London hadn't seen his mother since morning.
She had gotten up at 6:30 and made him breakfast, like she did on most school days. Then she had gone to work. She came back from work at three every day, an hour before London got home from school, and had a snack prepared and set out on the counter. Often, she sat at the kitchen table, on her laptop, and would talk to London while he ate his snack. Today, though, she was in her room, with the door closed tightly. A peanut butter and honey sandwich London had been home for two hours, and she still hadn't come out.
It was both a crying day and a silent day. She had been quiet when London first got home, but had started crying while he was eating, and hadn't stopped for about half an hour. She was silent now, and London was sitting in the living room, listening anxiously.
His phone was open, and he was running his fingers along the keys, pressing none of them. He heard the bed in his mother's room creak, and then a muffled sob. London curled up and pressed his lips together. His nose felt hot and prickly, and his eyes stung. He ran his finger under his waterline, wiping away nothing.
A notification popped up: You have been added to a group chat by daizy889. London tapped the notification to open the chat.
Margarita: Hi, guys! :)
Jaiden: Hi!
London: what's up?
Margarita: Not much. I just wanted to talk to you guys!
Jaiden: ^.^
London: okay.
Margarita: We haven't had a group chat for a while, and they're fun!
London: they're more fun with pippa, though.
Margarita: I know. I added her.
Jaiden: It's OK though! I'm sure she'll B back on soon.
Margarita: I hope so.
Maxy: oh hey
Maxy: I just got the notification for this
Margarita: Hi!
Maxy: hey
Jaiden: Who's in the chat, Margarita?
Margarita: Everyone in our clique!
London: how is clique pronounced? i've always wondered that.
Margarita: Click.
London: really?
Jaiden: Yep!
London: i thought it was clikew or something.
Jaiden: LOL.
Maxy: clikew makes more sense though
Margarita: Or clikway, maybe.
London: nope. clikew or nothing.
Margarita: :P
Jaiden: They both make more sense than click.
London: hey guys, what do you call a bear in the rain?
Margarita: Drizzly bear.
London: i was going to say fred, but that works too.
Maxy: how old are you two
Margarita: :P
Maxy: im just kidding you know
Reese: Why did Melissa fall off the swing?
Jaiden: Hi, Reese!
Reese: Answer the fucking joke.
Margarita: I don't know.
Reese: Because she had no arms.
Maxy: whoa
Margarita: That's horrible.
Alice: Knock knock
Reese: I know what you're gonna say, but who's there?
Alice: Not Melissa
Margarita: You're both awful!
Jaiden: OK, maybe no jokes.
Reese: Sorry, Margarita.
Alice: Deal with it Margarita
Jaiden: Alice, U can apologize.
Margarita: It's fine.
London: i liked my bear joke.
Reese: Of course you did.
Maxy: did Alice leave
Jaiden: I don't know.
Reese: Nah, she's probably just lurking and reading everything we say.
London: that's not creepy at all.
Reese: Hey, Alice, we have a question about necrophilia.
Margarita: Reese!
Reese: She's gone.
Jaiden: She probably is, then. LOL.
Margarita: You're both disgusting.
Jaiden: Sorry.
London: haha oh my god.
Margarita: Shut up, London. >:/
London: oh shit, margarita's mad!
Jaiden: Hey, guys.
Maxy: yeah lets be nice to Margarita okay
London: sorry.
Margarita: It's fine.
Reese: Okay, but seriously, where the hell is Pippa?
Maxy: dunno
Margarita: :/
Reese: I mean, I'm sure it's fine, just wondering.
London: she's usually online a lot.
Jaiden: I messaged her yesterday and she never responded.
Maxy: Ive been messaging her too
Reese: Well, when she gets back on, she's gonna have a hell of a lot of messages.
Alice: Maybe shes dead
Margarita: Oh my god!
Reese: Shut the fuck up, Alice.
Maxy: whoa cmon guys
Alice: Just saying what everyones thinking so calm down
London: for the record, i was not thinking that.
Alice: Everyone else was and you all know it
Jaiden: She's probably not, though. UR reading in 2 it a lot, Alice. Maybe she just hasn't gotten the chance 2 get on in a while.
Margarita: What if she is dead, though?
London: look what you did, alice.
Jaiden: Blaming people isn't going 2 help.
London: this is why we can't have group chats, guys.
Reese: Because of Alice?
Alice: Shut up
Margarita: I'm deleting the chat.
The chat disappeared from London's screen.
London bit his lip. The chat, however upsetting it had been to Margarita, had been a nice distraction from his mother's room. She was crying again, but it sounded muffled, as if she knew he was listening and was trying to cover the sounds with her comforter or pillow.
London got up and walked into his room to find his headphones.
He wiped nothing away from under his waterline.