Forevermore

Fourteen

As soon as I walk into the cafeteria, I spot Linh.

We share a mutual look of excitement before I speedily walk over to her. She throws her arms around me and we hug for a quick second. It's only been three days, but she's one of the few people I can be around without feeling drained, so I've definitely missed her.

When we pull back, her eyes scan my outfit and I know what her question is before she even asks.

"And who's jacket is that?"

I look down at my body, specifically the oversized black zip-up hanging on my arms. The night that we drove back from the airport, I'd slept the whole carride–which was pretty long since Dad had to drop all the guys off at their houses because it was two in the morning. I woke up as we pulled into the driveway and the jacket was laying on me like a blanket.

Today, I'm wearing it so that if the person who put it on me sees it, they can ask for it back.

"I have no clue," I tell her as we fall into step, heading towards the main hallway. "I woke up during a carride and it was on me. Hopefully, I'll find out who it belongs to today."

"Is it–"

"I don't know," I cut her off before she can say his name.

Because when I think of him, my mind gets sent into a whirlwind. I can't stop thinking about whether or not that stupid dream was real, but mostly, I keep replaying the little moments from the conversation we had.

You're smart, thoughtful, and organized, Indigo. If you want something, don't hold yourself back.

"How was your weekend?" I ask Linh, trying to block out the memories.

She shrugs as I turn to look at her. "I worked most of the time since my parents are convinced I have nothing– don't give me that look."

I try to wipe the sympathy off my face, but I'm not sure it works. "You deserve a break," I say as we begin walking up the stairs.

"It's fine," she replies with an almost humorous tone. It's the voice she speaks in when any subject gets too deep or personal. We've been friends for years, but she still refuses to say what she's feeling half the time and it's deeply concerning.

When we get to my locker, I unlock it then stuff my tote bag inside. The only things I take out are a black pen, a mechanical pencil, and a green notebook for my first period–Biology.

Ezra sits right next to me in that class and I have no clue what it's going to be like between us. I'm someone who returns people's energy rather than giving my own, so if he's going to act as a friend, I will too. If he's going to be awkward then I will too. If he's going to act like nothing happened–despite how crushing the idea is–I will too.

Although, the last option is probably the best due to the fact that a small part of me had been imagining something more than just friends over that one night we had together. Not anymore, though. I'm back and ready to direct all of my energy into school again.

"Indi," Linh's voice startles me out of my thoughts. "Are you okay?"

I take a step back before closing my locker door. "Yeah, why?"

"I don't know," she replies. "You just looked really...lost in thought for a moment."

"Oh." I'm quiet again for a moment. "Sorry."

We begin walking together again, just lazing around the halls.

"So, how are you feeling after the whole..." Linh waves her arms around. "The pictures and everything."