Later that evening, once the anniversary event wrapped up, I said goodbye to my classmates at the school gate. I had just reached for my phone to call a cab when a familiar car slowed to a stop beside me.
The window rolled down, revealing Arianne’s tense profile.
“Get in.”
After such a long day, I didn’t have the energy to argue on the sidewalk. I quietly opened the door and got in.
The car settled into a heavy silence.
Back then, I would have forced conversation, desperate to smooth things over, only for her to sigh and snap, “Clyde, can’t you be quiet for one minute?”
Tonight, I pulled out my phone and scrolled through the campus forum, casually looking over the couple of photos of her and Hudson that had been uploaded recently.
With a sudden slam on the brakes, Arianne jerked the car to the side of the road. Before I could react, she leaned all the way over, one hand grabbing firmly around the back of my neck.