Infatuation|| Orlando Johnson

Infatuation: ch 5

"Keisha, I don't understand why you won't give Nico another chance," Nate says, exasperation clear in her voice as she looks over at Keisha.

Keisha looks up, her expression firm. "One—he's not good for you, and two—he got our family dinner canceled via a Yard Yack post, so..." she says bluntly, crossing her arms. Nate shakes her head, trying to convince her. "If you spent any time with him, you'd see how amazing he is. And I asked him about the post. It wasn't him."

"And you believed him?" Cam questions with a chuckle, raising an eyebrow. Nate's patience snaps. "Yeah, OK. No offense, Cameron. This is a private conversation," she says, glaring at him. Cam sits up from where he was lounging on the couch. "Not when it costs me a free meal, plus leftovers. No, it ain't," he retorts, getting up on the couch. Simone and tyla was walking through the school when Nate stopped them. "Ah, Simone, Tyla, can y'all please tell Keisha that she's overreacting about Nico?" Nate says, making them look over at Keisha, who's clearly upset.

"Uh, no. It's giving tension," Simone responds, making Tyla nod in agreement."Period, and I don't do friend drama," Tyla adds, crossing her arms when suddenly Thea walks by. "Oh. Hey, guys," Thea greets them as she passes, and the girls exchange glances. "Tyla," Thea acknowledges, looking at her up and down. "Thea," Tyla replies, tilting her head slightly as Thea continues walking. Nate raises an eyebrow. "Hey, so you don't do friend drama?" she asks, teasingly. "Doesn't count. She ain't my friend," Tyla explains quickly.

"Y'all seemed cozy," Simone teases with a grin, making Tyla roll her eyes. "Trust me, there's no coziness there," she says, dismissing the thought as they all share a knowing look. "But, anyway, y'all need to figure this out. No man is worth y'all's friendship," Simone says, bringing the conversation back to the issue at hand. "As for me, if Keisha hates him, I hate him, too," Cam chimes in with a shrug. "Plain and simple. You go ahead, Cam!" Tyla says, hyping him up with a grin, her energy lightening the mood a bit. Suddenly he phone starts to go off making her look at her phone. "I'll come them back" tyla says softly as she ignores the phone. "Who's that?" Simone asks. "Just my mom I'll call her back" tyla says as they began to walk away.

....

At the tennis court, Simone and Tyla are in the middle of their stretches when they notice more students than usual gathering around the area, even Lando. Tyla looks around, puzzled. "What is going on?" she asks, glancing at Simone for any clue.Before Simone can respond, alarms suddenly blare across the campus, causing all the students to instinctively pull out their phones. "What the hell?" Simone mumbles, her eyes glued to her phone screen, trying to make sense of the situation.

A moment later, Amara's voice comes from everyone's phone making everyone watch the video that was sent. "The FBI and the Atlanta P.D. are investigating a bomb threat made against us this morning. The threat involves the area immediately surrounding west campus, which is currently being evacuated. Please avoid this area as the investigation continues. For those in other areas on campus, please, please shelter in place until further notice. This is not a drill. There's no longer access in or out of Bringston University."

The announcement sends a wave of shock through the crowd, and whispers ripple through the group of students. Simone and Tyla exchange wide-eyed looks, the gravity of the situation settling in. The reality of being stuck on campus with no way in or out begins to dawn on everyone, the earlier sense of normalcy completely shattered.

....

"Oh, hey, Tyla. Sorry," Lando says, nearly bumping into her as he rushes by. "Uh, yeah. I'm sorry," Tyla mutters, her voice distracted as she tries to call her mother. "I would stay and talk, but I've got to—" Lando begins, but Tyla abruptly cuts him off. "People to call. Yeah, I get it. Me too," she replies, pacing back and forth, her eyes darting between her phone and the exit.

Lando glances around before stepping closer, lowering his voice. "Listen, if you've got family at East Lennox University, call them first. People are saying there was a bomb threat there too. If it's true, this could be a coordinated attack."

Tyla freezes mid-step, her heart dropping into her stomach. Her family is close enough to the university. She stares at Lando, trying to process his words, her mind racing. "Uh, maybe you should just not say that too loudly before we know for sure, OK? People are scared enough," Tyla says, her voice trembling despite her efforts to stay calm. She takes a deep breath, clutching her phone tighter as she resumes pacing.

"Yeah," Lando nods, his eyes lingering on her for a moment before he moves on, leaving Tyla. As Tyla dials her mom's number again, her hands trembling, the phone finally connects. Her mother's voice comes through, filled with concern.

"Tyla?" her mother says, and the sound of her voice makes Tyla's heart swell with relief. "Oh my gosh, Mom, I'm so glad you answered," Tyla exclaims, her voice frantic. "Are you alright?"

"For now, we are," her mother replies, her voice steady but cautious. "We had to evacuate because of the bomb threat. We're actually at a hotel, safe for now." Tyla lets out a long, shaky sigh, the weight of her fear easing slightly. She glances over at Lando, who is also on the phone, speaking in hushed tones. The tension in the air remains thick, but at least her family is safe for now. "Okay, where's Ayara?" Tyla asks, her voice tight with worry as she begins to pace, her eyes scanning the room, noticing others similarly glued to their phones. "She's sleeping right now... Tyla, please stay safe. The bomb threats are all over the news," her mother pleads, her voice strained with concern.

Suddenly, the line goes dead, and the chorus of voices around her fades as everyone's phones cut off at once. Tyla's breath catches in her throat. "Mom??" she says, her voice trembling with fear. She looks at her phone, her heart racing. "Mom!" she repeats, pressing the phone closer to her ear, as if willing her mother's voice to come back. But there's nothing—just silence.

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