“Bruce!” I yelled as loud as I could. He stopped, and everyone else who was passing also looked over at me. “Uh—sorry,” I said as I hurried over to him.
Bruce was staring at me like he’d just seen a ghost. “Cass?” he asked faintly.
“Hi. I thought it was you.” He was wearing hisSNAP CRACKLE POP CULTURET-shirt, and I smiled.
“You recognized me from the back?” he asked, turning to look where I’d come from. “In the dark? From…far away?”
“Sure did.” I took a deep, shaky breath. This conversation was the hardest one—there was a reason I’d left it for last. What I’d done to Bruce had been the most personal, and the most hurtful, and it was the one I was ?most ashamed of. I knew that we’d probably never be friends again. Those were the consequences of my actions, and I’d have to live with them. Right now, though, I needed to do what I could to give us both some closure. I twisted my hands together and jumped in.
“I just wanted to say I’m sorry.” I could see the skeptical expression starting to form on Bruce’s face, so I took a breath and kept going. “I’m sorry for all of it. For standing you up on prom night. For not telling you I was moving. For ignoring your letter and not ever being in touch afterward…”
Saying it all out loud really brought it home—just how much I’d messed things up. I swallowed hard. “I know it’s not an excuse. But I liked you so much, and I was afraid if we started something…and then I left…” I shook my head.
The things that had made so much sense to me no longer did. Looking back, it seemed like a stranger had made those choices. A stranger who hadn’t been courageous enough to be honest with anyone—least of all herself. “I wasn’t brave enough to tell you what I was really feeling. And I derailed any chance of something happening with us. But more than that—I lost a really good friend. And I just hope you can forgive me.”
Bruce looked at me for a long moment, then walked over to an empty table and sat down, like he needed to be sitting to process this. “Wow,” he finally said.
“I know. Sorry to throw all that on you at Grad Nite. Why are you even here, by the way?” I asked, hoping I was pulling this question off. Me not asking this had seemed to bump Bruce every time, so I wanted to make sure to address it. “It’s a long way from Seattle.”
“We won an academic award.” He still looked like he was struggling to find his bearings.
“Oh wow,” I said, trying to look like this was brand-new information. “That’s cool. Congratulations.”
“I—don’t know what to say,” he finally said, glancing over at me. “I mean—it’s not every day someone from your past shows up and says just what you’ve been wanting to hear.”
I shrugged. “Maybe anything is possible on Grad Nite.”
“We are at the most magical place on earth, right?” he asked, then frowned. “Why doesn’t that sound right?”
“Happiest,” I amended. “Happiest place on earth.”
“Right.” He glanced over at me. “Thank you for saying all that, Cass. I think the hardest thing was I didn’t understand what had happened. What I’d done…”
“Nothing,” I said firmly. “It was all me. All my fault.”
“Well, that was the conclusion I eventually came to,” he said, and I laughed.
A comfortable silence fell between us. I took out my notebook and ripped out the letter I’d written while waiting in line. It was essentially everything I’d just told him—owning up to my actions, and apologizing. “This is for you. I’m sorry it took me so long to write you back.”
Bruce looked down at the paper, then folded it up and tucked it into his pocket. “Thanks, Cass.”
“Thankyoufor hearing me out. I know you didn’t have to.” I stood up and looked at my watch. “Uh, but if you wanted to go by Radiator Springs Racers, I’ve heard there’s no line at ten twenty.”
Bruce pulled out his phone and frowned at it. “But that’s in fifteen minutes.”
“I know,” I said, already starting to head in that direction. “I was supposed to have been here earlier, but then Doug was in my Ferris wheel car, and he slowed everything down.”
“I…” Bruce started, then shook his head. “Wait, what?”
I waved this away. “It’s nothing. But maybe I’ll see you there? Or not!” I didn’t want it to seem like I really needed him to show up—the last thing I wanted was for him to suspect that I had any ulterior motive. “Bye!” I yelled as I hurried away. Bruce still looked like he wasn’t sure which way was up, but I really hoped that he’d show.
I got to Cars Land with time to spare and slowed down a little as I walked through the Route 66 replica town. The DJ was still spinning, and I saw Sheridan in the crowd, dancing with his arms in the air. I caught his eye and he waved, and I waved back. While most of my friends and I had been going through emotional upheaval, Sheridan just seemed like he had an amazing night every time, and I was happy to see it.
I felt myself smiling as I looked around at the neon lights, shining brightly as ever in the dark of the California night. I took it all in—the joy that surrounded me, the music, my fellow seniors, all of us on the cusp of our next big adventure. The magic that seemed built right into this place.
I could have been stuck in a time loop anywhere. It could have been a random Wednesday in March. But I’d landedhere—and now, as I looked around, really seeing it for maybe the first time, I was nothing but grateful.
Bryony was waiting for me by the line for Radiator Springs, and I smiled when I saw her. To my relief, she smiled back, even if it was a little tentative. Not that I blamed her—I’d dropped alotof information on her, and then had literally run away.
