Two lives.

40. Thin Ice

June 6th
4:32 PM

It had been at least an hour since Skin got called to the office. At this point, the tension had settled into something quieter, something heavy. Andi and Ophelia were curled up on the couch, Andi finally calm enough to drift off, her head resting against Ophelia’s shoulder.

I watched her for a moment, the rise and fall of her breath steady but uneasy, like even in sleep, she couldn’t fully relax.

I felt bad for her. We all did. No one wanted to say it out loud, but we knew the truth—Andi was an addict. Her drugs weren’t just a habit. They were a part of her. It was like they were stitched into her skin, woven into her every move. She always had something on her. Even if you couldn’t see it sticking out of her pocket, you knew it was there—maybe tucked into her bra, buried in her socks, hidden in the lining of her jacket.

And now, without them?

She looked... empty.

I wondered how long it had been since she last smoked. Since she last felt normal. Whatever normal even meant for her.

And as much as I hated to admit it, I was afraid of what would happen when she woke up.

"I'm gonna go look for Skin," I whispered, careful not to wake Andi as I pushed myself up from the couch.

Ophelia glanced at me, her expression unreadable, but she gave a slight nod. I took that as an okay and sent her a small, reassuring smile before slipping out of the room. I didn’t bother checking Twitch or Lucifer’s reactions—I just needed to move.

The second I stepped into the hallway, I felt a weight lift off my chest. I hadn’t even realized how tense I was until now. The lounge had felt suffocating, like the air had been pressed down with worry and exhaustion. Out here, it was quieter.

I turned a sharp corner, only to slam straight into someone’s shoulder.

"Shit—my bad," I muttered, rubbing the side of my head from the impact.

"You're good," a familiar voice said, casual, amused. I could practically hear the smirk before I even looked up.

And, of course, there he was. Ekko. Standing right in front of me, a lazy grin stretched across his face.

"Oh. Hi, Ekko," I said, exaggerating my annoyance.

"Wow. Aren’t you just thrilled to see me." He rolled his eyes dramatically, matching my sarcasm.

I let out a small laugh and kept walking, already knowing he’d follow.

I was right. A few seconds later, he fell into step beside me, his usual carefree strut in full effect.

"Where are we headed?" he asked, glancing over at me.

"Looking for Skin," I said, eyes scanning the hall ahead. "He got called to the office like an hour ago and still hasn’t come back."

Ekko hummed in response, shoving his hands into his pockets as he walked. "Well, that can’t be good."

"Yeah, no shit."

Ekko let out a small laugh, shaking his head.

"Oh, and all of Andi’s stuff is gone. She thinks a teacher or someone took it," I said, glancing over at him.

His amused expression faded. "Wait—seriously?" His eyebrows shot up, concern creeping into his voice.

"Yeah. She was freaking out in the lounge earlier," I said, stopping in my tracks to get a better look at him.

Ekko exhaled sharply, running a hand through his dreads. "Well, fuck," he muttered. "The longest I’ve ever seen her sober is maybe eight hours, and that was only because she was asleep." His jaw tightened, the worry settling into his face.