Riding the Wind Into a New Life

After I was reborn, I burned every photo I had with Natalie Landers and tore up the three years' worth of love letters Kristen Rhodes had written me. In my last life, I'd been nothing but a joke caught between those two women. Natalie swore she loved me, but the moment I gave up my study-abroad spot for her, she left the country with Freddy Palmer. Before she left, she wrote me a letter, saying, "He needs me more than you do." I spent three months falling apart. Kristen brought me dinner every night and told me, "I've waited eight years for you." Once we were together, she came home on time every evening and never so much as looked at another man. I thought I'd finally bet on the right person. Then one winter, I got into a car accident. I spent seven days unconscious in the ICU, and she never once came to see me. Instead, I overheard the nurses talking. "His wife comes by every day, but only to check on the patient next door, some man named Freddy." I found out later that Natalie had taken Freddy abroad to help him pay off his gambling debts, all with money Kristen had given him. I hadn't been anything more than an NPC in the love story the three of them were writing. This time around, I sold the house early and took my grandfather abroad with me to study. Chapter 1 "The one in bed twelve is pitiful. His wife comes every day, but she's never once stepped inside to see him." "I know. She goes straight to the room next door every day, to check on Freddy." Outside the door, I could hear the nurses gossiping. I'd broken bones in multiple places in a car crash, and I'd been lying in the ICU for seven days. I was unconscious, but my mind was still lucid enough to hear the nurses calling Kristen's phone, over and over. She never once came to see me. She'd been at someone else's side. Someone more important. The salvation I thought I had was nothing but a lie. I fought to open my eyes with everything I had, but all I could see was a flat line on the monitor. When I opened my eyes again, the sunlight was almost too bright. I was sitting at my old desk, the one I'd used all through school. The calendar on it showed three months left until the day I'd give up my study-abroad spot for Natalie. This time, I called the international exchange office at school. "I'm confirming my spot in this year's exchange program," I said. "Thank you for the opportunity." On the other end, my advisor sounded relieved. "I'm glad you came around. A chance like this doesn't come twice." He was right. It really didn't. Giving up my future for a woman had been idiotic, plain and simple. After I hung up, I called a real estate agent and put the house my parents had left me up for sale. I had one condition: cash, and fast. No sooner had I finished than Natalie Landers called. Her voice was cool. "Rex, there's a problem with Freddy's final year project. You're good at this. Go help him." Freddy, again. He always found some way to wedge himself between us. In my last life, that request from her had cost me three sleepless nights redoing his project from a rough draft into a finished one. And in the end, only his name had gone on the award. Natalie's excuse to me was that Freddy's health was poor and he needed the award to pad his resume. I'd actually believed her, back then. I gripped my phone and said, "Sure. Send me his files." Her voice came back through the line, "Good boy." A cheap compliment, and she thought that was enough to brush me off. I looked out the window and thought back to the man I used to be. It was almost laughable. Not long after, Kristen knocked on my door, carrying a container of chicken potpie from the diner I loved. She set the takeout boxes down on the table one by one, her voice gentle. "Eat while it's hot. I know you've been stressed about Natalie and Freddy lately. Don't wear yourself out." She always showed up right when Natalie had hurt me, ready to comfort me. Then, as if it had just occurred to her, she added, "That project of Freddy's really matters. Natalie doesn't have a choice. He's been frail since he was little. He can't handle it alone." Chapter 2 Look at that. They always had a thousand reasons ready. Freddy was in poor health, so of course he got a pass for everything. I picked up a piece of chicken potpie and gave her a smile. "I know, Kristen. I won't make things difficult for Natalie." Kristen relaxed and smiled, satisfied. They both still thought I was the same guy who'd bend over backward for Natalie without limit. The next day, I brought my laptop to the library to work on my study-abroad application. I was searching through the reference section when I looked up and spotted Natalie and Freddy not far away. Freddy was leaning against her, his color high and healthy, nothing like a sickly patient at all. He was smiling as he told her, "Natalie, thank god I have you. I don't know what I'd do without you." Natalie looked down at him, her voice carrying a tenderness I'd never once heard directed at me. "Silly." She turned to go buy water, and when she looked back, she saw me. Her expression stiffened, then creased into a frown. My presence had interrupted them. I didn't storm over and demand answers the way I had in my last life. I just gave her a faint, distant curve of a smile. Then I turned back to the shelves and kept searching for my book. I could feel her stare on my back the whole time. It made my skin crawl. I didn't care. This kind of life was almost over anyway. ... I hadn't touched a single word of Freddy's final year project. A couple of days later, Natalie tracked me down at the library. She yanked the book out of my hands and slammed it onto the table with a loud crack. Students nearby all turned to look. "Rex, I asked you to help Freddy, and you're sitting here reading for fun?" I looked up at her, and at Freddy standing behind her, wearing his usual look of wounded innocence. "I'm just doing some research," I said. "What research could possibly matter more than Freddy's graduation?" Natalie demanded, pulling Freddy in front of her. "He hasn't slept properly in days working on this, and you can't even be bothered to care." Freddy tugged gently at her sleeve, right on cue. "Natalie, don't be like this. Rex's probably got his own things going on. I'll figure something out myself." That only made Natalie more convinced I was being unreasonable. "You hear that?" She jabbed a finger at Freddy. "Freddy is more considerate than you! Rex, I'll say this one last time. I want a finished proposal within a week." I watched the two of them play off each other and looked away. I nodded. "Got it." Thinking I'd caved, Natalie's expression eased. She took Freddy's arm and walked off. I let the stares from the other students wash right over me. It didn't matter. This was the last time anyway. … Natalie finally lost her patience. Her voice was sharp over the phone. "Rex, what exactly are you doing? The deadline's in a week, and you haven't done anything?" I turned on the tap. The rush of water made a decent cover. "Sorry, Grandpa hasn't been feeling well lately. I've been at the hospital taking care of him. That's why I've fallen behind," I lied. "Freddy's graduation project matters a lot to him. Put your family stuff aside for now and get his project finished." Listen to her, so pleased with herself. In her eyes, my own grandfather couldn't compete with one of Freddy's assignments. "But..." I said, pretending to be torn. "No buts." Natalie cut me off. "Rex, don't be petty. If Freddy can't graduate because of you, we're done." She hung up hard. I turned off the tap and looked at myself in the mirror, unable to understand how I'd once been willing to nearly kill myself over a woman like her. Chapter 3 Good thing this time around, I got to start over. The agent's call came right on cue, telling me they'd found a buyer for the house, that the buyer had agreed to pay in full, and that we could sign the contract the two days later. I texted back a single "okay." I needed to move out some of my parents' old furniture. It was heavy, and there was no way I could manage it alone. The first person I thought of was Kristen, who'd spent years playing the role of the dependable upperclassman. I called her. "Kristen, do you have time? I've got some old furniture at home I need to clear out. Could you give me a hand?" There were a few seconds of silence on the line before her voice came through. "Rex, what bad timing. I can't get away right now." In the background, I could hear Freddy's frail little cough clearly. "Freddy's running a bit of a fever. I need to stay and look after him," Kristen explained. "Can you figure something out on your own? Maybe hire a moving company? I'll transfer you some money later." Freddy, again. I let out a short laugh. "Don't worry about it. Take care of him. I can manage." I hung up and didn't hesitate for a second before hiring a moving company online. Why beg someone for help when money could solve the problem just as well? … The day I signed the sale contract and got the money in full, the weather was beautiful. I moved the cash into a bank account, then went to school to finalize my leave of absence and the paperwork for studying abroad. That weekend, a mutual friend organized a get-together at a karaoke bar and invited me along. I knew Natalie and the others would be there. To keep them from suspecting anything, I agreed to go. Inside the private room, everyone started a round of Truth or Dare. After a few rounds, Freddy suddenly shook the dice in his hand and grinned. "Let's play the King's Game! Whoever draws the king gets to order any two people to do anything!" Chapter 4 Everyone jumped at the idea right away, Natalie and Kristen included. Sure enough, on the first round, Freddy drew the king. He announced his command. "I order numbers two and five to recreate that classic scene from Titanic!" The moment he said it, everyone started checking the numbers in their hands. I opened my palm. Number two. Natalie, frowning, revealed her card. Number five. The room erupted, whistles and cheers overlapping each other. "Rex, this is your moment!" "Natalie, don't just stand there, give him a hug!" Pushed and shoved by the crowd, I ended up standing on the coffee table, not sure what to do with my hands or feet. Natalie was shoved in front of me, her face full of reluctance. Kristen laughed from the side. "Hurry up, Natalie. Don't keep everyone waiting. Rex, spread your arms." I stiffly stretched my arms out and shut my eyes, not daring to look at Natalie's expression. I never got the hug. Instead, a heavy weight slammed into my back. It was Freddy. Laughing, he wrapped his arms around me from behind and shouted at Natalie, "Look, Natalie, isn't this basically the same thing?" The second he grabbed me, my foot slipped, and I went crashing backward with no way to catch myself. I hit the ground hard, the back of my head slamming into the sharp corner of the coffee table. The pain turned my vision black for a second. The drinks on the table tipped over from the impact, and cold liquid and bits of fruit splashed all over me. The whole room went silent for a beat. Then I heard Natalie's laugh, sharp and completely unhidden. She didn't even glance my way. She just turned to the person next to her and said, "What a buzzkill." Kristen only frowned. "Rex, how could you be so careless? It's just a game." Not one person moved to help me up. Every eye in the room was on Freddy, who'd pushed me and now stood there with reddened eyes, looking wounded. Natalie pulled him close right away, her voice gentle. "It's fine, it's not your fault. He's the one who couldn't keep his footing." Pain throbbed at the back of my skull as I lay sprawled on the cold floor, soaked through, utterly humiliated. I got up off the floor without a word and walked out of that noisy room. In that moment, all I felt was relief that I'd already sold the house and finished the paperwork to leave the country. Only three days left before I was gone. The third day was my birthday. Maybe Kristen felt guilty about how the karaoke night had gone, because she texted me: [Rex, happy birthday. Seven tonight, the Skyline Room. I booked you the best table. Don't be late.] Not long after, Natalie sent a message too: [Happy birthday. Freddy didn't mean it last time; don't hold it against him. We'll celebrate with you tonight.] I looked at both messages and felt nothing at all. I figured I'd treat it as one last goodbye. I replied to each with a single "okay." That evening, I took a cab to the restaurant. Same window seat as always, the kind that looked out over most of the city skyline at night. The scene was identical to my last life. On this exact day, in my last life, I'd sat there wearing the suit she'd bought me while they got called away by Freddy before they'd even ordered. I waited from seven o'clock until the restaurant was nearly ready to close, and they never came back. Calls wouldn't go through. Messages went unanswered. The pitying looks from the other diners and the waitstaff's hesitant, unasked questions made my skin crawl. Then I saw a photo on a friend's social media feed. In it, Freddy stood dressed like some kind of prince, laughing as he held a cake, with Natalie and Kristen flanking him on either side, gazing at him like he was something precious. Chapter 5 The caption read: [Grabbed two princesses on short notice for cake. Not my birthday, but who says you need one to eat cake?] So my birthday hadn't mattered nearly as much as his spur-of-the-moment party. "Rex? What are you thinking about?" Kristen's voice pulled me out of the memory. Kristen and Natalie had already arrived and were sitting across from me. The food came out quickly, but no one said much. The mood felt strained. Kristen raised her glass first. "Rex, I was in the wrong that night. Let me drink to that. Happy birthday." Even Natalie, for once, wasn't scowling, though her eyes still held something complicated. Just then, Kristen's phone rang. She glanced at the screen and answered immediately, her voice changing. "What? How did he suddenly pass out? Which hospital?" She hung up and looked at me, apologetic. "Rex, I'm sorry. Freddy passed out from an acute blood sugar crash. He's at the hospital now. I need to go check on him." Before I could even respond, Natalie was already on her feet, coat in hand, telling Kristen, "Let's go together. You can't handle this alone." Just like in my last life, they were abandoning me again for Freddy. Kristen promised me, "Rex, go ahead and eat. We'll come back once he's settled. It won't take long!" They hurried out, and the door to the private room shut behind them, sealing off the noise outside. The world went instantly quiet. I looked at the table full of food and didn't wait even a second longer. I grabbed my coat and called the waiter over. "Check, please." Outside the restaurant, the night air hit my face, cold, but I felt more clear-headed than I ever had before. I pulled out my phone and blocked, then deleted, both Natalie's and Kristen's contact information. This time, I wasn't going to wait around any longer. I flagged down a cab and went straight home. I pushed the door open to an empty house. Aside from my and Grandpa's suitcases, there was no trace that anyone had ever lived there. I peeled off my stained suit and threw it straight into the trash without a second thought. Along with that suit, I threw away the last shred of feeling I had left for Natalie. I went into Grandpa's room. He was already asleep, his breathing steady. I tucked the blanket in around him and kissed his forehead. I barely slept the rest of the night. I checked our documents and luggage over and over, making sure nothing was missing. At first light, I woke Grandpa up. "Grandpa, we're going somewhere far away and fun. Sound good?" His memory wasn't what it used to be, but he loved me more than anything. He looked at me and smiled, nodding. "Sure. Wherever Rex goes, Grandpa goes too." Morning light spilled warm through the airport's floor-to-ceiling windows. I held Grandpa's hand and walked, step by step, toward the gate. 'Goodbye, Natalie. 'Goodbye, Kristen. 'And you too, Freddy. 'I hope your love lasts forever.'