{Did You Notice?} COMPLETE ✅

~Day 13~

Jace POV

The next day, it was if nothing had happened.

Me and Jack walked into school together, and she was already there as usual in the corner. She flashed us both a dazzling grin and offered a cheerful "Morning!~". We smiled back at her but mostly in disbelief. She was just totally fine now or...?

It seemed as if that was just the case apparently. She came and ate lunch with us for a change, talking about what she had messaged us last night. She stuck to the tonsillitis story, and added that she was just feeling the exam stress and that she needed a couple of days off to stabilize herself. Me and Jack just nodded, but I could tell that he didn't believe her. I didn't really believe her either.

I felt horrible being so paranoid, but she just seemed too happy, like she was trying to cover up something. She still didn't eat, and kept on her hoodie for most of the day. When we walked down the corridor, she would often hide behind her hair.

"This is getting weird dude," Jack said to me when she was walking ahead of us to last lesson. I nodded with a sigh. "I know, but what can we do? She doesn't eat or wear short sleeves, looks like she's a ghost and blames it all on tonsillitis. How can you explain that?"

None of us had a reply to that, so we just let it be. She was strong anyway, she would overcome this. That was our friend.

We walked home that day as a four- the girl I liked was walking with us. It was me and my girl in the back, and Jack and her in the front. I had a great walk home. Me and the girl don't have a lot in common, but she's so funny so I'm not complaining. We laughed and joked and shared donuts from the local bakery. It was nice not to have to worry for a change.

I remember that my girl went home her way a little before me, her and Jack had to separate. We reached the gate in front of her grandparents' house, and she turned to us and wrapped her arms around us as usual. We hugged her back, but I pulled away quick when I realized she was crying quietly.

"Hey," I muttered gently, holding her face. Jack took her hands and held them tight, afraid she might wisp away into nothing. She looked into my eyes and sighed, tears still flowing down her cheeks. "I'm just-" she began, like she was fighting conflicted emotions. She turned to Jack and then back to me. "I'm just going to miss you both so much."

Both of us instinctively hugged her close with that confession, and I gently smoothed her hair over my shoulder before pulling her back and wiping the tears off of her face with my thumb. "Hey, it's okay. We're not leaving just yet kiddo. We're still here. You're still here."

"Yeah," Jack added. "We're all still here. Let's worry about what's happening now, okay?"

She forced a smile to her lips, and wiped away her own tears. "Yeah.. we're still here. For now." She hugged us both again quickly before entering her grandparents' house and shutting the door behind her. 

Me and Jack stared at the same door for a while, trying to process what happened.

I don't think she's happy anymore.