They Took My Ticket, I Destroyed Their Lives Chapter 02
I stayed quiet for a few seconds. To Jayden, that silence meant I was backing down.
His tone softened, but it still had that patronizing edge of a man granting a favor.
“Look, stop making a scene. I know you feel slighted. I’ll take you to a movie when we’re back to make it up to you, okay?”
“Now go see if you can find a standing ticket. Vivian and I will wait for you at the terminal.”
I could practically see his smug face, thinking he’d successfully managed me.
“Don’t bother,” I said flatly.
“What do you mean, don’t bother?” Jayden froze.
“I mean keep the tickets. I’ll handle my own transport. You don’t need to worry about me.”
My voice was a dead calm. No emotion, no tells.
“Kira! You really gotta be like this?” Jayden’s temper flared again. “Stop acting like a child. How are you gonna ‘handle’ it? The trains are sold out. What, are you gonna fly?”
Fly? I felt a cold smirk touch my lips.
Yeah. That’s exactly what I’m gonna do.
I took a breath to steady my voice. “I’m saying I got it. I’ll find a way. You just focus on taking care of Vivian.”
Hearing me “submit,” Jayden finally relaxed. He sounded satisfied.
“That’s my girl. Don’t be difficult.”
“Go find a ticket. A standing spot isn’t going to kill you—don’t be so delicate.”
“I gotta go get Vivian some food. She’s been crying all night, her eyes are all swollen.”
“Fine.”
I didn’t have another word for him.
“Alright then. Talk later.”
He hung up in a hurry.
I moved slowly, packing my things for the Thanksgiving break.
Just as I zipped my small carry-on, the phone buzzed again.
Jayden. Again.
I raised an eyebrow and picked up. I didn’t say hello.
“Kira,” he said, putting on his “caring boyfriend” voice. “What’s up? Any luck with the ticket?”
“Didn’t look,” I said.
There was a pause. He seemed choked by my lack of heat.
But he pivoted quickly, rolling right into his agenda. “Oh… well, no rush. Listen… Vivian just woke up. She heard your ticket got voided and she feels terrible. She says she wants to bring you some ‘specialties’ from back home to thank you…”
I didn’t bite. I waited for the catch.
I knew Vivian didn’t have a generous bone in her body.
Sure enough, Jayden shifted gears.
“The thing is, Kira… there’s one more thing…”
“When we get back from the break, the library study rooms are gonna be impossible to grab. Since you’re… well, you’ll probably be home with nothing to do…”
He started stammering. “Maybe… maybe you could head back two days early to stake out a spot for me and Vivian? We’re planning on hitting the books hard when we get back…”
I couldn’t help but let out a sharp, cold laugh.
My internet is fast, my hardware is top-of-the-line, so naturally, I’m the “workhorse” for their convenience?
I remembered the start of the semester. I’d walked to Jayden’s dorm with a new laptop and a latte in hand. “I heard the third-floor window at the library overlooks the ginkgo trees. It’ll be beautiful in the fall.”
I’d looked at him then, eyes bright. “Let’s go grab a spot together tomorrow, okay?”
Jayden had frowned, pushing the coffee away. “Don’t start, Kira. The library is twenty minutes away. I could read two chapters in the time it takes to walk there.”
And now, for Vivian, he wanted me—the girl he’d forced to stand for ten hours—to cut my holiday short just to be their valet?
My silence was taken as a “yes.”
“See? This way you won’t be bored at home, and you’re doing us a solid. It’s a win-win, right?”
“Vivian will be so happy. If her mood improves, she’ll ace the next exam for sure.”