“And Ellen,” I point out, thinking back to her disgruntled sniffs and rustling magazines. “That woman was something else.”
He chuckles. “How could I forget? She’s the final piece of our trio. Maybe we should start a band. What would we call it?”
I pretend to think it over for a second. “How aboutPlease Fasten Your Seat Belts?”
Tyler’s face brightens and he instantly launches into a debate about the most ridiculous names we could come up with for our fake band, a few other rejects includingThe Flight Attendants,Turbulent Tunes,andBaggage Claim.The whole time he talks, I sit there stewing in my own thoughts, and one rings louder than the others.
Despite the shitty start to my trip, I’m enjoying my time with Tyler more than I expected to. And while part of me relishes the glimmer of excitement that brings to my chest, the smarter part of me knows I need to snuff out that flame, immediately.
I loved Tyler. A part of me will always love Tyler. But it has to remain asmallpart. Because the things that broke us apart once will break us apart again, and that’s not something I can do to either of us a second time.
It’s already over. We had our chance.
I’m not going back.
Instead, I switch to talking about the fact that my phone is racking up an increasing number of missed calls and texts from Jack, all of which I’m ignoring, especially now that I don’t want to take my phone out of my pocket in the rain. Tyler looks conflicted about it when I explain the morning’s messages.
“I don’t know, Olive. I get not wanting to give him the satisfaction, but as far as the guy knows, you left his dorm room and vanished. Even an ass like Mr.Two First Names deserves to hear that you’re not dead in a ditch somewhere.” He flashesme a wink as we drive through the entrance of the park, the rain starting to clear up and thick beams of sunshine beginning to poke through the scattering clouds. “Or dead in a volcanic crater, more likely.”
“Oh, absolutely,” I agree. “Much more fitting for me to be dead in a volcanic crater here on the island, you know? Fits the tropical Hawaiian theme.”
But he isn’t taking my nonanswer for an answer, pointing an accusing finger at me as he puts the car in park. “I get not wanting to talk to him, I really do. I wouldn’t want to talk to him, either. And, if I’m being entirely honest, I’m very much loving that you’re giving Jack Cameron the silent treatment.But,you’ve made him sweat a little bit. At least let him know you’re okay.”
“And then I can tell him to piss off and continue ignoringhim?”
Tyler nods triumphantly. “And then you can tell him to piss off and continue ignoring him. In fact, please do. As your jilted ex-boyfriend, I highly recommend a little retribution.”
My brain snags on thejilted ex-boyfriendpart of his sentence, causing my heartbeat to stutter. I never really thought about it that way before—and it’s a little funny to imagine Tyler as a jilted bride standing at the altar—but he’s not entirely wrong. One day we were together with everything ahead of us, and then we just…weren’t. It’s too much to think about right now, the guilt already starting to gnaw at the corners of my mind, so I force myself to focus on the stunning view of the winding mountains and the task ahead instead.
Right as we hop out of the car to start the climb to thelookout point, I slip my phone out of my pocket—now that the rain has pretty much stopped—and fire off one perfunctory text to Jack to get him off my back before putting it away and enjoying my last day on the island with Tyler:Nothing’s wrong and I’m safe. But that doesn’t mean I want to talk to you. Heading home tomorrow morning—don’t worry about where I am for now.
To his credit, Tyler doesn’t ask me what the message says, although the expression on his face makes it clear that he’s burning with curiosity. Still, he watches me tighten the laces of my sneakers and slip one of Lucas’s old baseball caps on my head as we head off down the trail toward the island’s most famous volcano. The sun is melting in the sky, a breathtaking blend of pink and orange hues, and the clouds are rolling over the hills above our heads in delicate wisps that I almost feel I can touch.
“Olive,” Tyler whispers in awe a few minutes after we begin, stopping me in my tracks and pointing out toward the ocean. “Look.” And when I follow his line of sight, I can’t help but gasp.
A gorgeous rainbow streaks across the whole sky, its colors vibrant and breathtaking. It seems to stretch from the heavens all the way down to the ocean, giving it a gentle kiss where it meets the horizon, the waves out in the distance lapping up to greet it.
I’ve seen rainbows before, but for some reason I can’t tear my gaze away from this one, utterly transfixed. As if the rainbow could speak to me, it looks like its colors are wiggling a little bit. Whispering,Don’t worry, Olive. It’s all going to be okay.
“Now you can see why Hawai?i is called the rainbow capitalof the world,” Tyler says quietly, as if it can hear us and we don’t want to scare it away. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen one that strong.”
“I can definitely agree with that,” I murmur, sending back my own mental wish to the rainbow.I hope you’re right. Please let everything turn out okay.
We continue to hike in silence for a good stretch, nothing but the sound of the chirping birds and the wind and the ocean crashing nearby to distract us. It’s the perfect time to stew in my thoughts about everything that’s happened over the past twenty-four hours—and a quick glance at my watch reminds me that it’s been over a full day since I walked in on Jack and Lilly.
Once we’ve gotten about half of the journey under our belt, Tyler finally speaks, slightly out of breath. He’s hiking ahead of me, so all I get is a view of his backpack bobbing up and down while he talks. “He didn’t deserve you, you know. And before you claim I’m just saying that because I used to date you, I’ll have you know that it was Delia who started calling him Jackass first. I was merely an accomplice.”
Sounds totally like her, to be honest.“Okay,” I wheeze in response, chugging a cold sip from the water bottle he picked up for me before we got here. “We arenothaving this conversation. Especially when we’re on a journey where every gasp of air feels like a precious resource.”
This gets a snicker out of him, but he takes a deep breath and continues speaking. “First of all, this is not supposed to be a strenuous hike, so I think we’re just awfully out of shape. Second, I’m not trying to get into a whole big debate about it, Olive. I’m just saying—he didn’t deserve you. Not when you flew allthis way to surprise him, and then that’s how he treated you.” He coughs, whether because he feels awkward or from a lack of oxygen, I can’t quite tell. “I know it probably hurts now, and it’s definitely weird hearing it from me of all people, but the pain will pass, and you’ll be better off for it.”
“You’re right,” I agree, nodding even though Tyler can’t see me struggling to walk behind him. “It isdefinitelyweird hearing advice about my ex-boyfriend from another one of my ex-boyfriends. But I know what you mean.” Even though all I feel for Jack Cameron now is a simmering rage and a desire to toss him into the ocean as far as I can throw him. It’s been a day and I haven’t had the urge to be on Lucas and Ella’s couch with a pint of ice cream, nursing my heartbreak. Instead here I am, hiking in the sunset with the boy whose heart I reallydidshatter. Having witnessed a beautiful rainbow and tried loco moco and malasadas and even raspberry-vanilla Pepsi. Having jumped off a cliff and swum in the ocean and packed more once-in-a-lifetime experiences into a single day than I have had in my entire existence beforehand.
When I blink, behind my eyelids, I see Tyler’s broken expression in our school hallway after the damage I’d done. And Delia’s dark glare at me during Jack’s graduation, reading right into my intention to go up and talk to Tyler.Don’t be cruel enough to make him go through it twice,she’d said then, her voice abrasive and cold. While she has never been someone I’d necessarily classify aswarm,I’d still never heard her voice reach such chilly depths before.
I won’t,I promise Delia in my head now, as if she could really hear me.I promise.
Tyler hums in agreement and we keep walking up the path,passing other sunburned tourists and joggers as we make our way toward the top. From here, you can spot all of O?ahu’s various aspects—its stunning beaches, its stretching cityscapes, its quaint suburbs, its lush jungles.
