Tragically Yours

| 9 |

I grab two cups of water from the dispenser and carefully walk my way back to Ethan. Balancing liquids wasn't my specialty in the past, and I'm a bit afraid that I might spill some on the floor. So instead of walking normally, I shuffle my way back. Some people around me gave me a weird glance, while others look concern. Their glances don't matter to me, what matters the most are this cups of water.

I took a quick sip from one of the cups as I got near to Ethan. Even from this distance, I can see Ethan's confuse face. I can't believe my best friend would judge me too. Once I'm at his desk again, I place the other cup of water on the desk as I hold the other before sitting down in front of him.

"Why did you bring two cups of water?" He inspects the water as if I've put something noxious into it. "Did you put something in them and insist on me drinking it?"

I didn't fight the urge to roll my eyes at him. "No, I did not put anything into them. Plus, that isn't for me, it's just an extra cup of water for me."

He mocks a frowning expression once he glances back at me. "And here I assume you're being thoughtful," He shakes his head in disappointment and I suddenly have this urgency to grab another cup of water. Not to give it to him, but to splash him with it.

"Are you just going to judge my actions today, or will you spill your answer to the question I asked you?" I kept my eyes on him as I bring the cup of water to my mouth and sip some cold water into my system. Never thought hydration will feel this good, but this feeling isn't even close to drinking water in the middle of the night. Now that's a great example of hydration is the best feeling.

He sighs, "Remember that night of your birthday, everyone in the theater swore that they'll help look for Gail?"

Oh God, he doesn't have to elaborate on his answer. I already know where this is going, but I would like to see how he will elaborate his answer. "Uh-huh, I remember it perfectly, and feeling a bit of regret for letting those people do things that's supposed to be me doing it alone."

He nods his head while another puff of air escapes his mouth. "It would be nice if you stop feeling regretful. They insisted on helping you. You didn't just force them to help you. It's their choice whether they want to help you or not, and since they chose to help, there's no need to feel regret." Okay, since when did Ethan become this wise with his words? I bet he got those words from his book collection. "Moving on... So, since everyone in that theater agrees to help you—including yours truly—" He points a hand on his chest to further emphasize that he's also included in that plan, "—Lisbeth and I join forces to help out finding Gail."

I knew it! These two are having lunch together to exchange their knowledge and progress on finding her. I have a feeling they weren't as successful as I was in the past. I cross my arms over my chest, while I mock an amusement expression on my face. "Let me guess, you guys were having a hard time looking for her?"

"Well, logical, yes, since we don't have any idea what this Gail look like today. I've only had a clear memory of what she looks like from the photo you have shown me." The aforementioned photo is a picture of Gail in a distant past. A past before her inevitable disappearance. I still can't believe her parents didn't support her decision on staying. "But I think Lisbeth had found something, and I'm about to meet her later during lunch break."

Huh, I actually assume Stella would be the first person who will actually have a lead on finding Gail, but I can't be too ahead of myself. I fish out my phone to check the time to see if it's nearing on lunch break. "Since I'm here, and you've already spilled the tea... Can I come with?" The sense of curiosity is too strong to ignore. Plus, this is Gail we're talking about, and anything that's about Gail will always be in my curious mind.