Wild'n Cuz I'm About to Crash & Burn

2. Deal With It

"What—what are you doing here?" I ask, still dumbfounded by the fact that my ex-boyfriend is here.

"I was invited," Luca replies.

"What do you mean you were invited?"

"Vivek asked me if I wanted to come on this vacation and I said yes."

I laugh hollowly then put my face in my hands, trying to process what's just happened.

So, Luca, who Vivek explicitly said would not be here is not only here, but was also invited. I think I'd be less angry if Luca had just crashed here and Vivek let him stay.

"So you're telling me Vivek asked you to come here? You didn't just hear about it from someone else and decide to crash?" I ask.

"Why would I crash a vacation?" Luca asks.

"Oh, I don't know, to start drama?"

"Drama is more your thing."

Oh. He really went there.

I ball my hands into fists and am about to lay in on Luca when someone says, "Hey—oh."

I turn around to see Vivek with an extremely surprised look on his face.

Vivek. I direct all my fury towards him, for trapping me in a hotel with my ex-boyfriend.

"If it makes you feel better," Ana whispers to me, startling me out of my thoughts, "Vivek told me Aaron wouldn't be here."

"Vivek," I say, not bothering to hide my anger.

Vivek smiles uncomfortably, wringing his hands nervously.

"Explain yourself."

"Explain what?" Vivek asks.

"Explain why you lied to me about Luca being here."

"And about Aaron," Ana says.

"And Ana," Aaron says.

Vivek pauses, then sighs. "Okay, fine! I lied so you all would come! Happy?!"

"No!" I say. "Why would you lie about that?!"

"Because ever since you all broke up, the friend group's been awkward! And I didn't want to spend the rest of the year playing mediator with you all," Vivek says, motioning to Aaron, Ana, Luca and me. "I just wanted the friend group to be like it was before."

"Lying to us about our exes being here wasn't the best start," Ana says.

"Okay, I admit that was dubious on my part, but would you all have come if I had told you?" Vivek asks.

We all stay silent.

"Exactly. I figured this would be a good first step at getting the friend group back together."

"Listen, why don't we just stay in our respective suites and interact with each other as little as possible," Aaron says.

"For once, I agree with Aaron," Ana says. "If we all stay apart, then maybe things won't be as awkward."

"The whole point of this trip was to bring us together, not stay apart!" Vivek says.

"I think I'm with Ana and Aaron," I say. "It's too soon. Maybe when we go back to Cal U, we can work things out, but now..." I sigh.

"But—"

"I... I think I'm going to leave now..." I say, walking past Luca and opening the door.

"Me too," Ana says, following.