Say You Won't Let Go

Fights & Gazes

"Me too." I grab my backpack, slinging it over my shoulders. "We can walk out together."

Alejandro smiles slowly. "That sounds nice."

As we are leaving, I can't help my wandering thoughts.

What secrets is this guy keeping from me?

-~-

I reach school, scanning the crowd for Dinah and Lauren. They are always the ones that show up first. I see Dinah standing underneath the normal tree we always wait under.

"Cheechee!" I shout, running toward her. As I get closer, weaving through many bodies of high schoolers, I can see she looks extremely worried.

"Hey, Walz." She says to me once I reach her side.

"What's up?" I inquire, glancing around for Lauren. "And where is Lauren?"

"I don't know." Dinah snaps, running her hand through her hair. "I texted her a gajillion times but she won't answer me."

"Oh." Is all I can manage to say. I wasn't expecting that.

"She is so stubborn sometimes." Dinah takes a deep breath. "I told her to spend the night with me tonight so she can actually sleep but, of course, she said no."

"Why can't she sleep?"

"It's... complicated." Dinah says slowly, gripping her phone tightly, as if praying for it to ding.

"Seems like everything is these days." I murmur, stuffing my hands into my pockets.

"I'm really sorry, Walz. People can't find out about it. It would ruin Lauren, she is sure of it." Dinah suppresses a groan. "I don't think she realizes that not everyone is like her parents."

"Wh—?"

"Never mind, ignore what I just said." Dinah interrupts me, putting her hand up.

I cross my arms, getting fed up with all the secrets. But I guess everyone has secrets for their own reasons. "That's kind of hard when—"

"Mani!" Dinah yells, waving at someone—I'm guessing Normani—behind me.

Normani jogs up to us, a smile on her face. "Hey." She grins, her eyes running over each of our faces. "Where is Lauren?"

"I'm not the map!" Dinah yells, rubbing her temples before sighing. "I'm sorry for yelling."

"I've known Lauren long enough to be able to piece things together." Normani says slowly. "But I'm still confused about why she is acting like this."

"I really need to talk to her." Dinah admits, shrugging helplessly. "I don't want her to do what she did last time."

Normani grimaces, rubbing her arm. "Yeah, that was truly awful. I just wish she would of told us."

I feel like I'm invading on their conversation but they don't seem to mind. We stand in a triangle of worry for our friend.

"She only told me. But it was bits and pieces, never the whole thing." Dinah sighs. "I could've helped her before it went down and she blocked everyone out."

"That girl has too many walls. One can never truly know who is she." Normani agrees, frowning.

"Yeah, but, I mean, who said she was an angel?" Dinah inquires, sighing loudly. "She has a dark side and something pretty messed up is happening and I have a bad idea about what it is."

"She really needs to talk out her emotions." Normani comments.

"She doesn't know how." Dinah frowns, her whole facial features turning soft. She is really worried for her friend. Honestly, I am too.