𝐒𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐃𝐀𝐃𝐃𝐘

𝐗𝐗𝐕𝐈𝐈 ━ 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔯𝔶

chapter twenty seven
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Three weeks after Katherine's death and funeral, (Y/N) was still wandering the halls of Kingston as if she were a ghost. Her behavior wasn't as melancholic nor as robotic as it initially was, but then again it wasn't much better. This was especially prevalent in the way her grades had taken a dive, going from mostly A's and B's to C's. Most times, she was barely making C's, she was that disconnected from her class and it seemed the rest of the world. Her teachers were understanding, having been informed of her mother's passing, but they could only have so much grace before they started to worry for (Y/N)'s future.

After all, for the type of colleges she had applied to, she couldn't present such grades.

She just couldn't.

Unfortunately, (Y/N) didn't seem to care much about college anymore, giving only half mumbled answers that were hardly discernible from the other when teachers asked.

Devon didn't seem to care, either.

When confronted at a parent-teacher meeting that was hastily scheduled after (Y/N)'s concerning behavior was noticed, he brushed aside any and all worries as if swatting away an annoying bug. Since, unknown to (Y/N) or her teachers, Devon was quite comfortable with her not attending college. It meant that she would only further be dependent on him, a factor that he readily craved.

In hindsight, there was nothing the teacher's could do, not if the student nor even her guardian showed little to no concern at all.

So, in those three weeks, (Y/N) was present at school, but at the same time, she wasn't. Her mind was in places elsewhere—with her mother, usually, in happy memories that hardly drove away the aching pain growing in her heart. Drifting from class to class, the words of her teachers like barely heard mumbles that droned on in the background, she repeated this process over and over. Touching little of her books and little of her lunches, it was almost like she was withering away.

She was just hurting far too much.

Dante, Maya, Zara, and Carlos all noticed this about her mostly due to how she had ignored them whenever they tried to talk to her in class, in between classes, and during lunch. Then again, she never ate lunch with them anymore. She just stared at them blankly and mumbled out a response before falling silent again.

Currently, they all sat in the library during lunch where (Y/N) was.

"So?" Dante murmured. "What do you think?"

"About?" Carlos raised a brow.

"About (Y/N)."

"She's grieving," Maya sighed, propping her head up as she unconsciously fiddled with the end of of one of her braids, her dark eyes flicking from Dante back to where (Y/N) was. "There's not much we can do. I mean, we've tried talking to her and have tried giving her space, but... I don't know anymore. It's like she's... completely shut down."

"Yeah..." Dante trailed off.

"Well, I think we should spend more time with (Y/N)," Zara exclaimed after popping a grape in her mouth. "No one should be alone after losing someone like she did. It isn't good. It isn't safe."

"I know what you mean," Carlos nodded, his expression turning solemn, his eyes slightly glazing over as his gaze focused on the shelves of books behind Zara. "My abuela acted like (Y/N) when her husband died. Then two weeks later, she died in her sleep. Coroners said her heart just stopped beating. My mom said abuela died of a broken heart."

Dante, Maya, and Zara stared at Carlos in shock, having never heard said story before.

Slowly, they lowered their gazes.

A wave of sobriety passed between them, and all because of a girl wilting away only a few feet from them. Dante exhaled heavily as he ran both hands down his face, realizing that both Zara and Carlos were right, meaning they couldn't allow (Y/N) to be by herself for so long. Already after Carlos' words, he was thinking about the worst case scenario, and he wanted to avoid that entirely. Unfortunately, before he could make any move to stand, the bell rang to signal the end of lunch period.

"Shit," Dante cursed.

"What?" Maya blinked.

"I'm thinking we should do as Zara said and try and talk with (Y/N), or at least just be with her," he uttered as he began packing his things, watching as (Y/N) stood from her own table to exit the library. "But we don't have anymore classes with her after this, and I don't know if we'll be able to catch her after school ends."

"We can just try tomorrow," Maya tried to reassure him with a small smile.

"No, we can't," Carlos shook his head.

"What, why?"

"Remember?" He hummed. "The teachers have those conferences, so there's no school tomorrow."

"Oh..." Dante sighed. "Well, maybe I can go over to her house to see if she's okay. Did she tell anyone where she lived?"

"Just check the student directory," Zara answered.

"Right, thanks," Dante nodded, waving brief goodbyes to his friends as they all parted ways to go to their respective classes.

As he walked into his AP Calculus class and sat down, he couldn't help but feel like he was wasting his time. Fidgeting in his seat, tapping his finger incessantly against his desk, he noticed a different type of anxiety that he had never felt before creep within him. The hours seemed to move achingly so, and his patience was running thin. In fact, he didn't know if he could wait until Saturday or Sunday before he would go to see (Y/N). Therefore, as soon as the bell rang for the last class, he sprang up from his seat and walked briskly to his car, slamming the door shut behind him. Pulling up the students directory on his phone, he found (Y/N)'s address and plugged it into his phone.

Letting out a breath, he kept his grip on the steering wheel tight, his jaw clenching.

It'll be okay...

It'll be okay...

Repeating this phrase over and over in his head like a mantra, his worry for (Y/N) reaching its peak, he started his car, backed out of the student parking lot, and began the short journey to her house. He knew as her friend he had to support her, and if that meant letting her cry, letting her shout at him, or letting her sit there in silence, he would do so.

They were friends.

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To be continued...