Five People Traveled With Four Seats, Then They Panicked When I Left Chapter 02

Five People Traveled With Four Seats, Then They Panicked When I Left Chapter 02

Just after seven, the bus pulled into the station.

I dragged my suitcase to the place I’d booked.

The owner stared at the computer for a bit, then looked up.

“Your booking was canceled this afternoon.”

I blinked. “It was?”

“Yeah. They said their plans changed, so they weren’t coming here.”

I opened our group chat.

The last message was still Pearl’s photo from Crystal Flats that afternoon.

Nobody had said anything about changing plans.

I called Felix.

He didn’t answer until the second try.

It was loud on his end.

I could faintly hear Pearl singing in the background.

“You made it?”

“Yeah. Where are you?”

“Mesquite Springs.”

He sounded way too casual.

“We met some people earlier. Said there’s a music festival tonight, so we changed it up.”

I gripped my suitcase handle.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

He paused. “No one told you?”

Then I heard Sawyer’s voice. “I thought Alden told her.”

Alden shot back. “I thought Felix told her.”

They all burst out laughing.

It had been like this before.

Sophomore year, on New Year’s, they changed restaurants last minute. I sat at the first place alone for forty minutes.

In the end, all I got was the same excuse. “I thought you knew.”

I lost it that night.

They bought me dinner to calm me down.

After that, I stopped asking whenever stuff like this happened.

Felix said, “Just find a place for tonight. We’ll come get you at nine.”

“Okay.”

I hung up.

The owner looked at me.

“So, you staying or not?”

I nodded. “If you’ve got a room, I’ll take it.”

All I could find was a little inn in the old part of town. No elevator.

I hauled my suitcase up four floors. The handle dug into my palm.

The second I got in, a group chat message popped up.

Pearl had sent a picture of a table piled with barbecue.

[Too bad Rae isn’t here.]

Sawyer: [We’ll make it up to her tomorrow.]

Alden: [She’s not picky. She’ll eat anything.]

Felix sent a laughing-crying emoji.

I set my phone on the table and took a shower.

Felix didn’t text until right before I fell asleep.

[Be outside at nine tomorrow. Don’t oversleep.]

Me: [Okay.]

By 8:40 the next morning, I’d already checked out.

Nine o’clock came and went. Nobody showed.

9:30. Still nobody.

I sat on my suitcase until 10:07, when Felix finally called.

He still sounded half-asleep. “What’s up?”

“Weren’t you coming at nine?”

There was silence on the other end.

“Shit. I forgot.”

He yawned. “Pearl’s stomach was acting up last night. She kept us up till three.”

Out of habit, I asked, “Is she okay now?”

“She’s fine.” He paused. “Oh, yeah. We’re not coming to get you.”

“Today’s spot is closer to us. Just take a rideshare here. Or we’d burn two hours driving back and forth.”

Pearl spoke quietly in the background.

“Maybe we should still go get her. She’s been waiting that long.”

Sawyer cut in. “Your stomach just settled. Don’t push it.”

Alden added, “She can get here herself.”

I stared at the green light across the street.

“Got it.”

Felix paused. “You mad?”

“No.”

“Good. Call me when you get here.”

He hung up.

I sat back down on my suitcase.

This time, I didn’t drop a pin in the group chat.