"Yeah, we just have to pick up my suitcase."
"I'm having my car brought to where we're going, with all my bags. I'll just tell the driver to pass by your place and pick up your bag."
"He can't get in; there's no one home."
Parker frowns, then starts typing on his phone again. "He can find your landlord; he must have a key."
I hadn't exactly figured out the logistics of how I'd go to the airport from wherever we are going, but knowing that I'll leave with Parker puts my mind at ease. I glance out the window as we speed along the highway, wondering where this new adventure will take us. I start counting the cars we pass to keep my mind occupied, because thoughts of what awaits me at the end of this day start creeping back, and I have to ward them off if I want to survive this day. A life without James, that's what awaits me. I doze off sometime after counting the one hundredth car.
I wake up with a jolt as my ears are assaulted by a wave of cheers and laughter. I sit up straight. The bus has come to a halt, and, except for Parker and me, everyone is on their feet, waiting in line to get out.
"Where are we?" I ask Parker. Out the window, a vast river lies before my eyes.
"Tuolumne River."
I've never been to Tuolumne River, but I know roughly where it is on the map. "I slept for two hours?"
He smirks. "Two and a half, actually."
Pa
rker and I get off the bus last. The first breath of air outside is refreshing. It isn't quite as cool as the AC in the bus, but it smells of pines and the proximity of water somehow takes away the intensity of the heat. I'd like nothing better than to swim in the river. But the water flows so rapidly and there are so many rocks that I'm pretty sure I won't put as much as a toe in the water. I look around, trying to imagine what we could possibly do here. Wild would be the most appropriate word to describe this place. A plethora of pines and oaks populate the other shore of the river. The shore we're on is mostly grass and bushes that are a dry, pale yellow. Clouds of dust linger above the unpaved road behind us.
"This place doesn't really feel… celebratory," someone from the crowd shouts.
James's laughter echoes a few feet away from me.
My phone rings. I fish it out of the pocket of my slim jeans, and jolt a bit at the number on the screen. It's from England, but it's not my parents’ number. My heart pounding hard, I try to remember who else has my number. Our neighbor, Ms. Tate, whom I gave it to in case of emergencies. But it can't be her; I have her number saved. Her name would appear on the screen if she'd be the one calling.
Biting my lip, I press the green button and hold the phone to my ear.
"I GOT the job," Jess shrieks in my ear. "I still can't believe it. I got it."
"Wow, that's amazing, Jess." I walk a little farther away from the buses, and make sure to keep the phone a few inches away from my ear because Jess's screams might deafen me. "How long do you have to decide if you accept it?"
"You're kidding, right? Hell, I've decided already. My place is here, hon. London is so much cooler than I thought. The people, the accent. God, this is just the perfect city. I can't believe you left."
"It was because of the rain, I told you," I joke, though a sinking feeling starts building in my stomach.
"Damn the rain. I've been here for three days and there hasn't been one drop of it."
"So when are you starting?"
For a few seconds, her heavy breaths are the only things I hear. "That's the only bad part. I start right after graduation."
I chuckle. Jess had planned one wild two-week-party marathon after graduation.
"I can't believe we'll live on different continents," Jess says. "I miss you already."
"I miss you too, Jess." It couldn't be truer and saying the words out loud only makes the feeling in my stomach worse. If I thought losing Parker to the strip of land on the other side of the ocean was hard, it's nothing compared to losing my dearest friend.
"Serena," Parker yells from somewhere behind me, "come here."
"Was that Parker's voice?" Jess sneers.
"Yeah, I'm with him, James, and a bunch of other people. It's a long story. I'll tell you everything when you're back."
"You're with James?" she asks, incredulity dripping from every syllable.