Two lives.

22. Long time on hold

May 21th
5:27 PM

"Hurry up, Sienna!" Caylus called out, leaning casually against my doorframe with a smirk on his face.

"Oh my god, I'm coming," I said, grabbing my student ID card off my desk and hurrying toward the door. When I got there, I gave him a playful shove off the frame so I could close it behind me.

"I'm starving," he groaned dramatically, stretching his arms over his head like he hadn't eaten in days.

"Of course you are," Andi teased, rolling her eyes as she joined us in the hallway.

"Bruh, what? Why are you acting like I'm the only one here who eats?" Caylus shot back, laughing and throwing his hands up in mock defense.

"If you're so hungry, maybe stop standing here complaining and start walking to the cafeteria," I joked, moving ahead of them as they trailed behind.

"Yeah, true," Andi added, poking Caylus in the arm with her water bottle.

"Oh, whatever," he muttered, rolling his eyes but laughing along with us.

As we reached the top of the stairs, I spotted Ophelia and Lucifer sitting on the steps, waiting for us. Ophelia's legs were stretched out in front of her, and Lucifer was scrolling through his phone, his hood pulled up over his head.

"Took you guys long enough," Ophelia said with a smirk as we approached.

"Did you ever find Ekko?" I asked, stepping next to her as we started descending the stairs together.

"No!" she said with an exasperated sigh. "I've looked everywhere. It's like he's just disappeared."

I frowned, glancing over at her. "That's weird. Did you check the gym? He's always sneaking off there when he doesn't want to be bothered."

"Yeah, I checked the gym, the lounge, even outside by the basketball courts. Nothing," she said, shaking her head.

Lucifer looked up from his phone, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe he's in one of his brooding moods. You know how he gets when he wants to avoid everyone."

"True," Ophelia admitted, her voice softening. "But it's not like him to not at least answer his phone."

Caylus chimed in, his tone light to ease the tension. "Maybe he's just hiding from all of us. Can't blame him—I'd hide from you, too, Ophelia."

"Shut up," Ophelia shot back, shoving his shoulder, though a small smile tugged at her lips.

As we walked down the stairs, the noise of students in the hallway below grew louder. I couldn't help but wonder where Ekko might actually be—and why it felt like something was off.

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After what felt like hours of worrying about Ekko, I finally gave in and pulled out my phone. My thumb hovered over his name in my contacts before I pressed it. The line rang once, then twice, then a third time.

"Come on, Ekko," I muttered under my breath, feeling the anxiety twist tighter in my chest.

Finally, the call connected.

"Hello?" I said tentatively, breaking the silence, waiting for him to say something.

There was a pause on the other end, the kind that stretched just long enough to make my stomach drop.

"Sienna?" His voice came through, quiet and distant, like he wasn't sure if he wanted to talk.

"Yeah, it's me," I said, trying to keep my tone steady. "Where are you? I've been looking for you everywhere."

Another pause. I could hear the faint sound of wind in the background, and I realized he must be outside.

"I'm fine," he finally said, though his voice didn't sound convincing.

"Fine? Ekko, you've had everyone worried sick. Ophelia's practically losing her mind," I said, frustration creeping into my voice despite my best efforts to stay calm.

"I just needed some air," he said, brushing off my concern.

"Air?" I repeated, trying to hold back the irritation bubbling up. "Ekko, disappearing like that without telling anyone isn't okay. If you needed space, you could've at least texted."

He sighed, and I could almost picture him running a hand through his hair the way he always did when he was stressed.

Here's the revised version:

"Look, I didn't mean to worry anyone. I just... needed to think," he said, his voice steadier this time but still carrying a hint of frustration.

"Think about what?" I pressed, ignoring the edge in his tone.

"Don't worry about it, Sienna," he shot back, a little sharper than I expected. "I'll be back soon."

I clenched my jaw, biting back my instinct to push further. "Ekko, you can't just shut everyone out like this," I said, my voice softer now but still firm.

He let out a heavy sigh on the other end, the kind that spoke volumes but revealed nothing. "I know."

I wanted to argue, to demand an explanation, but I could tell he wasn't in the mood for a heart-to-heart. Not yet.

"Fine," I said finally, trying to keep my tone neutral. "Just... be fast, okay?."

There was a pause, a long stretch of silence where I could hear the faint rustle of wind on his end.

"Yeah," he muttered. "I'll see you soon."

Before I could say anything else, the line went dead.

I stared at my phone for a moment, the screen still glowing before it dimmed. My stomach churned with unease, but I couldn't force him to open up. All I could do was wait—and hope he'd actually come back like he said he would.