Todos los capítulos de Off the Next Stop: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

Turning my back, I had just put down my backpack. The weight strained my shoulders. Hal Plowman slapped me hard on the shoulder. “Knock it off, True.” I scowled in pain. As if blind to my discomfort, Hal playfully tapped Maddie Burns on the shoulder. “If you don’t trade bunks with her, she’s gonna be stuck sitting through her period cramps all night.” I was stunned. Before I could even process the fact that Maddie would share such intimate details with Hal, she playfully pushed him away. “Oh, shut up.“You just had to make me play ranked with you while we were booking tickets. Now I’m stuck with the top bunk!”While talking, she doubled over, clutching her belly. “I don’t have time for you. My stomach hurts. I’m heading to the restroom. “Before I get back, you better have my bottom bunk sorted out.” Her entitled tone made it sound as if she was Hal’s girlfriend. Hal simply smiled in resignation. “You heard her. Give up the lower bunk, or I’m gonna get it whe

Maddie went pale for a second and tugged at Hal’s sleeve pleadingly. She sounded hurt. “Hal…” Not looking at Maddie, Hal asked me with a scowl, “True, so you’re dead set on keeping the lower bunk, huh?” I didn’t give them the time of day. Setting my rear down on my bunk, I let my actions speak for themselves. Just then, the conductor ran the ticket on his handset. “True Radcliff, right? You’ve got lower bunk 7 in Car 6. This is your assigned seat, all right.” The conductor turned to Hal and Maddie. “Young man, I don’t care about the drama you have between you, but fighting over a seat is disrupting everyone in the car. If you don’t settle down, I’ll have to contact the authorities.” Hal apologized, his expression grim. Once the conductor took off, Hal turned his gaze back to me. “You’ve really disappointed me, True. “Since you insist on staying in the lower bunk, Maddie and I will just move to another car.” A hidden thrill darted across Maddie’s eyes. Stil

The piercing shrill of the train whistle shattered my train of thought, snapping me back to reality.Two burly men approached my section with heaps of luggage. I went on high alert right away. In my mind, I kept praying that they were just passing through. Too bad luck wasn’t on my side. The pair took the bunk above me, while the other was assigned to the bunk Hal had given up. They set down their luggage. The terror of being stalked took hold of me. Driven by panic, I typed out an SOS to Hal. “Hal, when are you coming back? Two new guys who just boarded are taking the bunk above mine. I’m scared.” Once the message was sent, I stared intently at my screen. One minute, two minutes… Then minutes passed. At last, Hal replied, “Oh, now you’re scared? “Apologize to Maddie now, and I’ll come back.” I read the text. Tears spilled over, hitting the screen and my trembling hand. “Oh, my. Why are you crying, little missy?” The two guys who had put away their lugg

Once at the hotel, I unzipped my luggage to unpack. That was when my phone rang. It was the ringtone I had set for Maddie. I took a couple of seconds to myself before taking the call. “Hello, Maddie…” “True, why didn’t you tell us that you swapped bunks?” Maddie’s whiny tone came through on the call. I was taken aback. Before I could tell her that I had gotten off the train, Maddie’s voice rang through again. “Hal and I lost a card game to passengers in our car. As a dare, I had to upload that photo. I was worried you might be upset by the photo, so Hal came with me to clear things up. Imagine our shock when we found a stranger sleeping in your bunk.” Her tone was laced with a hint of hurt. “It was dark in the carriage. I thought you were lying there and wanted to mess with you, but I got yelled at instead.” I remained silent as Maddie shoved her accusations down my throat. For the first time, I looked at Maddie without the blind trust that friendship had always p

The younger sibling, Cassandra, was chatty. Before getting into the car, Cassandra asked whether I wanted to sit in the front or back. I chose the front. The siblings shared a conversation in the back, making it a point to include me every now and then. By the time the hour-long car ride was over, the awkwardness had mostly worn off. The three of us began exploring the festival together. When we reached the field where the hot-air balloons were gathered, I was so excited that I snapped several pictures in a row.I whipped out my phone and sent the photos to the chat where no reply would ever come. “Dad, I finally came to see the hot-air balloons you told me about. “They’re so much prettier than I imagined.” I stared at the smiling man in his profile picture until my vision grew blurry. Dad had spent part of his youth working in New Mexico. Whenever he called me, he’d talk about the beautiful balloons he’d seen there. He always promised that when he had some free time