get-one-free offer.

I was always the one paying full price on my own.

I used to excuse him by telling myself, "Her back's been bothering her. He just wants to look after her."

But at that moment, I finally woke up.

There was no special treatment. The two of them had simply placed me outside their circle long ago. I was the outsider forcing my way in.

To finally put an end to any lingering hope, I went with them that weekend anyway.

Linnea came over in quick little steps and opened the passenger door.

The instant she saw me, the smile on her face froze. "Flora, you're coming too? If I'd known, I would've had Chester grab another ticket."

Chester turned to look at me. "Sit in the back. Linnea's back just recovered, and she's used to riding up front. Let her have the seat."

I looked at him, my eyes burning.

He remembered Linnea's back injury, but he'd forgotten that I got carsick.

Linnea kept playing the nice person, gently tugging on Chester's sleeve. "Oh, don't say that. I can sit in the back if I have to. I'm just worried my back will start acting up again if I sit there too long. Then, you'll have to take me to physical therapy again."

The moment she finished speaking, Chester yanked the passenger door open. He grabbed my wrist and roughly pulled me out.

I stumbled a couple of steps before he shoved me into the back seat.

He bent down and stared at me, his voice as cold as ice. "Linnea's back can't take being bounced around. Be reasonable."

The door slammed shut.

I rubbed the red marks on my wrist as another wave of nausea rolled through my stomach.

"Chester, pull over." I kept my voice low, but it still trembled.

He glanced at me in the rearview mirror and let out a cold laugh. "All I did was make you sit in the back. Do you really have to keep making such a big deal out of it, Flora? Can't you be a little more mature?"