Caged

23

"Hey," I shot her a small smile, and took in how worn out she looked.

The dark circles under her green eyes were becoming more prominent each day, and I wondered if something was wrong and she wasn't telling me. She barely tried anymore like she used to. For anything.

It almost seemed like she had given up. Like nothing was worth effort anymore.

It made me think that something was really wrong, but I didn't know how to ask or approach it.

"Can I sit?" she questioned, offering me a weak smile, as she gestured to the seat across from me.

"Of course."

"Don't you have English right now?" I asked, averting my eyes to the worksheets I had scattered in front of me. I was behind on my school work and it was my free period, so I'd been trying to get as much as I could done.

"Yeah, but I'm skipping. I don't feel well," she replied quietly, and I peeked up at her to see her eyes downcast, her gaze following her fingers as they traced a pattern on the wood.

"What's wrong? Do you need to go home?" I asked, my eyebrows creasing in concern.

Mia looked up, and she shook her head briefly. "No, it's not that type of..." she trailed off, and bit the corner of her lip. "Never mind. It's fine, don't worry about it. I figured you'd be here, so I just wanted to stop by."

Not that type of well.

"Mia, is everything okay?" I asked gently. She was avoiding my gaze. "Do you wanna talk about anything?"

I watched her visibly swallow. "Um, no, I'm okay," she started, but she was almost whispering at this point. Her eyes were fixated on a spot on the table, and I wondered if she was blinking back tears from the way her lashes were pressing together repeatedly. "I should – I should head back to class, I just wanted to see you since I feel like we don't really hang out anymore. Sorry for bothering you."

My heart sunk in disappointment as she stood up. Mia didn't look my way once, and before I could say anything, she was walking away. She'd reached the doors of the library when I came to my senses and jumped into action.

I needed to talk to her. Something was wrong, and she had always been a good friend to me. I needed to do the same.

I quickly gathered all my things, shoving them into my backpack, and I rushed out of the library, ignoring the weird looks people shot me.

I caught sight of her red hair as she flew down the hallway, towards the back doors of the school.

"Mia!" I called out, and I flung open the doors after her just as she made it outside.

I froze as she crumbled to the ground, her back pressed against the brick building. She hugged her arms around her legs, her face hidden.

I walked up to her quietly, and knelt on the ground next to her.

"What's wrong? You can talk to me."

She spoke so quietly, I almost didn't hear her.

"I can't," she whispered quietly, her hands shielding her face from my sight. Another sob tore through her. "I can't, Izzy."

My throat closed up. "Why not?"

"You wouldn't understand," her voice cracked, and she finally looked up at me. Her face was streaked with tears, and more were pooling in her eyes. They were glassy as she stared at me, but there was also something else I couldn't read. "You wouldn't."

Something like fear? I didn't know.

"I might," I murmured, pressing my back against the wall too, so I was seated right next to her in the same position. "It might make you feel better, talking about whatever it is that's upsetting you."