Ethan gripped the steering wheel tightly as the truck ate up the miles toward the lake. Jake sat in the passenger seat, unusually quiet, staring out the window.
The six-hour drive had been filled with long stretches of silence broken only by occasional small talk about basketball or music. Neither of them wanted to address the real reason they were making this trip.
“You sure you want to do this today?” Jake asked finally, breaking another long silence.
Ethan’s jaw clenched. “I need to see her. I can’t keep sitting with this s**t in my head.”
Jake nodded but didn’t push further. He knew his friend was hurting badly. He had seen Ethan go from hopeful to devastated in the span of one phone call. Part of him was still angry at Mia too, but another part — the big brother part — felt confl
