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“I understand,” I say. “I just want to use the bridge for my photo.”

“You can always come back another day,” Aaliyah points out.

They’re both expecting me to leave, aren’t they? No, I want to say, but my lips stay sealed, that one word remaining behind them like a gem locked in a safe. Instead, I look at Nora.

Back to Sandra and Aaliyah, Nora says, “Come on, Sandy and Aali.” They both wince at the new nicknames she’s given them, and I turn around to stifle a laugh, hand masking my mouth. Nora isn’t exactly the popular type, but she isn’t a loser, either. Every now and then she makes a funny, sassy comment that half the class laughs at, but she doesn’t have a big group of friends like Sandra and Aaliyah. “Let her use this spot already. Sharing is caring, right?”

“Right.” Aaliyah plasters a grin.

“We’ll just take a few more minutes,” Sandra says.

Aaliyah returns to the middle of the bridge while Sandra zooms in on her, directing her to show off her gorgeous smile. Nora rolls her eyes and walks off the bridge, heading back to me. Apparently, she photobombed the shot, because Sandra throws her a glare before resuming her photo-taking.

“A few more minutes, my ass,” Nora says a little too loudly, which I’m sure is intentional. Aaliyah glances at her, a brief leer before turning back. “Em, what do you want to do?”

I glance at my phone, my shoulders falling when I see the time. I need to be at Wilson Community Hospital in ten minutes. Grace already thinks I’m useless. I’d rather not add “tardy” to her list of things she hates about me.

“Let’s just go,” I say. I sound like I’m about to cry, and I hate it.

Nora’s eyes flicker with sympathy. “Are you sure?”

“I’m going to be late to my volunteering shift.”

“You can always just be late.”

I shake my head. If I had the choice, I wouldn’t go at all. “Not with that head nurse, no.”

“This world is seriously full of buttheads.”

Nora shoots a glare at Sandra and Aaliyah, who are taking their photos on the bridge as if it’s their most valued property. It feels like they’re taunting me. They get to take their photographs on this beautiful bridge that’s illuminated by the sunlight. And I’m stuck volunteering at a hospital that, one day in, already makes me miserable.

Nora wraps an arm around my shoulders and pulls me in for a hug. “Let’s try again on Friday. Marcos is coming back that day and can cover my shift.”

I nod, a frown dropping across my face. “Sorry I made you get up this early.”

“You owe me another s’mores latte.” Nora hugs me tighter. “Don’t worry about it. How were we supposed to know they were gonna hog the whole bridge?”

This wins a chuckle from me. “Right.”

Nora heads over to her car while I head over to mine.

On the drive to Wilson, my hands grip around the steering wheel, my mind replaying the moments Sandra and Aaliyah took photos where I should’ve taken mine. Why did I back down so easily? Why didn’t I just take my photo at the bridge anyway? I could’ve edited them out if they were in the frame.

I turn right, and as soon as I see the Wilson Community Hospital sign, a sigh escapes from my mouth.

Chapter Eight

By day two, I thought I’d have this hospital’s layout completely figured out. But as I lead a woman with a brown bob, my steps squeaking across the floor as I look from left to right, I realize I’m just as clueless as I was the first day.

“We’ve been walking for the last ten minutes,” the woman says, clipping each syllable.

“I’m sorry.” The words fly out quick, panicked. I’m still flustered from my phone call with my mom earlier.

I was two minutes away from the door when I checked my phone, seeing a missed call from my mom. Immediately, I called her, and the first thing she said was, “Anak, you didn’t you pick up earlier. You had me worried!”

“Sorry, po, I was throwing away my food and drink,” I said, stopping myself from panting so she wouldn’t get suspicious as to why I was cutting it close to time. After I parked, I looked for a trashcan to throw everything away. But I had my phone on silent, only checking it in hopes that she wouldn’t call by the time I arrived. Still, I felt bad for not answering. Her voice raised to the pitch of a flute.

“But you took so long to answer.”