Page 77 of Defend Me

Sundays were the worst. A lot of people thought it was Mondays, but my body fought relaxing because it knew I’d be back in classes the next day. I’d think about all of the things I needed to do before the weekend was over and then start freaking out about them.

I had a class at eight AM on Monday and Wednesday, which should have been considered a crime against humanity, but it was the only time available for one of my required courses. So, I knew that I had to be in bed by a decent time tonight. That made me even more stressed about everything on my plate.

It didn’t help that my parents were still here. They wanted to go to lunch before they headed home. I didn’t mind, but I was ready for some time to myself.

I yawned as I made my way through the courtyard toward the parking lot. The cherry blossoms hadn’t bloomed yet, but when spring came around in another month or so, this place would be beautiful. It was my favorite time of year, not too hot or cold and there was still plenty of rain to break up the monotony.

When my phone buzzed, I pulled it out and kept walking.

Sen:You seen Brooks?

Tilian:Not today. Why?

Sen:Apparently, Kai’s tried to text him a bunch for a week, and he hasn’t responded. I told him that I saw him yesterday, but he’s still worried.

Did he seem off to you?

Tilian:Hard to tell.

Sen:Yeah, I know what you mean. He’s just been distant from us. Wondering if something is going on.

Tilian:Don’t know. Ask Dean. They’re friends too.

Sen:Since when?

Tilian:Not long.

Sen:Hm. He’s being fucking weird. Let me know if you see him?

Tilian:Sure.

I considered texting Brooks but decided against it for now. His other friendships weren’t really my business and I was sure he’d just been busy. He was taking three classes and it was about that time in the semester when the workload began to increase. I could always talk to him in class on Tuesday.

Worrying about him wasn’t on my agenda today. I had homework to finish after my parents left. Speaking of…

Tilian:Wanna study tonight?

Dean:Sorry, I’m going out.

Tilian:Ooh. Date?

Dean:Lol. Not even close. Just going with Brooks.Do you wanna come?

I wouldn’t deny that it was tempting. We were all friends. It was some weird, wonky circle, and the dynamic was still ambiguous. I hadn’t been invited until now, though, and I wasn’t going to let myself contemplate if that was intentional on Brooks’ part. I also didn’t want to just show up and seem desperate to be around him.

I wasn’t.

In fact, I was trying to keep some distance.

Tilian:Nah, I really do need to do hw. Have fun.

Dean:It could go either way. Let’s hang this week.

Tilian:For sure.

When I reached my car, I pushed everything else out of my head. I wanted to have a good time at lunch with my family. I’d even avoided smoking today because I was a saint.

In a few weeks, I’d be heading home for Alex’s birthday, so I needed to harass him about what he wanted for a gift. Probably something ridiculous. I was the same way at twelve, so I couldn’t blame him.

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