little bird // r.keene

x. a phone call.

Sam knew this was a bad idea. She figured if anyone was going to know... as much as she hated to admit it, it was going to be Wren Evans. She took a deep breath as she paced the length of her bedroom and listened to the ringing dial on her phone.

"Sam?" She heard Aisha's voice down the line, clear as day.
"Hey, Aisha, is this a bad time?" She asked and listened intently for his reply.

"What? No. No, not busy at all. Why? Is everything okay?" She asked, lying on her bed and listened as Sam just sighed.

"I'm sorry to ask but I need a favour." She paused, "Could you possibly give me Wren's phone number?" She asked and Aisha was caught off guard by the question.

"I mean yeah, but umm. Can I ask why?" Aisha couldn't quiet seem to place her finger on why Sam would want to speak to Wren, she didn't even know they were friend. I mean, sure, Wren convinced Sam to come to the tournament and she also knew Sam gave her a ride the other day but she also knew about their rocky start with Robby. She really didn't know what this was about and it would be a lie if she said she wasn't curious to find out.

"I really rather you didn't. Don't worry though, it's nothing bad." Sam reassured her.
"Yeah, sure... Okay. It's not actually a phone though, it's a landline number, she broke her phone a couple months ago and hasn't replaced it yet. That okay?" Aisha asked.

"Yeah, sounds perfect."

The landline rang once, then twice. Wren had been about two metres away from the phone and yet took a double take when she heard the shrill ringing. No one ever used the landline. The Bookshelf was just a fair amount of distance away from everything that meant their regular customers knew exactly what was in stock, and what wasn't and so popped in and out whenever they wanted.

Leaning over a stack of files for new shipments, Wren picked up the phone.

"Hello, this is The Bookshelf, this is Wren speaking, how can I help you?" She spoke calmly and flatly, the way Mr James had shown her when she first started working there, though she hated the sound of her voice when she did.

"Wren? Hey, it's Sam." Wren paused for a moment and Sam held her breath, she waited for Wren to reply when she was suddenly greated with the click of Wren hanging up.

Why the hell was Sam calling her work? She hadn't sounded surprised so she must have know Wren worked there. Anyway, there was nothing she had to say to Sam after she tried to get Wren to quit Cobra Kai just because she was the champion. Trash talking Johnny like that, trying to use Robby as some sort of mutual ground between them.

Fuck that.

Wren sighed and began to sort through the files before the phone rang again, she tried to ignore it but some of the customers dotted around the shop began to look up so Wren picked up the phone.

"Sam, stop calling." Wren told her, when there was no response she was suddenly alarmed it wasn't Sam and she was being rude to a stranger. But a second later, she heard Sam's reply.

"Wait, just wait. I'm sorry about what I said the other day." Wren was leaning against the counter, twirling the coil of the phone between her fingertips.
"Sam, I appreciate that but I'm not moving dojos so just leave me alone, okay? Please don't call this number again unless you want to order a book... Okay?" Wren said bitterly. When they first met, she really had nothing against Sam, it wasn't her fault Miguel was drunk and she had turning up at the tournament, like Wren had asked but she felt that Sam expected everything to go her way all the time. Which was something that didn't sit right with Wren, not at all.

"Wren, I didn't just call to apologise." Wren waited but Sam struggled to find the words.
"What is it Sam, I'm working and it's busy in here, is it important?" Wren asked, looking around at the shop floor, from where she was standing, she could spot three customers.

"It's about Robby." She heard Sam say and Wren felt her stomach drop.

15th December 2016

"Wren, go get some rest. I promise I'll be fine."
"Mr James, we just got a new shipment in, I can't leave you to do all the pricing by yourself." She tried to joke but Mr James gave her a serious glare, his normal joking demeanour traceless.

He took a few hobbled steps towards her and placed both his hands on her shoulders.
"Go get some sleep, little bird. We have to get up early tomorrow. Please." She said gently.

The funeral was tomorrow.

Wren took a deep breath, feeling tears sting in the backs of her eyes she nodded and turned to walk away but the landline rang. Without a second thought, she answered it, desperate to keep herself busy in any way, shape or form just so she would have to sleep, where she kept seeing it over and over again. So she wouldn't have to see Rue.

"Hello, this is The Bookshelf, this is Wren speaking, how may I help you?" She ask, clearing her voice of any faults and looking over to where Mr James gave her a small, reassuring smile.

"Yes, hello. Is this Wren Evans to whom I'm speaking?" The voice said down the other line. Wren nodded instinctually, feeling her heartbeat pick up slightly.

"It is, yes sir."

"Hello, I'm calling from the Los Angeles Police Department, my name is Matthew Fenton. I was hoping I might borrow a minute of your time." Wren's throat felt like sandpaper as she turned to face Mr James, he knew in an instant something was terribly wrong when he saw the look of undiluted fear plague her face.

"Yes, of course, officer." She answered.

"It's about your friend, Will Larson."

"I'm on my way." And she curtly hung up the phone, Sam looked down at her phone, slightly confused. Wren hadn't even asked what it was about and yet at the mere mention of his name, dropped everything. Maybe they were a lot closer than she thought.

Wren jogged to grab her jacket from the bottom of the banister when Mr James came from around the corner, a box of books in hand.

"Mr James, I've got to go." She said all at once, "Something's happened." Wren's hearbeat was hammering in her nest now, her legs felt weak. She hung up on Sam she she could find out in person because Wren didn't think she could handle being told the news down the phone. The chances of it being something like what happened to Will was slim but she couldn't take that chance. Not again.

"What's wrong?" Mr James asked, seriously, setting the box of books on the side and walking over to her, Wren was pulling on her jacket and pulling her hair out of the collar.

"It's Robby, I'm not sure what's happened but Sam called me and she hates me so it must be something bad. I'm sorry but I have to go and see." Wren told him all at once and MR James saw her look of pure panic and set a hand on her arm.

"Did she say it was something bad?"
"Not exactly."

"Robby is a smart boy. He will be okay." His words soothed something in Wren as she grabbed her keys and Wren gave her friend and small nod.
"I just, all I could think about was what happened the last time I picked up the landline." She said in a small voice and Mr James rubbed her arm comfortingly.

"Go, everything will be fine."