They Wanted Me to Chaperone My Sister Abroad, So I Vanished Chapter 03

They Wanted Me to Chaperone My Sister Abroad, So I Vanished Chapter 03

We rounded the bend toward the roller coaster, and Linda’s eyes lit up. “I wanna ride that one!”

Marcus smiled softly at her. “You’re sure? It might scare you half to death.”

Owen scoffed, but fondness lingered in his tone. “Fine by me—don’t come crying to me and Marcus afterward.”

“I’m not a little kid, I can handle it!” She looped one arm through Owen’s and the other through Marcus’s, talking nonstop as they jogged toward the ride entrance.

They glanced back to find me rooted to the pavement, refusing to step forward.

“You three go ahead. I’ll wait down here and hold all your bags.”

Linda’s lower lip jutted out in a pout. “C’mon, ride with us, Bella!”

Owen pressed his palm to his forehead, irritation thick in his voice. “Bella Miller, can you stop ruining the mood for once?”

“Linda went out of her way to bring you here, and you’ve moped the entire day. Now she just wants one ride with you, and you’re throwing a fit for special treatment again?”

Marcus reached out and brushed his palm lightly over the top of my hair, his tone gentle as always. “It’s okay, the seats fit two people per row. Owen’ll sit with Linda, and I’ll ride beside you. Don’t be scared.”

My gaze fixed on his long, slender fingers, a bitter, and a dull, familiar ache settled in my chest.

Marcus was one of the most popular boys in our grade, admired by every girl for his quiet, gentle demeanor.

He never knew I’d been one of the countless girls secretly crushing on him for years.

He was nothing like hot-tempered Owen; he’d always been the one to notice when my family brushed me aside, the only person who’d ever bothered to check if I was alright.

But I’d seen him furious exactly once, the afternoon right before the SAT.

Classmates had teased us nonstop about being childhood sweethearts, a perfect match made by fate.

Marcus’s easy smile dropped completely that day, shocking everyone in the room. “Enough with the stupid jokes. Bella and I are nothing—she’s just the girl who lives next door.”

That evening, I’d tossed away the love letter I’d hidden deep inside my backpack for months, its edges worn thin from constant nervous fidgeting.

“I have severe acrophobia,” I held his gaze straight, no room for him to brush it off. “You remember.”

Back in tenth grade, our class took a field trip to a mountain overlook. One single glance down the steep drop had sent me collapsing into a faint right beside him.

Marcus had panicked so badly he’d barely kept his composure. Later, during classroom cleanup, he’d never let me stand on stools to wipe dust from high shelves, terrified I’d pass out again.

Marcus frowned, as if genuinely trying to remember. “I don’t recall that. Linda’s having such a wonderful day—just push through it for her, Bella. Nothing bad’ll happen.”

Owen didn’t wait for me to argue. He grabbed my arm, dragged me forward, and forced me into a roller coaster seat. “Let’s see if this phobia’s real, or if you’re just determined to ruin Linda’s fun.”

When the coaster crested its highest peak, my body went rigid as stone, my vision blurring into static white light. Wind howled loud enough to drown out every scream around me, muffling the world into complete silence.

My mind spun through every memory of being pushed aside: the single fancy party dress that went to Linda, the one summer camp spot awarded to her instead of me, the way I’d always existed as an afterthought to their perfect little trio.

Voices echoed endlessly in my head.

“I’m so jealous of you, Bella. You’re brilliant and gorgeous—your parents must never snap at you.”

I’d give anything for them to snap at me, if it meant they cared even a tiny fraction about my feelings.

“You’ve got every good thing handed to you, so why’re you always quiet and insecure?”

How could a child raised on constant neglect grow up confident?

The coaster jolted to a halt; restraints clicked open. Everyone sprang up, still buzzing from the rush.

Linda stumbled forward, unsteady from the drop’s weightlessness. Marcus and Owen sprinted over to steady her at once.

“Linda, I told you not to push yourself!”

“Are you dizzy? Do you feel nauseous?”

I stumbled off the ride behind them. The second I stood upright, the world tilted violently, blinding white spots bursting across my vision.

“Help… please…” My weak cry dissolved into the din of their frantic fuss over Linda; no one spared me a glance.

My knees buckled. I crashed hard onto the concrete with a heavy thud, and blacked out entirely.