𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐍 (𝟏)

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟓𝟔

"Rowan, I'm being serious.. She's acting.. strange—well, stranger than usual."

"Can you leave me alone?"

"Rowan," Joey whined, flailing his arms outward: He resembled a toddler after being told no, with his brows slightly furrowed and his bottom lip jutted out in a pout.

I exhaled a breath in agitation, withholding the urge to shove this fucking steel dumbbell into his mouth so he would shut up and leave me alone. "God, what do want me to do about it?" I snapped, frowning.

He huffed, throwing his arms over his chest angerly. his expression twisted in obvious frustration. "Oh, I don't know.. Maybe ask your girlfriend who happens to be my girlfriends best-fucking-friend!" He exclaims, his voice raising an octave or two.

I rolled my eyes, my fingers twitching around the cold metal of the dumbbell before it slipped off my hand and tumbled to the grass with a vibrating thud. "Why would I do that?"

Joey gaped at me, eyes widening in disbelief, looking at me like I had said something so shocking. "Because she's acting strange too!" He snapped, arms dropping to his sides as he shook his head at me. "God, you are so oblivious ."

I ran my hand through my hair frustratedly. "She is not." Not stranger than usual.

He scoffed, grabbing me by the sleeve of my shirt to tug me in her direction. He looked at me with wide, unblinking eyes that could haunt my dreams. "Open your eyes, man, and look at them—"

My eyes drifted to Isadora instinctively, Her hair was in two messy braids that cascaded down her back loosely, she was hunched over by a very ill looking Tiana, her eyes wide with concern as she talked lowly into Tiana's ear.

God, she was so effortlessly beautiful. The sun was searing onto her olive skin, illuminating a golden hue to only made her skin look even more ethereal, and the crisp wind was blowing loose strands of hair around her face, making her temporarily frown and slap at nothing in frustration.

I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat, and turned to glare at Joey. "Open your eyes," I shot back, smacking his chest. "Tiana is clearly not feeling well, you fucking idiot."

Joey winced, holding his chest before swinging his gaze to glare at me. "And how do you know that?"

I gaped at him, lips parting in disbelief and eyes blinking; Was he blind? Or just fucking dumb? "She's practically turning green!"

He flinches backward at my raised voice, a frown tilting his lips downward as he drags his eyes back to the two girls whispering in each other's ears. And he squints his eyes in their direction until a new look of surprise contorts his expression.

Just, fucking dumb.

"Oh my God.." He mumbles, gasping. "She is turning green—what should I do? Should I go and ask if she's okay?" He asks, swinging his head around at me again, a new look of panic lingering across his features.