It wasn't concerning when Patton was out of school for a few days, people could just assume he was sick. It wasn't concerning if he was out for a week, he could have broken his leg. But that wasn't the case.
Riiiiiing!
The school bell rang all thoughout the school to right outside where Virgil always waited for Patton to arrive, no matter how late.
The hair on the back of his neck stood up and goosebumps were plastered all over his forearms. Even the thick hoodie Virgil designed didn't keep the warmth in today. It was absolutely freezing cold. He felt like his running nose would turn to ice upon his lip.
It wasn't really that cold. But it felt like that.
"Come on Virge, he's not coming today..." Janus said, placing a gentle hand upon Virgil shoulder and leading the teen in the direction of the door.
"How do you know?"
Janus sighed, his breath literally appearing as an apparition of fog, "He hasn't come to school in forever," He told Virgil looking down as Virgil looked up at him.
"Yeah," Virgil said nodding as he followed Janus' lead right into school.
As the two navigated their way through school, all they could think about was Patton. In everything they saw, they could see Patton, they would think about Patton. It felt more like an obsession rather than concern. A lovingly fueled obsession. A yearning for a person.
When the two sat down at their table, they looked across from their side of the table where Patton used to sit. Their faces flushed as they looked away, back to the screens of their phones.
Buzz buzz
The sound of the phone echoed all throughout the house, all throughout the cupboard, all throughout the door, all throughout the cracks in the walls. It flowed through like a wave crashing into the shore, hitting hundreds of rocks, some being spared.
All throughout the almost empty house, the noise dissipated as soon as it came into existence.
No other noise was heard through that house other than the soft breathing of a boy.
The rise and fall of his chest as he lay there. The whistling of his noise.
End Of Chapter. 373 Words.