Cipher

Chapter 26: Unsure

After PE, Cipher made sure that he was alone as he changed out of his gym clothes; he had no desire to give Isaac or anyone else reason to question him again. He frequently wished that he did not have a physical reminder of the day he lost his best friend and did his best to hide it. Even from himself.

Was it the healthiest way to cope? Probably not, but it was the only way he knew how.

As he left the locker room he saw Isaac waiting for him. They were quiet as they went to join Joslyn in their usual spot, Isaac unsure how to proceed and Cipher unwilling to talk. Cipher thought the weather was quite pleasant, but Isaac had always insisted that anything over 85 degrees could not be considered 'pleasant' and anything over 100 was an oven. Over 110 was hell.

They were in hell a lot lately.

Cipher felt the slightest bit of tension release from the tight knot tangling his insides as he sat in the grass, but he still wasn't at ease. He looked to Joslyn, her hands were decorated in what looked like black marker, partially hidden by the book she held. To him they almost looked like Aeolian marks, but they had an obvious and intricate design to them, unlike the ones he was born with.

"Did you get bored and have a marker on hand?"

At that, Joslyn looked over at them with a mischievous smile. "Maybe." She held out a hand, setting aside her book. It was a beautiful mess of swirls and flowers. "I was very bored. I figured it was better to use the marker draw on my hands than to stab myself in the head."

That got a bit of a chuckle out of the other two.

"Kingsly being too easy?" Isaac asked. "Maybe we could switch teachers," he joked.

Joslyn rolled her eyes. "I'd rather resort to doodling than have to do one of Conners' essays." She then turned her attention toward Cipher. "How are you doing?" she didn't want to be overbearing, but Matt had been exceptionally stupid in biology and it had her worried.

He gave a half-hearted shrug while digging through his bag for his lunch, not meeting her eyes.

"You okay?" Joslyn asked, concerned. "You seem a little... on edge."

"I am fine."

"Okay, just... don't let Matt get to you."

"I am fine." he repeated, maybe a bit too quickly.

"Okay." He obviously wasn't, but there was no point in pushing. She knew he wouldn't talk until he was ready.

Cipher sighed as he fell back onto the grass, "I apologize." he groaned, rubbing a hand over his face, eyes squeezed closed. "Today has not been the best."

"That bad?" Isaac asked, looking between the other two. He had been concerned since Cipher snapped at him earlier, but unsure how to proceed with his normally calm and collected friend.

"Matt was an ass." Cipher released a long breath.

Isaac's eyebrows raised, looking to Joslyn.

"Cindy's description." she explained.

Isaac's eyebrows seemed to go even higher. "That bad." He confirmed. "And before PE didn't help either." it wasn't exactly a question.

Cipher tucked his chin, eyes still closed but softer now. "It did not."

Joslyn looked to Isaac inquiringly. He subtly shook his head to her unspoken question, message clear: 'Don't ask.'

"Well, at least we don't have school Monday." Joslyn said, jumping to the first topic change that came to mind. "I know I plan on doing absolutely nothing all day."

Isaac gave a small laugh, "I wish. My parents have a day trip planned for us. We're driving up to the Grand Canyon for the day. I just hope it cools off before then."

"You mean you don't want to be outside with no A/C in a hundred plus degree weather?" Joss joked sarcastically.

"I'm sure Cipher wouldn't mind." They looked over to Cipher who seemed to have finally settled a bit.

"You would be correct," he admitted, shifting into a more comfortable position on the ground. His eyes closed softly. "I know you would find it quite unenjoyable, though."

"Oh, and make sure not to touch the squirrels," Joslyn smirked.

"What?"

"Some of them carry the plague," she explained.

"Whatever."

"It's true."

"You're making this sound less appealing by the minute."

Joslyn rolled her eyes at him, "Just don't do anything stupid and it'll be good."

"No promises," Isaac laughed.

They trailed off into a slightly awkward silence. Both were concerned about Cipher, they could tell something was wrong beyond Matt's xenophobia. Joslyn was glad that he had finally relaxed enough to take his usual lunchtime nap.

"Keep an eye on him, yeah?"

Isaac nodded. "Aaron will keep him busy too," he shook his head a small smile on his lips. "Hopefully distract him from whatever's bothering him."

"Hope so," she smiled back, though her eyes were still sad.