42| The Night Bus

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Carlos's POV

Quick note:

Hey guys! As the author of Liar's Desire, I wanted to share that Tristan's love for ducks is based off of me!!! My mom used to take me to feed them when I was younger but we stopped. Well, I'm going to feed them again hehe! I dunno when but I will eventually!!! I love ducks!!! Sadly, I've actually eaten duck before... I would never do it again though!

Also, if your a frequent reader of this book, I recommend following me for Tristan memes posted on my conversation board!!! Also, make sure to vote! It really helps hehe. Ofc, these are all just recommendations. You're not obligated to do any of this!

Thanks for reading Liar's Desire!!!

I had no idea where Tristan was, so I ended up asking his parents. I awkwardly stood outside their front door and listened as the doorbell sang its little tune.

"Hello? Who is it?" A woman asked from behind the door.

"A friend of Tristan."

She opened the door and greeted me with a smile, "Do you need something, sweetheart?"

"Do you know where Tristan went for his field trip? I need to find him."

"Stupid teenagers," she said as she rolled her eyes, "I'll write it down for you."

She left the door slightly open and came back with a piece of paper. I thanked her and ran off, I hated talking to adults.

I bought myself two bus tickets and waited. The bus would be arriving at around eight thirty at night, I'd be arriving by early morning. Soon, the bus arrived and I got on.

I handed the bus driver my ticket and sat somewhere in the middle. The back was full and I didn't want to be near the front, it was freezing outside.

I watched the sky get darker and darker as I put my head against the window. Tiffany never gave me the full story and I needed to know if Tristan was okay.

Tiffany told me that Tristan had fainted and hit his head on the bathroom mirror. Tristan fainted often but I knew that there was more to it than just that.

Tristan needed a better reason to not be responding to my messages.

I sent him a message explaining the whole Tiffany and I dating thing and put my phone on silent. I didn't want to sleep but I didn't know what to do.

I looked out the window. We were somewhere on a highway, maybe. I could see billboards and lots of other cars so I guess it was a highway.

The bus halted and my head hit the back of my seat. The world went black for a second but I rubbed my eyes and everything went back to normal.

Frantically, I kept checking my phone. I needed Tristan to respond. I wanted to know if he was okay. I wanted to know the truth.

Tristan had bullied me, yeah. But, he never let anything really bad happen. The fire incident was all Tiffany and Brooke, I had heard Hinata and Tristan talking about how it was a stupid plan and were trying to find a way to call it off.

After it happened, I read Brooke's diary. Tiffany said that Tristan convinced her to to make the fire an allusion, versus a real one that could potentially kill me.

The fire wasn't real, that would be attempted murder. Tristan knew that so, he persuaded Tiffany to call off the real fire.

I had stolen Brooke's diary since I knew that she left it in her homeroom desk. It didn't have a lock on it so she was basically asking for it to be read. Plus, she tormented me. Me reading her diary was nothing compared to what they put me through. I wanted answers and as soon as I got them, went back to my old school to return it. Everyones homeroom stayed the same so I knew exactly where to put it.

I read it not too long ago. I should've read it earlier but I guess I forgot about it because I found it collecting dust with a bunch of other books in the corner. I had read it after reminiscing about it on my bed. While I was locked in the room with the "fire" I didn't know that it was just a fake special effects fire from my old schools drama club. I genuinely thought I was going to die.

"You go to my school. Carlos, right?"

I looked to my right. Two seats away from me was a girl around the same height as me. She looked Chinese and she was wearing her school uniform, the same one as me. She wasn't wearing her blazer, though. She was wearing a green apron that had a cafe's logo on the chest of it.

"I've never met you before, how do you know who I am?" I asked as I turned my body to face her.

She got up and sat down next to me, "I'm Mei, we're in the same honors math class."

I nodded my head, "Yeah I remember you now. You're always going up to the board when no one else wants to. The teacher always calls your name, I can't believe I didn't recognize you!"

She smiled and giggled, "Where are you even going? It's so late."

I checked my phone. It was eleven at night and the sky was pitch black. I had to switch to another bus soon, only when Kelville was announced, "I'm going to see a friend, and you?"

"I don't really know where I'm going. All I know is that I don't want to live a life filled of math and science."

She was a runaway, it all made sense now, "What are your parents going to think?"

"They won't even notice until a week or two goes by. I don't have any friends so it's not like I have anyone to cry to."

Well, she'd be great friends with Tristan, I thought as I looked at the piece of paper Tristan's mother had given me. When I went to Tristan's school, I could tell that he was under a lot of academic pressure. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the reason he ran away that one time.

"Where do you think I should go?" Mei asked me.

"Do you have any family that lives around here?"

"My aunt, I guess. We rarely talk."

"Ask your aunt, I'm sure she'll let you stay with her."

"Thanks, Carlos!"

"No problemo," I replied as I got up, "This is my stop. I'll see you around?"

She nodded her head and held out a small piece of paper, "Contact me sometime!"

I nodded my head and walked out of the bus. Ten minutes laters, the next bus came and I got on. I handed the bus driver my other ticket and sat in the back.

"What do you mean you lost my brother?!" I looked to my left and there was a tan girl yelling on the phone, "I'm never trusting you with my brother again! He's safer in the middle of a shopping mall than with you!"

She hung up and crossed her arms. "Are you alright?" I asked.

"No! My friend Elle lost my little brother!"

"Can you track him?"

"No, he's too young to have a phone. Hey, what's your name?"

"Carlos, and you?"

"I'm Briella. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that she lost a literal child!" Her phone rang and she angrily picked up, "What do you want!" Her facial expression eased and sighed a breath of relief. She hung up and turned to face me, "She found him since he left a bunch of chocolate stains on the sidewalk. I hope it was just chocolate."

I turned my head away from her and laughed, "I hope so too."

Finally, the bus stopped and we both got off at the same stop, "What a coincidence! We both live in the same city!"

"Oh, I don't live here. My friend should be somewhere around here."

"It was nice meeting you, Carlos."

"I was nice meeting you, Briella."

It was time to go and find Tristan.

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