HYMN OF THE RAIN

Divergence

"Tobias freaking Grant? And you didn't tell me?"

Rosa looks at me bashfully, "I was going to tell you."

I saw her waiting in front of my History class and just then I was behind Tobias Grant who was exiting the class. The two sneaked a smile at each other and just like that, I grabbed Rosa by her arm.

"Are you two dating?"

"Not yet."

"Thank goodness. I'd be so disappointed if you already do and didn't tell me anything."

"Aw, look at her. The girl's in love!" Lex chirps as she joins us, "Sasha was shook."

"Is it really that surprising?"

The three of us are walking towards the cafeteria for lunch. Lex waves at Bryan, who's bid his friend goodbye to join us.

"What's surprising?"

"Tobias and Rosa."

Bryan looks at me with one of his brows raised, "You didn't..?"

And in return, I look at Rosa expectantly. I've missed three hangouts and it feels like I haven't met them for a year. 

"You didn't miss out a lot, Sash," a guilty Rosa has her arm around my neck, "He just asked for my number and well... we've grown quite close."

"That's great." I nod absentmindedly while my eyes sweep the cafeteria. How the students get here so fast is always a mystery for me. 

"You're not mad aren't you? I didn't want to tell you in the middle of everything that's happening."

"I'm not mad." Bryan and Lex are ahead of us to queue for their food.

"You sound mad."

I look at Rosa whose eyes are now as big as a puppy's. I sigh.

"Am not."

"I promise I'll tell you everything, okay? I just don't want to jinx it. I haven't told them the whole story to it either."

I suppose that's fair.

I realize that as I'm munching on my sandwich, humming along with Lex's story about what happened at History class. 

I haven't told anyone about Jo teaching me Math nor his sudden visit to the hospital. I don't need people to exaggerate our friendship as something more.

My thought leads to the other and suddenly I wonder why he's absent from his usual visits on the last weekend.

He usually visits the bookstore at least once. Yet Linda also wondered out loud where the heck the guy was since he was missing.

Maybe he's adding extra shifts at work.

But that can only mean one thing. Did something happen to his brother?

Whatever it is, when Lex calls my name to support her rant about Mrs. Perry whom she has hated passionately since her first class with her, I already make a reminder for myself to text him after school.

◐◐

The three dots appearing on Jo's side of the text is killing me.