Kaycee walked into the room, clumsily dropping her bag onto the ground and falling into her seat. She let out a huff of annoyance as she slammed her phone face down on the tabletop in front of her and buried her head into her arms.
"Careful Kayc, you'll crack your screen like that," Sean warned next to her, looking up from his own phone.
"Who cares?" She asked rhetorically, her voice muffled by arms.
"What's wrong?" He asked, pulling his chair closer to her.
"He's ignoring me," she said, not moving from her position. He sighed, aware of the problems she had been having in her relationship recently. Kaycee had been complaining about Gabe's behavior for weeks, their tenth-hour chemistry class becoming a makeshift therapy session for her. Sean never hesitated to listen to her, offering as much advice as he could. It hurt him to see his best friend like this. She deserved so much better.
"Why? what happened?" He asked, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"I don't even know because he won't answer me." She shifted her head, resting her cheek and her hand and looking up at him from her place on the table.
He moved to speak but the sharp ringing of the school bell cut him off. He squeezed her shoulder once more before returning his seat to where it had been before. Kaycee sat up slightly, trying to pay attention to what their chemistry teacher was saying.
From their seats in the back, they could usually get away with whispering to each other during class so they waited until directions were given and the work was passed out and then turned slightly toward each other.
Leaning in close so as to not disturb the students around them, Sean whispered to Kaycee, "Do you want me to talk to him?"
"No that would probably make it worse," she said, not making eye contact with him. He furrowed his brow, confused at her insinuation.
"What does that mean?"
"Nevermind, just forget it," she said, focusing her attention on the assignment in front of her.
"Kayc, no," he whispered, putting his hand on the piece of paper in front of her in order to focus her attention on him. She sighed and looked up at him. "Why would that make it worse?"
She looked down at her hands in her lap, fidgeting with her fingers before answering.
"The last time we talked, or fought I guess, he said I shouldn't talk to him until I figured some things out."
"I still don't know what that means."
"He thinks that we're too close," she whispered, finally making eye contact.
"You're joking right?" He asked incredulously, shaking his head.
"That's what he said," she shrugged.
"Kayc, we've been friends for eight years now. Does he want us to never see each other?"
"I don't know what he wants, he won't talk to me," she said, opening her phone to show him several unanswered texts.
"Kaycee this isn't okay," he said, frowning at what she showed him on her phone.
"I know but I'm tired of thinking about it right now, let's just get this done so we don't have homework okay?" She whispered, turning back to the worksheet in front of her. He sighed but obliged, turning to his own assignment.
"Kaycee you deserve better than that," he said. She ignored him, not looking up from her work.
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