I Saved Her Spot, They Erased Mine

We've been stuck in traffic on the highway for ten hours during the Fourth of July, and my best friend, Lindsay Lockhart, is so desperate to pee that she bursts into tears. My brother shoves me out of the car and orders me to take her place in the restroom queue at the rest area. Three hours later, I am finally almost at the front of the queue, only to discover that the car we had left behind is gone. I call all four of them repeatedly before my boyfriend finally sends me their location. Under the scorching sun, I walk two miles along the emergency lane before I finally find them. When my childhood friend sees me drenched in sweat, he barely bats an eye. He says, "Traffic started moving, and we couldn't wait around for you on the highway." No one in the car asks if I am tired, and no one notices my heels are bleeding. Lindsay sits in my seat, empty wrappers scattered around her feet. Our five bags of chips, five cups of mac and cheese, two containers of fruit, and eight bottles of water are all gone. When I look over, she is stuffing the last potato chip into her mouth. My boyfriend twists open the last bottle of water and hands it to her, glancing my way. "You came back from the rest area empty-handed? Didn't you think to bring us something to eat?" Lindsay playfully nudges him and laughs, "Nina has always been a slow walker. You know that." My childhood friend chuckles, "That's right. Every time we go hiking, she's the one who gets left behind." For a moment, I am speechless. In reality, I'm not a slow walker. They just never cared enough to wait for me. When Lindsay needs to use the restroom, they can't bear to make her wait. But when it's my turn, even three minutes is too long for them. There's food for all of us, but I don't even deserve a sip of water. So, from the day we started planning this trip, I was never really part of this group. My brother hands me a trash bag. "All right. Clean up the trash, and we won't hold it against you." This time, I refuse to be the one who cleans up after everyone. I say, "Forget it. Go on without me. I'm done with this trip." Chapter 1 Nina's POV The four of them were still laughing and joking, so no one heard me. My boyfriend, Lucas Lowe, pulled me along. He said, "Come on. Get in the car. Traffic's moving again." I was then shoved into the car and made to sit in the middle of the back row, with nothing on either side to lean against. Lucas reclined the front passenger seat for my best friend, Lindsay Lockhart, leaving my brother, Chad Jones, with even less room in the back. He shifted closer to me. Lindsay asked apologetically, "Won't it be uncomfortable for everyone in the back?" Chad waved his hand. "Go ahead and lie down. We're fine back here." My childhood friend, Shane Sullivan, chimed in, "Your back's not in good shape. You'll be more comfortable lying down. We have plenty of room." Half my body had gone numb from the weight pressing against me. The trash bags piled beneath my seat left me barely enough room to balance on my tiptoes. Chad glared at me and chided, "See? You should've thrown the trash away earlier. Now you know how uncomfortable it is, don't you?" I nodded. Indeed, some things should have been thrown away long ago. Three hours later, we finally arrived at the scenic spot. My arms and shoulders had long since gone numb, and my feet cramped from being forced to stay on tiptoes. When I stepped out of the car and my feet touched the ground, a sharp pain shot through them. The three-mile walk had rubbed my heels raw, and a patch of blood had seeped through my white shoes. I wanted to ask Lucas to steady me, but when I looked up, he had already walked ahead with the umbrella. Lindsay was standing beneath it, while Chad walked beside her, keeping her cool with a handheld fan. I withdrew my hand and limped along behind the four of them. As they passed by, some tourists glanced at them and whispered among themselves. "Who do you think that young lady will choose?" "All three guys are pretty great, but the one holding the umbrella looks like the best match for her." "Nina!" Lucas turned back and called out to me, "Hurry up!" Shane chuckled, "Lindsay is right. Nina really does walk at a snail's pace." Lindsay whispered something, and all four of them burst into laughter, doubling over until they could barely stand upright. They left me trailing behind, then laughed at me together for being slow. It had always been this way, ever since we were children. I quickened my pace. Just as I was about to catch up, the four of them turned back and continued walking ahead. "Wait—" I hadn't had a drop of water all day. The moment I opened my mouth, I felt a searing pain in my throat, and the sickly taste of blood flooded my nostrils. I stopped trying to catch up and turned toward a nearby convenience store to buy five bottles of water. As I stepped back out with the bags of water, I froze for a moment. I had bought five bottles out of habit. When I caught up with them, the four of them were sitting on a bench in the scenic area, drinking lattes. The bench had enough room for four people, and there were four lattes. I sat on the nearby steps, opened a bottle of water, and gulped down more than half. As the cleaner walked by, she glanced at the four bottles of water on the floor. I said, "Take them away. I don't want them anymore. All four bottles." I took out my phone and opened the invitation I had received from an overseas university two months ago. I typed my reply. "Thank you. I'd be delighted to pursue my studies abroad." Since there was nothing left worth staying for in this country, it was time for me to pursue the life I wanted. Chapter 2 Nina's POV By the time we left the scenic area, it was already dark. Lindsay sat in the passenger seat, looking down at her phone. "There's a festival near our hotel." Lucas turned to her and smiled. It was a fond, affectionate smile. Not the kind he ever gave me. "Sure." Lindsay was allowed to spend hours wandering around a festival, but no one seemed to remember that I had walked two miles in the scorching sun today. She said, "Everyone's had a long day. Let's head back to the hotel and order takeout. We can visit the food street tomorrow." Chad said, "It's fine. I'm not that tired." Shane chimed in, "We came all this way to have fun, so we might as well make the most of it. What's the point of staying cooped up in a hotel? Don't you think so?" All three of them turned to look at me. Even Lucas, behind the wheel, watched me in the rearview mirror. It was as though they were asking for my opinion. But in reality, they were waiting for the answer they wanted to hear. This time, I didn't agree. But when the car finally stopped a little while later, the bustling festival was still right outside the window. Chad and Shane got out on either side of Lindsay, looking out for her as she climbed out of the car. They said, "Lindsay, stay close. We don't want you getting lost." I frowned and was about to speak when Lucas took my hand. "Careful. There's a step." I instinctively curled my fingers, but before I could grasp his hand, Lindsay called out, "Lucas, come on!" He immediately let go of my hand and hurried toward her. Without his support, I suddenly lost my balance and nearly fell. So even that brief moment of tenderness was only for Lindsay's sake. Lindsay skipped excitedly, pointing to a stall near the entrance that offered face painting. "Look! These are so pretty!" Chad gently patted her head. "We'll get one painted for you, then." She tugged on my arm. "I want Nina to get her face painted with me!" As Lindsay browsed the designs, she turned to Lucas beside her. "Lucas, do you think this looks nice?" They stood so close that when they lifted their heads at the same time, they could feel each other's breath on their faces. I noticed Lucas' Adam's apple bob as he answered softly, "Yeah." The tips of Lindsay's ears turned slightly red as she looked down. "Then I'll go with this one." I looked away. Thick smoke from the nearby barbecue stall drifted over, stinging my eyes until they welled up. Lindsay gently pushed me down onto a chair. "This time, Nina gets to go first. It's only fair that we wait for her for once." Chad smiled. "Let's help her pick a design. Let my careless little sister experience what it feels like to be taken care of for once." A warmth suddenly filled my chest. I reached out for the booklet of designs. I said, "I'd rather choose one myself." However, the four of them quietly slipped away. "We'll pick for you. It'll be a surprise!" Ten minutes later, the face painter handed me a mirror. I stared at my reflection. I had an enormous red nose, and two uneven black lines ran from the corners of my eyes to my jaw. Shane's face was red from trying to hold back his laughter. Chad also covered his mouth, while Lucas simply turned away. The last traces of warmth I had felt moments ago vanished completely. I dropped my clenched fists to my sides as I asked, "This is your idea of a surprise?" Chad looked me over. "Doesn't it suit you?" He was right. In their eyes, I was nothing but a clown. Shane chimed in, "If we hadn't let you get your face painted, it would've looked like we were bullying you. But now that we have, you're unhappy anyway. What exactly do you want?" Lucas patted my shoulder. "Come on. Look, Lindsay got hers painted, too." I turned to look at Lindsay. She had a golden crescent moon on her forehead, surrounded by delicate silver sparkles. The paint was delicate and blended beautifully with her skin. I didn't say a word. I took a wet wipe from my bag and tried to wipe the face paint off, but the four of them immediately stopped me. "It costs 3 dollars, and we just got it done. Don't waste our money." The face painter approached us and held out a QR code for payment. "That will be 88 dollars. You chose the most expensive design and the most expensive paints." She gave me a once-over. "That young lady's face paint is free of charge." After Lucas paid the bill, Lindsay pulled me over to the nearby barbecue stall. "Let's get something to eat first. Then, we can explore." Shane held the menu. "Lindsay doesn't eat lamb. Let's order some chicken wings." Chad said, "She loves Portobello mushrooms. Get more of those." Lucas placed a bottle of ice-cold water in front of me without unscrewing the cap. "Make it extra spicy. Lindsay loves spicy food." Condensation slowly gathered on the bottle and seeped into the tablecloth. "I’ve had a stomachache for the past few days. Cold water would only make it worse," I said awkwardly. He awkwardly scratched his head. "Oh, I didn't know. Remember to tell me next time." Lindsay never had to tell them when she wasn't feeling well. They always noticed when something was wrong with her without her having to say a word. My phone buzzed with a message from Mom. "When will you be coming home?" I typed out a reply. "I'm coming back tomorrow." Chapter 3 Nina's POV Mom called, so I got up and found a quiet spot to answer. She asked, "What's wrong, Nina? You only just left today. Why are you already coming back?" Her question brought tears to my eyes. For a long moment, I couldn't bring myself to speak. Then I heard a sigh. "Nina, since you're on a trip, try to enjoy yourself. Stop getting upset over every little thing." "Okay, I got it," I answered. When I returned, Lindsay was sitting in my chair. The chair she had been using had been moved all the way to the far end. Lucas casually explained, "Lindsay got a bug in her eye just now. I was helping her get it out." She said, "I'll go back to my own seat." She didn't stand up, but Lucas still stopped her. "Stay there. Nina isn't that petty." Chad chimed in, "Exactly. What difference does it make where you sit?" Knowing better than to argue, I went to the seat at the very end and sat down. After dinner, we spent another three hours wandering around. The wounds on my feet kept reopening with every step. The pain gradually faded until I could no longer feel anything. When we returned to the hotel, I went straight to the bathroom to shower. By the time I came out, my luggage was lying open on the floor. Chad passed by me and said, "Lindsay took your masks and used them." After a whole day under the sun, with a layer of face paint covering my skin, my face was already peeling and stinging. I asked, "She used both of them?" "Shane thought one might not be enough, so he gave her two." After everything I had been through, I had long since run out of patience. I couldn't help raising my voice. "What gives you the right to decide what to do with my belongings?" The bedroom door opened, and Lucas walked out. "They're only two face masks. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?" Shane frowned. "Nina has been getting more and more petty these days." Lindsay could take my things whenever she wanted, as if it were only natural. However, when I questioned it, I was being petty and oversensitive. Then she came out, wearing both face masks. "I'm sorry, Nina. I thought we were best friends, so I didn't think you'd mind." The three of them quickly comforted her. "It's okay. It's not like it was anything valuable." "You've already used them. We can just buy Nina new ones tomorrow." They would buy me new ones, they said, as if it were them against me. Suddenly, everything felt utterly pointless. I said nothing more and turned back to my room. Just before bed, Lucas messaged me. "Lindsay gets scared easily, so she's sleeping in our room tonight." I replied. "You're sleeping there, too?" He replied. "What's the big deal? We all grew up together." I wanted to ask if anyone would be willing to share a room with me. But all he cared about was finding excuses for their behavior. I typed out my response, and my fingers hovered over the send button for a long time before I eventually deleted the message, one letter at a time. I then opened the ticket-booking app. It showed that my ticket purchase had failed. I switched to a different train and tried again. According to the itinerary, we were supposed to spend the second day at the beach. I put on the dress I had bought the week before and changed into a pair of sandals, not wanting my shoes to keep rubbing against the wounds on my feet. However, we passed the entrance to the beach, heading into the mountains. I asked, "Weren't we supposed to go to the beach today?" Lucas met my eyes in the rearview mirror, saying casually and dismissively, "We changed the plan. We're going hiking." I asked, "When did you do that?" Shane answered for Lucas, "We discussed it before bed last night. Lindsay wanted to go." "And nobody thought to tell me?" I asked. Chad didn't even look up as he said dismissively, "We're telling you now, aren't we?" "But I'm wearing sandals," I said. Lindsay turned around and said, "Why don't we switch? I'm not picky. I just need something to wear." Lucas answered for me before I could speak, as if he feared I might actually accept her offer. "No need for that. Nina isn't that fragile." "Go on without me. I'll take a cab," I suggested. Lindsay's eyes turned red, and her voice turned so gentle and fragile. "Never mind, then. We won't go. We'll go back with you." Lucas tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He chided, "Nina, stop making a fuss." Chad glared up at me. "We finally get a chance to go on a trip. Can you stop ruining everyone's fun?" Shane's expression also turned grim. "Do you have to make Lindsay cry before you're happy?" As long as Lindsay wanted something, I was expected to comply. I didn't know who had made up this rule, but everyone still followed it. They still drove all the way to the foot of the mountain. I stayed in the car. "You guys go ahead. I'll wait in the car." Chad pulled me out of the car. "We'd be wasting the trip if you didn't join us." "But my shoes are—" Lindsay grabbed my hand and started pulling me up the mountain. "Come on, Nina! The view from the top is beautiful." With every step, my feet slid back and forth inside my sandals. The four of them dragged me up the mountain, forcing me to walk uncomfortably. When we reached the top, Lindsay pointed at the view below. "Nina, look! Isn't it lovely?" I rubbed my sore, aching calves. I replied wearily, "Yeah, it's beautiful." When Chad saw my lack of enthusiasm, his expression turned grim. "Nina, why can't you ever just fit in with everyone else?" They thought I didn't want to fit in, but the problem was that this group had never once cared about my feelings. I retorted, "I never want to fit in with this group ever again." Chapter 4 Nina's POV A gust of wind swept through, drowning out my words before anyone could hear them. Shane said jokingly, "Good thing Nina has us. She would be so lonely otherwise." Only then did I understand the truth. Being with a lot of people didn't necessarily mean you wouldn't be lonely. Lucas walked over and put an arm around my shoulders. He said, "Alright, stop talking about her like that. She has her strengths, too." My hand paused as I rubbed my aching legs. I looked up at him hopefully. "Nina is obedient. That's her strength." He was wrong. That wasn't my strength. That was simply what they wanted me to be. As we headed down the mountain, a dark cloud rolled in with a rumble of thunder. The rain came without warning, pelting us in a relentless downpour. Lucas snatched the jacket from my hands and held it over Lindsay's head. "Lindsay is weak. She'll catch a cold if she gets wet." Chad and Shane supported Lindsay from either side. As they passed me, they just said one thing. "Run!" By the time I got back to the car, I was soaked from head to toe. My light-colored dress clung to my body, and goosebumps rose along my arms. I glanced at Lindsay in the passenger seat. She was draped in the jacket, and not a single strand of her hair was even wet. Back at the hotel, I showered and changed out of my wet clothes. When I turned on my phone, a notification popped up from the ticket-booking app. I had successfully booked my ticket. At the same time, an email written entirely in a foreign language appeared in my notification bar. It was the final confirmation letter from the overseas university I had applied to. Three months ago, I had received my admission offer. It was the program I had always wanted to study, and the university I had dreamed of attending since high school. However, Lucas and the others had all decided to stay in the country. They said that since we had grown up together, we should all study together at Narthton University. Chad said no one would look after me if I went abroad alone. Shane said that friendships were bound to fade once people went their separate ways. Lucas held me in his arms and asked if I could bear to leave him behind. Even Lindsay had teary eyes as she said that if I left, the five of us would never be able to get together again. I couldn't bear to leave them, so I kept putting off confirming my acceptance, burying the admission email at the bottom of my inbox. Tomorrow was the deadline. I opened the email, my finger hovering over the confirmation button. Then, I heard laughter from the room next door. I couldn't make out what Lindsay had said, but Chad laughed and called her his little troublemaker. Shane told her to keep her voice down before she laughed so hard she lost her breath. Then I heard Lucas say, "What's there to worry about? Nina's asleep. She can't hear us." I pressed the confirmation button. The page refreshed, and a message appeared on my screen. "Your admission has been successfully confirmed." As it turned out, making the choice to leave wasn't nearly as hard as I had thought. Lucas pushed the door open and walked in. "Don't be upset about the change in plans today. Just let it slide for Lindsay. Next time, we'll do what you want." Next time, they would do what I wanted, they had said. Next time, they would include me, they had said. Next time, they would let me come first, they had said. They would forever say things like that. I said, "I'm not upset." He gave a small smile. "I knew you were obedient." Little did he know that I wasn't being obedient. I had simply stopped expecting anything from them. That night, I didn't join them for dinner and turned in early. But at 4:00 am, I woke up with a dry, aching throat. I touched my forehead and found it burning hot. I instinctively reached for my phone and opened the pinned group chat with the five of us. "I have a fever. Can anyone take me to the hospital?" I typed. Shane replied first. "I'll take you once it's daylight." Chad quickly replied after him. "Lindsay played games all night and just fell asleep. If we go out, we'll definitely wake her up." Lucas replied, "There's hot water in the living room that we boiled for Lindsay earlier. It's probably still warm. Drink some of that for now." I stared at the group chat for a long time. The light from the screen made my eyes ache. No one asked how bad my fever was. No one asked how I was feeling. All they cared about was whether Lindsay was sleeping well. My suffering didn't matter to them. I pulled the covers tighter around myself and drifted into a restless sleep. When I woke up again, it was already 8:00 am. There were still five hours before my train departed. I pushed aside my sweat-soaked blanket and got out of bed. As I passed the bedroom next door, I noticed the door was open. The hotel room was deathly silent. The only sound was the water dispenser gurgling as it refilled. I stood in the doorway for a moment, then pulled out my phone and messaged the group chat. "Have you all gone out?" But no one replied. Since that was the case, I wouldn't wait for them. I packed all my belongings into my luggage. My white shoes, which were still stained with blood, lay by the door. I picked them up and tossed them into the trash. Shoes that didn't fit weren't worth keeping. Neither were the people who didn't belong in my life. At 10:00 am, I wheeled my luggage downstairs. At 1:30 pm, Lucas called. He asked, "Nina, are you up yet?" I watched the trees whiz past outside the train window. "What do you want?" I asked impassively. Maybe Lucas wasn't used to my tone, because he went quiet for two seconds. Then he said, "I just wanted to tell you that we went to the trendy breakfast spot Lindsay mentioned earlier this morning." I heard Lindsay's voice in the background. "Too bad you slept in and missed it." Lucas chuckled, "We're heading back now to pick you up. We're going to the beach. You've always wanted to go—" "Lucas." I cut him off. "What's wrong?" "Do you remember what I said in the group chat in the middle of the night?" Silence came from the other end of the line. Maybe Lucas was trying to recall it or scrolling back through the chat history. An announcement sounded over the train's PA system. Having heard that, Lucas asked, "Nina, are you on a train?" "Yeah." "Where are you going?" he asked. I replied, "Home. To get my passport and sort out the paperwork for going abroad." His breath hitched at my words. "What do you mean by that?" "I've accepted an offer from a university overseas. I won't be going to Narthton University with you all. I'm leaving to study abroad next month." Lucas called out my name on the phone. However, I didn't let him finish. I said, "Also, we're over." With that, I hung up and turned off my phone. … Third-Person POV Lucas stared at his phone, feeling a sudden wave of panic. He called Lindsay, Chad, and Shane over. "Get in the car. We're going back to the hotel." They soon returned and pushed open Nina Jones' bedroom door. The luggage beside the bed was gone. A pair of white shoes stained with blood lay in the trash can by the doorway. The four of them rushed downstairs and questioned the hotel receptionist. "Have you seen the young lady who was with us?" The receptionist nodded. "She left ages ago. Didn't you know?"