SOMEONE YOU LOVED | sean&kaycee

2

wednesday

it should be illegal to put in too much work for the first few days of school.

her bag already weighed so much, having too much pre-calculus worksheets, chemistry readings and extra notes she had to work on for the weekend. it's like there was a memo to torture students back to back in the teacher's lounge.

she was not liking the first week at all, and the week wasn't even done yet.

she knew she wasn't both mentally and physically prepared to go back to school.

maybe spiritually, too. maybe she needed to go to church more.

"i can't believe it's still wednesday." bailey gasped dramatically, dropping down on the bench beside kaycee. "i feel like a century passed already."

"i feel like i aged 50 years in a span of three days," tahani added, letting out a tiny scream of frustration. "miss case is already giving us so much essays for literature."

kaycee could only chuckle, biting on her apple as she already complained enough about school inside her head. lunch break was complaining time, but she didn't have the energy to actually voice it out.

because first of all, she's exhausted. second of all, she's also exhausted. and lastly of all, she couldn't get the words 'i miss you' out of her head.

guess she didn't expect that type of surprise on her first day of being a junior after having no contact for the past months.

"kayc? earth to rice?"

stunned, kaycee straightened up midbite with wide eyes. "yep, i'm back to earth. what's up?"

"it's like you're constantly in this bubble of yours," her asian friend remarked. "but anyway, are you going to westco later?"

"sienna will have my head if i don't show up. first meeting, and i'm already slacking? nope. not a chance."

"you sure? he'll be the—"

"BAILEY!" it was tahani who threw a foil ball of pizza wrappers in her direction. "i swear to God, can you not mention him every time?"

"it's signs of concern! for our friend!" bailey exasperatedly emphasized, throwing the ball back.

"but mentioning him does not help at all."

"it was just a warn—"

"stop." kaycee caught the foil ball that was being thrown back and forth. "i told you, i'm fine with him... being around. i'm okay. he's still a friend — our friend."

and the two girls looked at her as if she grew another head.

"i swear to jesus, i am fine and i am well, and it doesn't bother me that he's around."

"soooo," bailey prolonged, her eyes beginning to get even smaller in a squint. "you weren't wracked up with what happened on monday?"

bingo. she was. "i wasn't. i'm just.. i was just surprised to see him again after not seeing him for a few months. we're friends, bails, nothing new."

but her friends didn't believe her, at all.

they knew better.

they couldn't forget the way her doe eyes froze into a look of hesitation, hurt and surprise all at once. her eyes were her most expressive features, and they saw everything crystal clear.

their friend was trying to be okay, even if she still wasn't after a long time.

they can't blame her. it was hard to let go of something so precious and rare and special; it was hard to let go of someone who promised you a lifetime.