"Felicia!

" Conrad caught my arm in a tight grip., I glanced at the bandage wrapped around his head and then shifted my gaze to Dustin, who had walked in with him.

"I think something might have happened to Ernest.

", Dustin frowned, clearly skeptical.

"What do you mean, something happened? How can you tell?

", I couldn't really; it was just a gut feeling.,

"I called him, and he seemed distracted, said he'd call me back later, but he hasn't yet,

" I explained.,

"And you didn't try calling him again?

" Conrad chimed in., I hadn't, actually., Ernest said he'd call back, so I just waited, never bothering to dial his number again.,

"I'll call him,

" Conrad declared, pulling out his phone and dialing Ernest's number., It took a while for the call to be answered.

"Mr. Wagner.

", Since Conrad was making the call right in front of me, I could hear everything clearly.,

"Ernest, where are you?

" Conrad got straight to the point.,

"On a plane,

" Ernest's response made my heart skip a beat., Conrad glanced at me, then asked Ernest,

"On a plane? Where are you headed?

",

"Back home!

" Those two words clenched my heart tight., I snatched Conrad's phone from his hand,

"Is something wrong?

", Ernest didn't answer, and my hand holding the phone was shaking slightly.

"Ernest, talk to me. Is something wrong? You're not just saying you're going back home to fool me, are you? Where are you really?

" I couldn't believe he wouldn't come to see me after I woke up, not unless something was seriously keeping him away.,

"No, I'm not lying to you,

" Ernest clarified., Right then, all I could focus on was him, my disbelief clear in my response.

"I don't buy it. You've lied before; this isn't the first time.

", There was a moment of silence on the line, and I thought Ernest was searching for an excuse. But then he said,

"Yes, I'm a liar, but I'm not lying about this. If you don't believe me, I'll send you a picture.

" , The call ended, and soon after, my phone chimed with a message. It was indeed from Ernest, a picture of him on the plane and another of his ticket. Seeing his travel details, I was convinced he was really heading back home., And he hadn't even come to see me once., My face must have turned several shades paler, and Dustin and Conrad were at a loss for words, simply watching me., Finally, Conrad spoke up,

"Ernest's a jerk. I'll call him again.

", I stopped Conrad from dialing Ernest's number.

"No need.

",

"Felicia...

" Conrad started., I ignored him and typed a message to Ernest: Is something happening back home?, No reply came., Feeling unresolved, I sent another:, Ernest, if something's wrong, I can understand why you had to go, you, But if, like this for no reason, I'd be, really upset and hurt., Still, my messages were met with silence, but I could see that Ernest had read them., He saw my messages but chose not to reply., I couldn't figure out what was going on. So, I sent another message, a bit more drastic: Ernest, come back. I need you to come see me before you go, or we're through. We're breaking up. ,

"Felicia,

" Conrad and Dustin exclaimed in unison as I hit send., But my eyes were glued to my phone screen., He was finally responding., It seemed I had to throw a bomb to get a reaction. I stared at the screen, eager to see his reply, and then it came through. Just one word: Okay. That one word felt like a dagger to my heart., Search the website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.