DELICATE / Brandon Darrow

thirty one

thirty one
king cobra
FIRST PERSON

IT HAS BEEN A couple of days and Hailey hasn't gone to school since. It worried us because we were afraid of what might have happened to her.

Rowan said that her mom told her she was just sick so we didn't worry much but when we tried to visit, her mom said Hailey didn't want anybody to go up there.

I walked back into school for it to be very bare. Ever since Brandon was gone— everything felt different. I don't know why I took his disappearance seriously but it was just the unfinished business between us. Right when we started to see eye to eye, he just had to ruin it.

I took full responsibility for his actions. Rowan always told me it wasn't my fault but I couldn't help but feel like it was. I should've listened to her.

"Boo!" Speaking of the devil, Rowan scared me.

"Jeez," I gasped until I saw her hair. "You cut your hair!"

"Yup," she said with a smile.

"You look so pretty," I complimented.

"Thank you."

"I've always wanted to go short but I feel like it would make me look strange," I shrugged.

"I doubt it," Rowan rolled her eyes playfully.

Through these past days, I've been hanging with Rowan. I was never seen without her. But something happened. I didn't know how to feel about it.

"Did you get any messages?" I questioned, changing the subject.

"No, you?" She asked me.

"No," I shook my head. "Look, I don't wanna start this right now but I don't think Brandon is King Cobra."

"Cynthia-"

"Yes, I hate him for what he put us through but if he got busted, who was there that night?" I argued, using the claim that Elisia fed me.

"You sound like Elisia," see, "-but you have a point."

"We have to be cautious, though," I said. "There could be a possibility that he's working with them from jail. Who knows at this rate."

We walked into Mrs. Dawson's room to see she wasn't there. I sat in my seat, in front of Rowan and looked at Brandon's seat.

Stop, I kept telling myself. All I thought about was him. I couldn't stop feeling guilty.

"I'm going to be filling in for Mrs. Dawson," the substitute started the class. She started to then call our names. "Cynthia? Cynthia Marks?"

"Here," I stated softly.

Then she proceeded to call on more names.

"Rowan? Rowan Fricks?" She called out.

"Uh, here," Rowan replied.

I turned around to see her on her phone.

"Zoe? Zoe Desaul?" She asked aloud.

No response. Rowan and I looked over at her seat to see it empty.

"Where do you think she is?" Rowan whispered to me.

"Probably somewhere trying to torment our lives," I deadpanned with an eye roll.

I decided to take my phone out and text her.

CYNTHIA:
where are you zoe?
CYNTHIA:
where are you??

"Brandon? Brandon Darrow?"

Some kids started to make fun of him because he got busted. I just stiffened in my seat. Everywhere I go, I'm reminded of him; it made me feel gross.

My phone buzzed bumping me out of my thoughts.

KING_COBRRA:
come find me