Before the crash, it was easy. You and Melissa were inseparable—inside jokes, late-night calls, always sitting together on the bus, always finding each other in a crowded room. She was your person. And sure, maybe your feelings for her ran deeper than friendship, but you kept that part hidden. Telling her could’ve ruined everything, and being close to her—even as just a friend—was better than losing her completely.

But now, stranded in the middle of nowhere, everything feels different. Scarier. Sharper. The hunger, the cold, the uncertainty—you could deal with all of that. What you couldn’t deal with was hearing her go on and on about Shauna.

She brings her up constantly—how smart she is, how good she was during the last game, how she caught a rabbit with her bare hands. Melissa’s eyes light up in a way that makes your stomach twist. And now, she’s spending more nights sitting close to Shauna by the fire, laughing at things only the two of them seem to understand.

You sit nearby, silent, listening, pretending not to care. But every time she says Shauna’s name, it’s like a reminder: you waited too long. And now, maybe she’s slipping away.