Black Iris

Over text.

Rose

"Hey, Phil, wait up!"

I stiffened, knowing exactly who it was that was calling out. I stopped, and slowly turned, trying not to look annoyed as Adam bounded up the path.

It was the Monday morning after Independence day, and everyone was heading to class after returning to camp. Everyone except for Adam, it seemed.

He looked haggard, dark marks beneath his eyes, shaggy hair, and exhaustion playing across his face.

"Are you okay?" I asked, frowning.

"Fine," he said, his voice curt. "Listen, have you seen Lena yet? I need to talk to her."

"I'm not Lena's keeper," I responded, my voice slightly icy.

"No, I know. It's just... I haven't seen her this morning, and she's been ghosting me since..." He trailed off, looking angry. "I just need to see her, okay?"

"Chill," I muttered. "Like I said, I don't know where she is. I haven't seen her this morning. Now can I go to class, or did you have something else to grill me about?"

He scowled, and I turned to walk away. Before I could, he reached out and grabbed my arm.

"Hey, just tell her to text me if you see her."

I glared at him and tore my arm away. Before he could say anything else, I walked away, shaking my head.

"Fuck you," I muttered under my breath, not caring if he heard. If he did, he did nothing about it.

Charlie was actually in my Ancient History class, the first one of the day, and we usually always sat together, but this morning, I had a feeling that wouldn't be the case. Nonetheless, when I reached the classroom I sat down in our usual spot in the back of the room and waited, unsure of if I even wanted her to sit with me.

But she didn't come.

When class began and the teacher, Mrs O'Reilly, marked the roll, she asked if anyone knew where she was, but no one had seen her.

It was at that point that I started to get worried. What if something had happened to her? What if she'd crashed on her way back here, or had gotten sick or something?

I tried to rationalise, tried to ignore the worry rolling in my chest, and focus on the lesson, but my mind just kept coming back to the last thing I'd said to her.

I'm sorry I ever thought you were worth it.

Fuck, I was such an ass.

By the time Ancient history finished, I had truly worked myself into an anxious mess, and I struggled to compose myself as I collected my things and went to go.

"Phil," Mrs O'Reilly called out from the front of the classroom, before I could go. "Do you mind coming to see me for a second?"

My heart flipped. I blinked slowly and walked up to her desk. She stood waiting until the other students had left before looking across at me earnestly.

"I noticed you weren't quite yourself today in class, and I just wanted to check in with you. It's alright if you don't want to talk about it but are you okay?"

And something about the kindness in her voice and the concern in her eyes made me crack. I tried to speak, but couldn't get the words out. Before I knew it, tears were slipping down my face.

She quickly grabbed a box of tissues and offered it to me, understanding in her eyes. "It's okay, honey, you can let it out."

I used the tissue to wipe my eyes and managed to compose myself.