Cloverfield

20: Roll the dice

But that night, there had been no goodnight text. No text at all. Same the next morning. Maybe Emily had left her phone on the hill? No way, her mom had called later. So Alison was left to think: Was Em mad at her?

Was it because Ali had watched the movie without her because she couldn't resist? No, Emily wouldn't resent her for that... Maybe somehow her mom had found out about them sneaking out and had taken her phone away?

Wait...

Was Emily mad at her because she'd pushed her into staying when seemed uncomfortable? No, right? Emily seemed normal after that, she even teased her.

But then... what was it? Either way, Alison knew she'd have to apologize.

So the next morning at school, Alison was early at Emily's locker. While waiting someone approached her.

"Second day early?" Noel asked, handing her a cookie. "Congrats."

"Yeah. Same goes to you." Alison had bumped into him on last Friday's morning. Apparently, he had to meet the boys of the basketball team before homeroom.

"So are you coming to the game?"

"I don't think so..."

When Emily was going towards her locker, she saw Ali talking to Noel. Ugh. She turned around and went to her classroom. She didn't even need books first period.

"Right now, I'm worried about-" Alison turned towards the entrance and saw the back of familiar dark brown hair. She running towards Emily, but someone grabbed her arm.

"Hey, what is it?" Noel asked. "Don't just run away."

"I-" Alison turned her head again. Emily was gone. "I have to talk to someone." She released her arm and tried to find her, but it was hopeless. There was a two-way hallway and Alison didn't remember Emily's schedule.

She took a wild guess and went left, but then the bell rang loudly. Fuck, homeroom. Fuck homeroom. Alison entered through the doors into the natatorium, breathing in. This place smelled kind of like Emily. Ali liked that, but she didn't like that she couldn't see Emily. She probably didn't have swimming first period, but Ali now wanted to stay for a bit.

Alison walked towards the locker room as a last ditch effort, even though she didn't hear anyone. She found herself in front of Emily's locker, unlocking it. Yes, she knew the combination because she often forgot to bring towels... and maybe she just liked Emily's more. Ali grabbed one and embraced it, laying her head on top. She missed Emily, even though it hadn't been that long since she last saw her. She was so used to Emily being consistent that she had taken it for granted. Why did Ali always fuck up somehow? She wished she knew the exact reason so she could fix herself.

Alison sighed and put the towel back. She headed to her own locker, grabbed her book and went to class. The teacher was kind enough to let her in, but not without a warning first. The ticking on the clock seemed to get louder and louder as the periods passed. Ali tried catching Emily in between breaks, but she still had no luck.

Finally, the break bell rang. Alison ran right into the cafeteria, starting to wait on the empty table. The room started to fill, but Emily never came. Emily was purposely ignoring her. What had Ali done so wrong to deserve this?

"Dude, eat," Hanna said, putting her food in front of her. Ali was tapping the table anxiously. 

Food was the least of Alison's worries right now.

"C'mon." Hanna bumped her shoulder. "Maybe Emily is in the library or something."

"That's... actually not a bad guess. Thanks." Alison stood up and made her way over to the cafeteria. But just like every other place she had checked, Emily wasn't there. What the hell?

Emily also didn't show up at the cafeteria for second period, either. But Emily wouldn't miss class, so Alison was the first to arrive to History. And moments later, that's when she saw her: stopping in the doorway, her warm eyes meeting hers.

Someone behind Emily was trying to get through the door, so even if Emily wanted to run away, she couldn't. She walked towards her usual seat in front of Ali's. That Ali was here surprised her a whole lot, but the only thing her throat could articulate was a simple: "Hi."

"Hi."