Chapter 5: Whose Car Is It Anyway?

I didn’t take the vitamins. Instead, I glanced around, noticing the details I’d been too busy to clock lately.

My eyes landed on the seat cushions.

I’m a minimalist at heart—clean lines, neutral colors. But the plain cushions I bought had been replaced with blue Stitch ones, all cartoon faces and cutesy ears.

I frowned and asked, “Where are the solid-color cushions I bought?”

“Those…” Caleb cleared his throat, glancing guiltily in the rearview. “They’re in the trunk, I think.”

But Maddie piped up, genuinely surprised, “Oh? Those were your cushions, Rachel? They looked so bland—I thought they were freebies from the dealership. I tossed them yesterday.”

Rachel’s jaw tightened, her breath catching. My nails dug into my palm as I forced myself not to react. I’d been buried at work, barely using the car. Only now did I see the entire vibe had changed.

The passenger seat that used to be my little domain now had a cartoon air freshener hanging off the headrest, pumping out a sickly-sweet perfume.

The little lucky charm I’d hung from the rearview was now tangled up with a bright purple hair tie that definitely wasn’t mine.

Even the car’s Bluetooth system had been renamed. I pulled out my phone, tried to reconnect—and saw "Maddie’s Cruiser" pop up, my stomach dropping at the sudden pang of betrayal. I remembered when I first gave Caleb the car—a flash of him hugging me tight, grinning, promising he’d always save the front seat for me. Now, the front seat belonged to someone else.

Everywhere I looked, the car felt less like mine and more like Maddie’s playground.

And me? I just looked like a hitchhiker who’d lucked into a ride.