Train Ride - IU

Start

After collecting the remaining bags that were scattered throughout the entryway of the house, Aerin dragged them towards the car. Every time she placed a bag inside, she saw the car's frame slowly lowering—it almost reached the concrete ground. She couldn’t complain though. The 2002 Toyota Corolla had been active on the road for about eleven years already, not to mention the fact that its previous owner, Minae, had been known to be a reckless and careless driver, always acquiring tickets for speeding on the peaceful roads of California. It wouldn’t take a genius to see that the car was reaching the limit of its lifespan.

But Aerin needed to use it for one last time. She had been using the same old, tan car for about a year already and she swore to God that she had been very good and patient with it. She had always cleaned it thoroughly and drove as carefully as possible. She had always been a good driver but it seemed that it wasn’t enough to lessen the car's pained groans.

Well, what can she do? Her mom refused to buy her a new car, reasoning that she just might spoil it, but she needed a means of transportation to go to school. And the school bus was not an option. She had no choice but to stick to the old machine. So much for being a good driver.

“Aerin, dear, thank you for giving Amber a ride to school in my place.” The voice of a familiar lady in her mid-forties reached Aerin’s ears before she heard the compartment cover fall down with a soft thud. “I have somewhere to go today. You really are a sweetheart, dear.”

“Mom, Aerin’s flight is also today, in case you didn’t know.” Amber rolled her eyes, disliking the thought that she had to disturb her best friend just because of her mother’s laziness.

“No, it’s fine. I have to talk to one of our classmates anyway before I go.” Aerin put on a smile, making it as real as possible. She knew that Amber’s mom didn’t really have anywhere to go and just didn’t want to miss her favorite Chinese morning drama, but she didn’t really mind. She wasn’t lying when she said she was fine with it. She did have to talk to Kris before she left and Amber needed a ride anyway, so they might as well just go together. It was hitting two birds with one stone.

“Okay, okay, I think you should go now or else you might be late,” Amber's mom hurriedly said. Without any further notice, Amber found herself being shoved inside the passenger’s seat of the car. Amber's mom was getting a bit annoyed; her favourite drama was starting in less than two minutes. She just had to make a move. “Just message me once you get there, Amber. Take care, okay? You too, Aerin, have a good flight!”

Bidding a respectful bow towards the older lady, Aerin started the engine as soon as she saw Amber buckled in. The two of them then zoomed off into the road, all the while taking pity on the old car that was making incoherent noises of agony.

“You really have got to dispose of this junk already.”

“Hey, this isn’t junk. This is my baby, you know,” Aerin defended, turning to a curve before going straight again. “And besides, without this, we won’t be able to go to school. I’ll be gone for a few months anyway so I guess it’ll have a well-deserved break.”

“Good point, but I really think you should just get rid of it,” Amber said, shrugging her shoulders passively as Aerin chuckled. “Anyway, I only found out last night that they might take our phones at camp so I guess I won’t be able to talk to you that much.”

Hearing Amber, a small frown appeared on Aerin’s face. The prospect of being socially-deprived for the next few months was unpleasant—and being deprived of her best friend at the very least. However, she also wanted Amber to enjoy the summer camp with Kris without worrying about her. I just need to it up and manage to last like how I did with the past summers then.

“But don’t worry, I’ll try to bribe the coordinators. Although I’m not sure if we’ll still be able to talk since there’s like a 16-hour difference between here and South Korea,” Amber spoke again, trying to lighten her friend's mood, knowing that she would take the situation negatively.

“Yeah, by the time I wake up, you’ll probably be asleep.”

“I’ll try to stay up until you wake up then.”

“I highly doubt you can do that,” Aerin chuckled, having zero confidence in her constantly-sleepy friend. “Don’t worry about me. I managed for the past summers; who's to say I can't do it for this summer as well?”

“There’s no harm in trying, you know,” Amber replied, poking Aerin’s side as if proving the girl wrong before putting on a small smile. “But I’m glad you dropped your plan of not going back this year. I mean, you need your closure, right?”

Closure… that's what I need, Aerin thought with a blank expression as she turned another corner. She tried to act as natural as possible even though she knew that Amber was one to notice her growing uneasiness.

“You already know this but I just want to remind you,” Amber started again, not caring whether her friend was still listening or not. She just had to make a point. “Not everything stays the same, Aerin. Things change. People change. You never know what may happen since anything’s possible. You need to move on.”

I know. Still maintaining a blank expression, Aerin parked near their school gates as she and Amber alighted from the car. The atmosphere around them was heavy but it was solely due to their serious conversation. She didn’t want to part from Amber while acting like a sulky brat, but the girl made her point and Aerin clearly acknowledged it. She wasn’t annoyed by the fact that Amber was right, but she disliked how they ended up with that kind of conversation in the car. Glancing at her ancient vehicle, she decided to direct her frustrations at it. Stupid old junk.

The silent atmosphere ended rather quickly though, for Aerin and Amber found themselves being approached by a tall, light blonde-haired man. The three of them unloaded the car first and brought it to the bus that the students were going to use. Amber stayed behind and gave an excuse, saying that she needed to fix her things first so that Aerin and the man could have some time to talk.

“Hey,” The tall man called, approaching Aerin with a small smile as she did the same.

“Hey Kris, look, I’m—“ Before Aerin can even finish her sentence, Kris had already put a hand, causing her to stop.

“Don’t