In The Between

ii.

-s

Amber played with the slip of paper in her hands until it was crumpled up into many folds.

Iris would have at least some idea of what this is.

What if this is just a prank? Am I taking this too seriously?

When the girl finally reached her best friend's dorm, the paper was ripped half-way, with dull lines of folds; telling the paper's history inside of Amber's grasp.

Amber groaned in disappointment to find Iris' dorm door unlocked.

Why doesn't this girl ever lock her door? Amber thought as she invited herself into the neatly organized dorm.

Iris was one of those people who were extremely organized, with containers and labels for every item in her possession, --even for her iPhone dustplugs-- but always forgot where she'd put things, to lock the door, and to remind Amber that candy was unhealthy for her.

But Amber would ignore that anyways.

"Iris, I need to talk to you," Amber called throughout the small dorm room.

"What? I'm in the bathroom!" Iris' echoy voice indicated Amber of the "important business" Iris was attending.

Rolling her eyes, Amber reached down her pocket, fishing the candy out. With greedy eyes, --similar to a child wanting to get their hands on sweet treats-- the wrapper was done away in less than a second.

Amber proudly held the sweet candy up to the light of the room, turning it around in her hands to fully appreciate this holy period in time.

The loud gurgle of the toilet sounded from the toilet, simultaneously with the sound of running water.

The giddy girl rushed to pop the candy when-

"Candy?" Iris stood outside the bathroom, one of her eyebrows pointing up to the ceiling.

Amber stopped mid-chomp, guiltily grinning at Iris.

"Did you get one for me?"

"Sorry?" Amber grinned with a guilty look --the last emotion she felt was guilt.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Iris rolled her eyes, changing the subject.

Amber handed her friend the slip of a paper that looked like it had been through many times of suffering.

Holding up the piece of paper like it was disease, Iris furrowed her eyebrows, saying, "See now, this... this is the difference between you and me."

"At least I remembered where I put it."

Grumbling to herself, Iris looked down at the note. Her deep green eyes moved back and forth, quickly reading through.

"What do you think?"

• • •

"So to 'fulfill' this 'quest' thingy, we have to find this... Noah guy and separate him from his girlfriend?" Iris recounted their "mission" as they search around the college campus for the mysterious "Noah ____."

"I guess so. But why are we doing this, and why are we chosen?" Amber wondered outloud, walking past a small fountain in the campus courtyard.

Iris only shrugged, continuing down the path they were walking through.

"I think this is a girl trying to steal Noah from his girlfriend so she can have him," the brunette girl told her friend.

Amber considered the idea in her head. It did sound realistic. But still, why were the two --out of all people-- chosen?

• • •

"Come back, you theif," Iris' giggle rang throughout the courtyard as she hurried to catch up to Amber.

With a playful gleam on her face and her friend's phone clutched in her hand, Amber skipped away from Iris, giggling.

"Wait, watch ou-"

Amber crashed into something, not aware of what it was.

"Ahhh shi-" Amber started, rubbing her scalp.

"Are you okay?" A deep voice said behind her.

Amber turned around to see as Iris made her to where the girl was blankly staring up at the guy she'd bump into.

Amber stared up at his clear blue eyes that looked familiar.

As she swept her eyes over the guy, she noticed his hands gripping a cap.

Where have I seen that?

That was when she realized that the boy, Julian ____, was in one of her college courses, possibly her partner in a certain project.

"Amber..." Iris whispered to her, making Amber realized she had been staring at Julian for quite some time; trying to recount where she'd seen him.

"Right, right," Amber snapped out of her thoughts.

"Eh, eh? You like?" Iris playfully poked the sky with her eyebrows, jabbing her elbow into Amber's rib cage.

Amber rolled her eyes, pursing her lips.

• • •

"There he is..." Iris pointed.

Amber followed Iris' finger, finding Noah ___ and his girlfriend, ____, sitting in the coner of the library; giggling to each other.

Noah and ___ were highschool sweethearts, carrying their relationship up to college. ___ was one year older than Noah.

Amber and Iris poked their heads out the side of a bookcase, secretly watching the couple enjoying their time.

As Amber tried to sponge the facts into her head, another idea sprouted in her mind. What if....

"What are you two doing?!"