The story with no beginning.

Nick

"Thank you, Irie."

"It's my pleasure to help." Irie pulled away from the hug, hiding her hands behind her back. The woman was getting a bit too touchy for her liking. She cleared her throat and took a step back, maintaining a polite smile. "Is there anything else I can help you with?" she asked, her right hand resting on her hip while her left clutched her phone in her pocket.

The woman's gaze visibly shifted down to her body and back up again. "May you not look at me like that, miss?" She said it with a forced smile. "I'm sorry, I suppose. But you're a beautiful woman, and I was just...admiring from afar." A small smile was hidden on her curved lips as she took a step forward.

Irie's false grin faltered as she took two steps back. "I must go." She blurted it out and clenched her fingers around her phone. The woman's eyes narrowed slightly, and her expression was guarded. "I understand," she replied, her voice tinged with a hint of disappointment. She turned away, walking briskly in the opposite direction, leaving Irie standing there.

Irie rounded the corner and called Isabella. She put it on speaker, her arms crossed, her leg bouncing up and down quickly. "C'mon, answer." She muttered quietly as she bit her bottom lip, drawing blood. She didn't like it when people crossed her boundaries; it made her feel uncomfortable.

Hanging out with Isabella made her feel better. Just hearing her voice made it feel better. And Irie has gone without her for a whole day. But as the phone rang and went to voicemail, Irie's anxiety grew. She wondered if something had happened to Isabella or if she was intentionally avoiding her. The uncertainty gnawed at her, leaving a knot in the pit of her stomach.

So she called again. But once again, it went straight to voicemail. Panic began to set in as Irie's mind raced with worst-case scenarios, causing her heart to pound in her chest. She desperately needed to know if Isabella was okay and why she wasn't answering her calls.

So, with an anxious mind, her fingers trembled against the phone, sliding down for her older sister's number. She called, her eyes closed, hoping to get the information that Isabella was just being silly, and fell asleep with her phone on mute.

"Irie?"

She sighed, her saliva hard to swallow.

"Stephanie, is Isabella home? She's not picking up any of my calls." Stephanie's voice sounded hesitant as she replied, "Well... She left a few minutes ago. Didn't you two meet?" Irie blocked, her eyes wide. "We didn't." Panic surged through Irie's veins as she tried to comprehend Stephanie's words. "What do you mean she left? Where did she go?" she asked, her voice trembling with worry. Stephanie hesitated before responding, "I'm not sure, Irie. She didn't say anything to me before leaving."

'I'm going after her." She suddenly spoke, ending the call. In danger or not, Isabella wasn't home, and it bothered Irie. She may have been overreacting because the girl was out for the evening, but she was too distracted to care.

She reached for her keys in her pockets but remembered she left them at Jayden. "Fuck." Jacey and Beverly weren't home either. She called Jayden and took a deep breath. "Hm? Hello! Oh my fucking god, shut the hell up, you two!" She cleared her throat. "Yes, Irie" A small smile covered her weary eyes. "I forgot my keys at your place. Could you bring them to me? It's urgent." Irie bit her lip as it began to rain outside.

"No, Mia, you can't fucking eat that! Hey, give me my phone back! Irie, hang on a bit!" Jayden's voice was frustrated, and Irie was sure Mia was teasing her again for being short, raising her phone in the air. Another voice replied. "Wait a little, Irie; your cousin may be a bit too much of a dwarf to reach the upper cabinet," Mia said it hauntingly.