Chapter 135 

Chapter 135 

“Hey–carefully, freak. That costs more than your dad’s half–year salary.” 

The voice came from behind. Sharp. Smug. Coated in that specific brand of cruelty only high school hierarchies could breed. 

It wasn’t meant for me. 

Still, it sliced through the air, slicing through my thoughts, too. 

Some argument, maybe. I didn’t turn to see. I was too focused on the war raging inside me–on choosing my flavor of guilt. 

I was about to take a step–my foot already hovering–when someone brushed roughly past me, nudging me just enough to knock my balance and, somehow, my choice off course. 

She didn’t say a word as she cut through the narrow bus aisle, but she didn’t need to. 

Buzz cut. Black tank top. Shoulders squared like a shield. 

Briana. 

She slid into the seat beside Clara like she belonged there. No hesitation. No invitation. 

And just like that, the soft warmth that had lit Clara’s face moments ago disappeared–snapped shut like a drawer of fragile things she’d rather not show. 

She blinked. Twice. Her lips parted slightly as she looked back and forth–first at Briana, then at me. 

“This… this seat is taken,” she said eventually, her voice small but steady. Her fingers, which had rested so casually on the empty seat seconds ago, now gripped the edge. 

“Yeah. It’s taken,” Briana replied, her tone drenched in lazy defiance. “By me.” 

“No–l… I mean… it’s reserved for my friend.” Clara touched her chest lightly. “I reserved it for my friend.” 

“Yeah. I don’t care.” 

And that was it. 

Briana didn’t shout. Didn’t argue. Just slid on her spiky headphones like armor, closed her eyes, and leaned back into the seat with the calm of someone who had just claimed her territory–and had no intention of moving. 

Clara’s jaw tightened. Her lips pressed into a thin line. 

But she said nothing more. 

Normally, I would’ve been mad, 

Scratch that–furious. 

Briana’s little stunt would’ve earned an eye–roll, a snarky comeback, maybe even a front–row seat to one of my inner rants. 

But today? 

Today, I could’ve kissed her boots.. 

Because thanks to her, I didn’t have to choose. 

No choosing meant no hurting. 

1/3 

Ub Sat, 21 Jun 

Chapter 135 

No hurting meant no guilt. 

WOW! This feels like freedom. 

“Lucy!” Rubina’s voice rang from the back of the bus, snapping Clara’s head toward her. 

“Come here!” Rubina called, smiling like 

and 

gesturing excitedly. 

Then, sensing Clara’s gaze, Rubina looked at her and offered a soft smile. 

Clara smiled back, but it didn’t feel as gentle as Rubina’s. She then turned to me. “Thank God your other friends managed to save you a seat. Go–before some other freak,” she said, throwing a quick glance toward Briana, whose eyes were still closed–unbothered and untouched by any of this. Clara’s gaze lingered on her for a beat longer than necessary before shifting back to me.“–takes your seat.” 

And then–just like that–she smiled again, her expression shifting faster than a chameleon’s skin. 

“Okay,” I replied softly, unsure if I was feeling relief or regret. “You take care. Meet you the moment we reach the museum?” 

She gave a half–nod, then turned to the window. 

I exhaled and made my way toward the backseat. 

“Oh my God, it’s gonna be so much fun!” Sheela practically launched herself toward me the second I got close. She grabbed my hand and yanked me between her and Rubina, sandwiching me in a warm burst of excitement. 

I barely had time to settle in before she continued, “Thor said daytime barbecuing at Westside Beach is the heavenly feeling of the world. Can’t wait for 

it.” 

“Wait, we’re allowed to barbecue there?” I asked, surprised. “In a public place?” 

“Usually, no. But Thor booked the entire place–specifically for beachside BBQ,” Sheela grinned, her voice bubbling with the kind of joy that felt so pure you’d kill to bottle it. “So today? Yes.” 

“Wow! That’s cool. Tell me more about your lavish plan.” I leaned back, letting their happiness sink into me like sunlight. 

Though Clara and I had been friends for quite a while now, it was strange–weird, even–that I had never properly introduced her to Sheela and Rubina 

before. 

If I’d just taken the chance earlier, maybe this morning’s guilt–riddled mess could’ve been avoided. 

You fall into a mess once? You’re unlucky. 

But fall into the same mess twice? 

Then you’re just a stupid asshole. 

And I had no plans of being that. 

So this time, I didn’t wait. 

The moment we stepped off the bus and our shoes hit the stone–paved walkway leading to the majestic entrance of the Museum of West Sterlingo, I made my move. 

I introduced them. 

Wow. It wasn’t nearly as hard as I’d imagined. 

Chapter 135 

Everything went smoothly–like they’d been waiting to meet each other all along. 

And just like that, we went from a group of three–or a pair of two–to a group of four. 

Together, we began exploring the museum like we were on a treasure hunt for moments that whispered of a world we’d never known but comehran aff belonged to. 

Each artifact we passed seemed to carry a slice of history’s breath. Glinting swords behind glass, ancient scrolls with ink faded to a graceful blur, crumbling statues of warriors and queens whose names still tasted regal on the tongue. 

“This is Letherakoses the-” the tour guide’s voice hovered behind me like background music as I turned my head—drawn by something else. 

Or someone else. 

Kaiden. 

He was standing a few feet away, his hands deep in the pockets of his dark jacket, eyes locked on a painting that hung on the far wall. 

Kaiden stared at it the way a child with an old soul stares into a candy store window–longing, still, and trying so hard not to let the world see just how much he wanted it. 

My heart stirred–like someone had nudged it awake with gentle fingers. 

I wanted to go to him. 

To hold his hand. 

To lean in and ask what this painting meant to him. 

But my mind–the ever–cruel voice of reason–reminded me of the five feet of distance we had to maintain in public. 

Looks like today was the day for hard choices. 

Briana had saved me once already this morning, shielding me from emotional landmines I wasn’t brave enough to face. 

But now? 

No one was coming to rescue me. 

It was just me and this impossible choice. 

Either I stayed rooted right where I was, safe in the comfort of my friendships, and let the boy loved stand there alone when he clearly needed me. 

Or I could go to him—and risk destroying everything my mom, Dan, and Kaiden had sacrificed up to this point. 

To be continued…