Everyone was at the school gate by 5am in the morning. We chartered a bus to bring us to the floating market. It will take us one and a half hour to reach there.
Everyone was in a high spirit. The bus was already there, so when everyone came we boarded the bus. I went up the last and took a seat near the end of the bus.
The door to the bus was about to close, when a hand appeared to stop the door from closing.
"Wait for me." said a familiar voice.
It was Josh.
Since the last day of school which was two days ago, I had been avoiding Josh as best as I could; spending most of my time in the room and during dinner time I ate as fast as I could and excused myself to my room.
And now I have to face him.
The bus started to move.
He walked towards me while my other friends were staring at him. I had butterflies in my stomach because I knew that he would come and sit beside me. True enough, he sat down beside me.
"Josh, why are you here? I do not remember inviting you for the trip" I asked irritatingly.
He turned around staring gently into my eyes and answered, "To protect you of course. That is my plan for this holiday; to protect the person who holds the key to my heart."
My heart skipped and I became flustered. I turned to look out of the window while thinking to myself, "How am I going to survive this trip with Josh beside me?"
Outside was still dark but peddlers can be seen moving around getting ready for the morning crowd. The scenery slowly changed from the busy streets to forest and paddy fields as we left the city.
My eyes became heavy as I woke up very early today. The sound of the bus engines provided a good lullaby and I fell asleep eventually.
I opened my eyes when the bus stopped moving and I was leaning on Josh's shoulders. I quickly pulled away when I realized it.
"Sorry," I said.
My other friends were talking excitedly and they were getting ready to alight from the bus. I looked out of the window. The sun was shining brightly. I can see the entrance to the floating market. There was a big river with many boats on it.
"Let's go, sleepy head. You must have been very tired. You were snoring like a pig just now," said Josh.
I turned around and gave him the dagger look. I stood up and roughly pushed my way out. He laughed and followed behind.
There were eleven of us. We rented three boats. Josh was on the last boat with the other guys. I was in the first boat with my other girl friends. I felt a wave of relief. At least I can get away from Josh for awhile.
There were so many boats on the rivers; they were selling so many things from food to painting and many more. We had our breakfast on our boat. The food were delicious and the prices were reasonable. We bought some souvenirs too. I had a great time with my friends.
After spending a few hours at the floating market, it was time for us to travel back to Bangkok.
I sat in front of the bus during the trip back; trying my best to ignore Josh.
We would stop at a waterfall for a swim and then to a nearby town for lunch on the way back to Bangkok.
It took us about forty-five minutes to reach the waterfall.
It was a beautiful waterfall. The water was as clear as crystal and you can see some fish swimming in it. The surrounding forest was calm and peaceful. There were not many people around.
We changed into our swimming attire and without wasting anytime jumped into the water. The water was cool and refreshing. All my worries were washed away. We splashed water at each other and laughed.
Mario came over to talk to me and my friends. Soon he was splashing water at us. We were squealing at the top of our lungs. I ran away and tried to get of the water but unluckily I stepped on a slippery rock and fell into the water.
A surge of pain shot up my leg and I could not swim. I thought I was going to drown.
A strong hand pulled me out of the water and with a swift move carried me up. When I looked up it was Josh.
He was looking anxiously at me. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?", said Josh anxiously.
He put me down gently onto the grass and started to check on my ankle.
"Ouch!" I screamed when he touched my ankle.
"It looks like you sprained it. We must get you to a hospital or else it would swell up," said Josh.
By this time, most of my friends were crowding around me with worried looks on their face. They started packing up. I tried to stand up and walk on my own but it was too painful.
"Don't move," said Josh sternly and with one swift move he carried me in his arm back to the bus.
The others followed us.
The bus driver was asked to drive me to the nearest hospital which was the Bangkok General Hospital.