He Dropped Me at the Service Station to Take Her Home Chapter 01

He Dropped Me at the Service Station to Take Her Home Chapter 01

We were driving back home for summer break, and Isolde Thorne got motion sickness.

My boyfriend Caspian Veyra pulled into the highway rest stop sharply, then leaned over and held a water bottle to her lips.

He twisted to look at me. “Izzy’s really struggling. Run inside and grab some motion sickness pills, hurry up.”

I nodded blankly and climbed out of the car. I wandered around asking dozens of people before I finally found that tiny box of pills.

When I rushed back outside, sweat dripping all over my neck and forehead, the parking spot was empty.

I stood frozen on the pavement. My heartbeat roared louder than the cicadas buzzing in the summer trees.

My phone lit up. A voice message from Caspian popped up.

[Izzy threw up. I had to get her out of here. Flag down a ride and catch up to us.]

It was late summer dusk, and mosquitoes swarmed every corner of the rest stop in thick clouds.

I begged strangers for a ride for over two hours. At last, a long-haul trucker named Cole Harker took pity on me and let me ride in his semi-truck.

I didn’t get to the Thorne family home until midnight. Every light in the yard blazed bright.

Through the living room window, I watched all three of them huddled around the dining table.

Mom kept refilling Izzy’s plate whenever hers ran low, and Cas laughed beside her over some story.

I stood frozen on the front step, the crumpled, sweat-soaked pill box crinkling tight in my grip.

My phone buzzed again. [You almost here? All the good food’s gone.]

I let out a bitter quiet smile, tossed the pills into a trash can, and bought an Amtrak ticket back to Northvale.

Some people—if you can’t keep up with them, there’s no point chasing anymore.

***

I pushed open the front gate, and three smiling faces snapped toward me at the same time, then froze solid all at once.

Izzy recovered first and trotted straight over to me.

“Ellie! You’re finally back. I was so worried sick. Are you starving? I’ll fix you a plate right now, okay?”

She turned to head for the kitchen.

Cas blocked her path halfway, one hand resting tenderly on her shoulder like he was soothing a little kid.

“Don’t push yourself. You’re still recovering from feeling awful, just sit and rest.”

He turned to me with a furrowed brow, his tone like I was being unreasonable.

“Ellie, fix your own plate. Can’t you see Izzy’s sick?”

I stood in the foyer, staring blankly at how they leaned into each other, then dragged my heavy feet toward the kitchen.

I’d only eaten one tiny granola bar the entire day. My stomach cramped so fiercely I could barely stand upright.

But when I lifted the lid off the slow cooker, there was nothing left but a thin layer of toasted bread crusts stuck to the bottom.

I held my empty bowl and stared for several long seconds.

The sharp ache in my stomach faded away, going completely numb.

I walked back out into the dining room with nothing in my hands.

Mom was still shoveling heaps of grilled shrimp onto Izzy’s plate.

“Eat faster, before that greedy girl comes out and steals all your food.”

Cas hunched over peeling shrimp one by one for Izzy.

It was just like when we were kids. Izzy’s plate always overflowed with food.

She’d always been a picky eater, so Mom and Dad would bend over backward to get her to finish meals.

I ate anything and everything without complaining. I’d stand there staring longingly at Izzy’s full plate, mouth watering.

Izzy would laugh and push half her food onto my plate.

Then Mom would yell at me, and tell every neighbor who dropped by.

“She’s got such a big appetite—most folks won’t put up with that, I’d reckon”

I’d spent years ashamed of my own big appetite.

Then I met Caspian.

He was the first person who ever made me feel worthy of being noticed.

For the first time in my life, someone paid attention to what I loved to eat. Someone memorized every single one of my tiny preferences.

Later, he met Izzy through me—we both attended Halewood University.

Slowly, he started memorizing Izzy’s little quirks too: she hated cilantro, loved grilled shrimp but refused to peel them herself.

I’d brought up how hurt I felt once or twice, quietly trying not to sound whiny.

But every time I voiced my discomfort, they’d exchange that knowing look and say the exact same line in unison.

“She’s your sister.”

“We’re family.”

Izzy stood up when she saw me walk back into the room.

“Ellie? Where’s your food?”

My throat and lips were dry and stuck together. I struggled twice to make a sound come out.

“There’s none left.”

Mom frowned hard.

“We didn’t make enough. Check the fridge—there’s leftover mashed potatoes from yesterday, heat those up.”

I was so drained my eyelids trembled nonstop. I tugged up a half-hearted smile and turned toward my bedroom.

Behind me, silverware clanged violently against ceramic. Mom’s voice rose sharp and loud.

“What’s her problem now, moping around like that?”

“Do we owe her something or what?”

I didn’t slow my pace, just kept walking to my room.