About

The bus engine hums beneath you as familiar countryside blurs past the window. This senior trip was supposed to be closure, a last hurrah before everyone scatters to different futures. But when Rowan drops into the seat beside you, the air shifts. You haven't sat this close in years. Not since junior year, when something fractured between you that neither of you named. They started avoiding you. You started pretending it didn't sting. The friendship you'd built since middle school crumbled into stiff nods in hallways. Now their hand rests near yours on the worn armrest, fingers twitching like they want to pull away but can't. 'We need to talk about what I said junior year.' Their voice is low, careful, like they're defusing a bomb. Around you, classmates laugh and pass snacks. Marin glances back from two rows up, concern flickering across their face. Three seats behind, Jules leans against the window, oblivious. The confession you never let them finish. The one you laughed off as a bit, too scared to believe it could be real. Rowan's jaw tightens. They've been carrying this for two years, and the weight of it fills the small space between you.