Hold Me Closer

Chapter 12

Clare laid on her bed, phone in hand, scrolling through social media out of boredom. Pretty girls posing in mirrors kept popping up, so she shut her phone off, not wanting to hate her body even more. Clare was skinny, which you would think would be praised, but she was always told she was too skinny—unhealthily skinny. And for that, Clare was insecure.

Suddenly, Clare's phone started vibrating, meaning that someone was calling. Picking up her phone and looked at the caller ID. It read: "Felix". Oh great. Clare thought, knowing it was either going to be good, or bad.

"Hello?" She asked, holding the phone up to her ear.

"Clare!" Felix's excited voice said, ringing over the call. "I'm glad you picked up. I'm heading over to the museum to meet Zinnia right now."

"Have fun with that."

"Hah. I know. But, I just wanted you to know because this could either go really well or really bad."

"Personally, I feel like this is gonna end in tears."

"I promise I'll do my best to keep that from happening."

"Thanks."

"Remember, we pinky promised!"

Clare chuckled. "I could never forget."

"Well, I'm pulling up now, so I'll talk to you later."

"Good luck."

"I'll need it. Bye-bye!"

"Bye."

Felix hung up, leaving Clare alone again. A fan on Clare's desk blew throughout her room, filling the silence. Something about the upcoming event of Zinnia getting her heart crushed turned Clare's stomach. Deep down she knew something was off. Alas, there was nothing Clare could do about it.

This is what's right, Clare. This has to be done. Stop worrying about the future and just stick with the present. Turning over, Clare faced the ceiling. Watching the spinning fan above her, she slowly drifted off to sleep.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Clare peeled her head off her bed and let go of the pillow she was holding tightly to her chest. She looked at her phone, which was vibrating from an incoming call. The person calling was exactly who Clare didn't want—Zinnia.

Drearily picking up the phone, Clare answered.

"Hello?" She asked.

Sniffles could be heard on the other end of the phone, one after another. Oh, shit.

"Clare," Said Zinnia's dying voice on the other end, "How could you?"

"I..." Clare was speechless.

"Just... can you come to the park right now? The one closest to your house."

"Yeah... I can."

Slipping her shoes on quickly, Clare ran down the stairs and out the door. Speed walking down the sidewalk, she looked up at the multicolor sky. There was pink, orange, yellow—all sorts. As she was walking, Clare tried to figure out what she was going to say. But no matter how hard she thought, Clare just couldn't come up with the perfect phrases to say. Nothing sounded meaningful.

Making her way down the blocks, Clare finally made it to the park. On a swing set sat Zinnia, rocking back and forth, her head in her palms.

Slowly, Clare made her way over, sitting down next to Zinnia.