𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐕𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 ❪ 𝘣𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘦 ❫

10

We tumble into the elevator; the rich scent of the pizza surrounding us. 

Victor presses the top button, and we soon arrive at the rooftop garden: the same place I was just a few days ago.

Alone.

Until Garfield showed up. 

I catch his eye, and a smile crosses his face, and I realise he's probably thinking about the exact same thing as me. 

''You sure you don't want any pizza?'' he asks, but I shake my head before he's even finished his sentence. 

''I'm not hungry.'' The elevator doors open, and Kori grabs my hand again, pulling me onto the rooftop, by the handrail. 

The wind forces my hair behind my shoulders, the cold gust of air nipping at my exposed skin. 

''This is just what I needed after today!'' she giggles, leaning over the handrail, watching the streetlights light up on the street, far below us. ''It's getting dark quite early.''

 I lift my head up, facing the horizon partly hidden by the city, patches of the sky a mixture of colours, blending into each other and the lit-up buildings as the sun departs. 

''Yo, Kori! Here's your disgusting pineapple pizza.'' The voice belongs to Garfield. I turn back, looking at Victor and Garfield scoffing slices down their throats, pizza boxes strewn across a bench. 

''You should try some. It's much better than you think,'' she replies, taking her food dotted with chunks of pineapple. I stay where I am, by the handrail, observing the city, the night-life just awakening. 

The laughs and shouts from my roommates are simply blurs in the background of my thoughts. 

I shiver slightly at the coldness of the wind touching my skin, and I pull down the hem of my skirt lower, wishing I had brought one of my hoodies with me. As if in answer, Kori returns next to me, clutching one of my grey, oversized sweatshirts. 

''Thank you so much.'' I smile. I'm about to say something when the glass door to the roof swings open, and Richard enters. 

''Hey, guys.'' We all greet him, including me. 

I continue staring out into the distance, aware that Kori is watching me, trying to find out why I'm acting so distant tonight.  

My stomach howls alongside the wind, but I bite my lip, trying to think about anything other than hunger and — and my mother. 

''Rachel, are you okay?'' Kori breaks the silence, looking back to the guys on the blanket, surrounded by leftovers. Her eyes dart back to mine in a few seconds. 

I sigh before I answer. ''I'm fine, Kori, honestly. I just have a lot to think about that moment.'' 

She places a reassuring hand on my shoulder. I know that Kori instantly understands what I'm thinking about. ''I'm really sorry about your mother, Rachel. Do you want to go inside and talk?''