The rest of the group is over at Denise's house, and I get there as fast as I can. It feels like the thing I should do next. Denise's stepmother answers the door all zombie-eyed, telling me the girls are in the basement. I thank her and blow past her as fast as I can.
I find my friends sitting on the floor in a circle. It's weird, but they barely acknowledge I'm there. I get a hug from Aimee and Ashely – and hellos from Lacey and Denise – but it all feels perfunctory and distracted, and they go right back to their circle and what they were doing – scrolling on their phones and talking at the same time, throwing out theories and accusations and even jokes. I sit down next to them, but they keep their circle closed.
I guess Kira has been on the outs these days, something I didn't know. Something about personal hygiene issues that the rest of the group had grown weary of. The way they are all talking about her death strikes me as callous. Everything they're saying about Kira and what's happening in the world right now has an air of casualness and indifference.
"Kira could be sweet, but she was feeble – and I say that without an ounce of malice," Lacey states in the same matter-of-fact tone as her text.
"Who was always picked last in teams?"
The rest answer together: "Kira."
"Who barfed her lunch up last year after running the mile in P.E.?"
"Kira."
"Who was most likely to snap like a twig in the wind?"
They all kind of chuckle.
"Our father thinks it's our species' way of weeding out the weak," Ashley offers proudly.
"It was just a matter of time, Daddy says," Aimee adds.
Maybe this is just their way of dealing with the magnitude of what's happening. But still. Kira was our friend.
I no longer feel bad for outgrowing these girls. I don't want to get mad or defensive. So I leave instead.
YOU ARE READING
WAKE ME UP
Short StoryIt's 2040, and 18-year-old Tiana admits to sleeping through most of her life. But Ben woke her up. How could he not? All those scars intrigued her. They may be an odd couple, but being cast as some sort of Romeo and Juliet never made much sense...
