I Was Never One of ThemChapter 2

I hadn't grown up with them. The five of them had been friends since kindergarten. I didn't meet Joshua until college, and he was the one who introduced me to the group.

For the first few years, I tried hard to fit in. They would laugh about stealing fruit from a teacher's yard when they were kids. Even when I had no clue what they were talking about, I laughed along.

They had childhood nicknames for each other that only they understood, so I quietly saved them in my notes. I remembered everyone's birthdays, what they liked to eat, what they avoided, and all their little quirks.

When we went out, I was always the first one there. When we traveled, I handled the transportation, booked the hotels, and planned everything.

But no matter how hard I tried, whenever they started talking about the old days, I was on the outside again.

"You didn't know us back then. You wouldn't get it."

Eventually, that turned into, "We don't need to tell her."

They'd change restaurants at the last minute without telling me. They'd all switch to matching profile pictures without sending me one.

Even this trip had been planned without me. I only found out from Joshua and Vera's messages that the five of them had been discussing it for six months.

When I asked why no one had told me about the trip, Joshua just smiled and ruffled my hair. "We were waiting for you to plan it."

So I did. I booked the flights and hotel, planned the entire itinerary, and paid for everything upfront.

They got to enjoy the trip while I took care of everything, and now they expected me to give up my room too.

My fingers loosened around the key card. "Fine. You can have the room. I'm going down to the lobby for a while."

I didn't argue.

…

The next morning, I woke up in the living room to find everyone gone. There was already a photo in the group chat of the five of them having breakfast together, with exactly five meals on the table.

Then Vera messaged me. "Tara, we didn't want to wake you, so we came down first. Just grab something to eat when you're up."

By the time I got ready and made it down to the restaurant, breakfast was over.

Just then, Joshua called. "Where are you?"

"At the restaurant."

He sounded annoyed. "Why are you still at the restaurant? We've been waiting at the marina for 20 minutes."

I checked the group chat. No one had said what time we were leaving.

"No one told me we were heading out."

"Didn't Vera text you?"

"She only said you'd gone down for breakfast."

There was a brief pause before Joshua snapped, "You woke up and saw everyone was gone. Why didn't you ask? Now everyone's been waiting on you."

I skipped breakfast and hurried straight to the marina.

By the time I arrived, the yacht was already idling at the dock. The five of them were gathered together on deck, and once again, no one had saved me a spot.

Vera was wearing Joshua's white shirt, the hem just covering her thighs. As soon as she saw me, she pulled the collar together.

"Tara, don't get the wrong idea. The zipper on my dress broke, so Joshua lent me his shirt."

Joshua had never let me touch his shirts.

Once, I accidentally washed one with some dark clothes and left it slightly gray. He gave me the silent treatment for a week afterward and told me he hated people messing with his clothes.

Yet Vera was standing there in one of his shirts.

Joshua glanced at her and said gently, "Put on some pants. You'll get cold."

Vera stuck her tongue out at me. "See? He's always looking out for people."

I grabbed the railing and climbed aboard.

The second I stepped onto the deck, Calvin shoved a pile of things into my arms. "Perfect. The sunscreen, camera, and water are all here. Keep an eye on them for us."

I carried everything to the seat nearest the engine and sat down. The wind whipped across the deck. With nothing in my stomach, it wasn't long before my stomach started cramping.

I had spent the past six months learning to swim for this trip. Joshua loved the ocean, and I had always been afraid of the water, but I secretly signed up for diving lessons anyway. I wanted to surprise him.

When we reached the dive site, the instructor told us only five people could go down at once.

Finn smiled at me. "Tara's scared of the water anyway. She can stay on the yacht and watch our stuff."

I was about to tell them I'd already gotten my diving certification when Vera suddenly grabbed Joshua's arm. "Joshua, I'm a little nervous. Hold my hand once we're underwater, okay?"

Joshua checked her tank. "Don't worry. I'll stay right beside you."

I swallowed what I was about to say.

The five of them went into the water, leaving me alone on deck with their clothes and phones.

A while later, the instructor asked, "You're not going in?"

I pulled my new certification card from my bag and stared at it for a moment. Then I put it away.

"No. Not anymore."