Breaking the Grid

Kyra

It's been a week. Seven days without a single word from Blair. I'm not the type to panic easily, but this silence has been gnawing at me. It's not like her. Blair was always on her phone—posting, replying, or even sending those short voice messages when she didn't have time to type. But this time? Radio silence.

I told myself over and over not to think the worst, but the longer it went on, the harder it got to keep those thoughts at bay. It doesn't help that every time I reach out to Leah, she doesn't have any answers either. "She's just busy," Leah had told me the last time, her voice casual, like there wasn't anything to worry about. But it didn't sit right with me. Blair's busy, sure, but she wouldn't just disappear. Not like this.

I've been trying to focus, to keep myself distracted with the others in the chill room. Katie and Caitlin are snickering about something across from me, hunched over Katie's phone, their voices low like they're trying to keep it between them. I keep my gaze on my own phone, pretending like I'm not noticing the quick glances they're throwing my way. It's not working, though. I can feel it—there's something they're not saying.

Leah notices too, always sharp. "What's up with you two?" she asks, her tone a little too light, as if she's just making conversation. But I can see her eyebrow raise, her curiosity piqued. Katie quickly tries to brush it off, but Caitlin elbows her, and I can see it in their faces. They know something.

I try to ignore the creeping sensation in my gut, but the tension is building in the room. They're all acting weird. Avoiding me. I hate it when people hide things, and this... this feels big.

Finally, I can't take it anymore. "What the hell is going on?" I stand up, the words coming out harsher than I meant, but I'm already moving toward them. My heart's beating faster now. "You guys are being sketchy. Just spit it out."

Katie shifts uncomfortably on the couch, glancing at Caitlin like she's hoping someone else will speak. But it's Leah who finally breaks the silence. She gets up and walks over to me, her expression softer, but there's something in her eyes that makes my stomach flip. She holds out her phone, her thumb hovering over the screen like she's hesitant to show me.

"It's probably nothing," Leah says gently, but I already know it's something. "Maybe just a friend..."

A friend? My pulse quickens as I take the phone from her, my fingers feeling unsteady. On the screen, there's a series of photos, blurry at first, but the more I look, the clearer they get. Blair.

Blair with a man.

I blink, trying to make sense of it. They're at some event. She's dressed up, smiling, talking, and he's there beside her. His hand is resting on her back. In another picture, they're walking together, his arm casually draped over her shoulder. My stomach twists as I scroll through them, each one more damning than the last. In one photo, Blair's hand is in his, their fingers loosely entwined.

My heart's pounding in my chest, my grip on the phone tightening. I can feel Leah's eyes on me, waiting for me to react, but I can't. I don't want them to see how much this is getting to me. I swallow hard, pushing the lump in my throat down as I try to make sense of it all.

"What the hell is this?" I finally mutter, my voice barely above a whisper, but it's all I can manage.

Leah steps closer, her voice soft. "Kyra, it could be nothing. The media makes stuff up all the time. Maybe it's just work."

But it doesn't look like just work. Blair's not just smiling in these photos—she looks... happy. Comfortable. Like she's enjoying herself. Like she's moved on.

And that's what really kills me. The idea that while I've been sitting here, wondering what went wrong, wondering why she wasn't answering my messages, she's been off... doing this.