32 - Elizabeth
Elizabeth
The bus rattled steadily along the highway with the steady thump of the tires settling ever so gently into the background like white noise.
Outside the window, the late fall trees blurred past in streaks of rust and gold.
And the full gray hue in the sky promised to deliver cold rain later in the afternoon.
I sat halfway down the bus with Jenna and two other girls from the cheer squad.
Luckily, I had sworn Jenna to secrecy, so for now my secret library encounters with Ethan would remain secret.
That was just part of the problem, though.
Ethan himself had been bothering me a lot today.
I tucked my legs slightly sideways and balanced them against the seat in front of me.
A half-empty bag of pretzels rested on my lap, but I hadn’t touched it in what felt like an eternity.
I sighed. I had tried so very hard not to look down the aisle, but I was failing miserably.
My eyes flickered up again before I could stop myself.
Three rows in front of me, Ethan sat with Cam, Dylan, Malik, and Lucas.
The guys had turned the space between their seats into a full-blown card table with the trays flipped down and pushed together like they were running a high-class casino instead of riding the bus to their next away game.
Ethan’s long legs were stretched slightly into the aisle as he held his cards in one hand while the other rested comfortably against Cam’s seat. Everything looked so calm and enjoyable until Lucas slammed his cards down dramatically.
“Boom! Suck on that, gentlemen,” he said, looking all proud. “Three of a kind.”
“Bullshit!” Dylan said immediately.
Lucas gave him a wicked grin. “Check it out for yourself.”
Cam leaned forward to inspect the card, and his body instantly stiffened. “Damnit.”
Malik laughed from his seat across the aisle. I leaned forward and watched with fascinated amusement, relieved that Jenna wasn’t pushing the buttons with my distraction.
“What are you supposed to be playing?” one of the other guys asked.
“Texas Hold’em,” Lucas said smugly.
“This isn’t Texas Hold’em,” Dylan said, shaking his head. “You’ve changed the rules like four times already.”
“I was just being innovative,” Lucas scoffed.
“You’ve been cheating,” Dylan mumbled, clearly getting upset with the shenanigans.
Ethan chuckled before throwing his cards down on the table and leaning back in his chair. He looked so relaxed, which confused me even more.
“You just can’t handle losing,” Lucas said smugly.
Dylan leaned back in his seat as his frustration became even more clear. “Oh, I’m going to handle it alright. I’m about to flip this entire table.”
“If you flip the table, you owe me ten bucks,” Cam interjected.
I tried not to stare, but it was impossible not to watch them.
The energy from their section of the bus kept spilling backward and infecting us all.
There was so much laughter mixed with the occasional banter and, of course, the random person leaning into the aisle to accuse someone else of cheating now and then.
Jenna followed my gaze. “Poker?”
“Apparently, but according to Dylan, there’s too much cheating for it to be called that.”
“That’s a dangerous game,” Jenna said, nodding.
“Why?” I asked, confused by the random statement.
“Because athletes get competitive about literally everything.”
I turned my attention back to the guys and frowned. I was a very competitive person, but I didn’t bring that into games with friends, so I didn’t think her point was very accurate. Then, as if on cue, Dylan slapped down on his tray.
“You hid a card!” he accused.
“I did no such thing!” Lucas said, feigning innocence.
“I saw it peeking out from under your sleeve.” Dylan grabbed his jacket and shoved the sleeve back. “I’ll find it and prove my point once and for all.”
Malik ran a hand down his face and groaned. Ethan put his cards down but still placed a protective hand over them. And Cam seemed to be consumed by the carnage in front of him.
“I swear to God if you idiots start flipping seats over,” Malik warned.
Before we could finish his sentence, the bus hit a bump. Lucas’s eyes shot open wide, and his mouth moved in slow motion as his cards slipped out of his hands and crashed to the floor. His eyes glistened with disappointment that only deepened when Cam burst out laughing.
“Who’s cheating now?” Cam teased.
Dylan pointed at the floor and yelled, “Justice. At last.”
Lucas leaned down to pick up the cards and glared at every single one of them in the process.
“You are all banned from my future poker nights,” Lucas scoffed.
“Up until today, you didn’t even know how to play poker. Now you’re talking about poker nights?” Ethan asked.
“Yeah, so don’t get your hopes up,” Dylan added.
My attention was drawn away from the guys when someone started clapping in a slow rhythm a few rows behind us. I tried to ignore it at first, but then a voice sang out:
“Country rooooads…”
A collective gasp rippled through the bus, along with a few face slaps and groans.
“Oh no,” Jenna said.
“Not again,” I countered
But the singer continued anyway. “Take me hoooome..”
The guys looked on in awe. Ethan clearly wanted to find a place to hide. Malik wasn’t sure if he should be horrified or delighted. Dylan was stunned into silence. And Cam perked up immediately.
“Oh, we’re totally doing this,” Cam said, squeezing Lucas’ shoulders. He stood halfway into the aisle like he was preparing to lead a concert.
“West Virginia!” he screeched at the top of his lungs.
“Sit your ass down,” Dylan said as he grabbed his hoodie and yanked him back into his seat.
Unfortunately, he was too late, and the damage had already been done. Half the team had joined immediately, and they were going to see this through.
“Blue Ridge Mountains!”
“Shenandoah River!”
The cheer squad burst out laughing as the song grew louder and louder. Someone in the back pounded on their seat like a drum, and Jenna groaned.
“I can’t believe this is our life,” she sighed.
I covered my face with one hand, trying to conceal my laughter.
“This happens every single time we have a road trip,” I said.
Up ahead, Lucas had fully committed. He was standing in the aisle and belting the lyrics like he was auditioning for Idols.
Malik shook his head, but he was clearly trying not to laugh.
Ethan leaned back in his seat, rubbing a hand over his face while Cam dramatically pointed an imaginary microphone at him.
“Your turn, Ethan!”
“I’m not getting involved in this.”
“You have to!”
Dylan shoved him slightly. “Sing, coward.”
Ethan rolled his eyes but finally gave in and muttered the next line just loud enough for the guys around him to hear.
Cam clutched his chest. “That was beautiful.”
Lucas bowed theatrically. “An award-worthy performance.”
Eventually the song dissolved into laughter and applause, and someone started another round of cards.
This time it looked like spades. Malik leaned over to watch the play like a referee, which was something they obviously needed.
But that didn’t last too long either. After three games, he stretched and got up.
“I’m bored with watching you idiots cheat.”
“I don’t cheat!” Lucas defended himself automatically.
“You’ve been cheating the whole time,” Dylan scoffed.
Malik ignored them all and wandered down the aisle to the back of the bus. I noticed his approach and straightened slightly. Malik stopped beside our seats and rested one of his arms on the top of the chair.
“What’s going on back here?”
Jenna looked up curiously. “Oh, not much, just peace, quiet, and emotional stability.”
Malik nodded thoughtfully. “That must be nice.”
I gave him a warm smile. “Are you tired of babysitting the sharks?”
Malik let out a heavy sigh and sank down on the seat in front of us. “Girl, you have no idea. Lucas actually tried to invent a rule that he called ‘bonus kings.’”
“Is that not already a thing?” Jenna mocked.
“You should try explaining something to him that doesn’t fit his narrative. It’s like trying to teach physics to a two-year-old.”
He glanced between the two of us and instantly noticed that something was out of place. I should’ve known it would happen, but on some hidden level, I was slightly relieved.
“So what are you guys doing back here? Just judging us?”
“Pretty much,” Jenna said with a nod.
I laughed. “Mostly we’re just trying to survive the singing.”
Malik gave me a wide grin. “Oh, come on. It wasn’t that bad.”
I gave him a killer look, and his smile faltered almost as quickly as it arrived.
“You weren’t the one who was singing,” I pointed out.
He pointed at his chest defensively. “I was their emotional support.”
“That’s not the same thing,” Jenna said.
Behind him, Lucas leaned into the aisle and looked in both directions before spotting Malik.
“Yo! Malik! Get back here; we need a witness. Dylan’s trying to revoke my three-of-a-kind.”
“Do you see what I have to put up with?” He pushed off the seat. “Enjoy your peace while it lasts.”
I watched him walk off, and then, despite myself, my eyes drifted back to Ethan.
He was laughing at something Cam said, and his head tilted back slightly.
For a brief second, I felt the familiar warmth he stirred in my heart, but then he glanced back.
Our eyes met and his smile faded almost instantly, then he looked away like I was something toxic.
I quickly turned my attention back to Jenna and pretended to be very interested in her pretzel bag. A knot formed in my stomach and instantly tightened. A few minutes later the driver announced that we would be stopping for food, and everyone cheered.
The diner sat just off the highway. It was a low brick building with a faded red sign and a gravel parking lot.
Nothing spectacular or memorable, but it would do.
The bus hissed loudly as the doors opened and a rush of cold air assaulted our senses.
I stepped out, and for just a second I was reminded of the time Ethan and I were stranded.
With a deep breath, I pulled my jacket tighter. The team spread out around me, stretching their stiff legs and groaning dramatically.
“Finally,” Dylan said, cracking his neck.
“Food,” Cam hummed like he had been starving for years.
We walked inside and the smell of freshly brewed coffee and hot syrup overwhelmed me. The waitress barely blinked when thirty starved athletes and cheerleaders crowded through the door, even though we filled half the restaurant in a matter of minutes.
Jenna and I slipped into one of the booths at the back, but my eyes were scanning the entire room. Ethan stood near the counter, briefly talking to Dylan before turning to the hallway that led to the restrooms. This was my chance, probably the only one I would get.
“I’ll be right back,” I mumbled as I slid out of the booth.
Jenna raised a brow. “Bathroom?”
“Something like that.”
I slipped through the narrow aisle between the tables and reached the hallway just as Ethan stepped out of the men’s room.
“Hey,” I said cautiously.
His expression was unreadable. “Hey.”
I tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “So… are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
His jaw tightened. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
I couldn’t believe how cold he was toward me. This was the first time since we met that he acted this way, and it confirmed my suspicion that something was up.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” I said firmly. “You wouldn’t sit with me on the bus, and you barely said two words to me this morning.”
He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. “Maybe I just wanted to sit with the team.”
I frowned. “The team is always around us, no matter what.”
The silence that stretched between us was heavy and laced with built-up tension. Then the hum from the dining room found me and pulled me back to the present.
“Did I do something wrong?” I asked quietly.
He let out a short laugh, and it wasn’t amused. “Are you being serious right now?”
“Of course I am!”
He pushed away from the wall. “Maybe you should ask the guy you spent the night with. He did sound like Mr. Perfect after all.”
I blinked in astonishment. I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. Since I got to this school, I hadn’t spent time with anyone but him.
His eyes hardened. “You know, the guy who was in your room last night.”
Realization dawned, and I quickly opened my mouth to speak. “That isn’t -”
He lifted a hand, shutting me up. “Don’t even try. I heard everything.”
I just stared at him, completely stunned. I had no idea he was visiting my room or that he overheard anything, but whatever that was, he had the wrong idea.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said, hoping he’d give me a chance to explain.
He held my gaze for a long moment. “Yeah, whatever.”
Then he stepped past me and walked back to the dining room, leaving me frozen and speechless in the hallway of a diner more than two hours away from home. I was completely crushed, and I didn’t see a way out of this, especially since he wouldn’t let me explain.
What was I going to do now?