I opened the message, my thumb feeling clumsy.

> Nina: how is she?

The question was so direct it felt like a test.

> Me: she’s ok. i walked her home. she was pretty shaken up though.

The three little dots appeared instantly.

> Nina: i’m not mad at you.

I read it twice, but it didn’t feel real. She had to be mad.

> Me: you looked pretty mad.

> Nina: i was but not at you, i was mad at the whole situation and i was scared. i just wanted to help her and i didn’t know what to do.

> Nina: you were right to stop me. i would have just made it worse. i was just being emotional.

That didn’t feel right. I was the one who screwed up the explanation.

> Me: no, you weren’t. i’m the one who’s sorry. i explained it badly. i get why you were angry. i would have been too.

I waited, my breath caught in my throat.

> Nina: you’re a dumbass.

A real smile, the first one I’d had all afternoon, spread across my face. That was her, that was the Nina I knew.

> Me: is that so.

> Nina: but a good one, i guess. thanks for looking out for her, and for me, even when i was being a jerk.

The rest of the weight just vanished from my chest, and I felt like I could actually breathe again. We were okay.

> Nina: so you just skipped class to be a hero? you’re going to get detention.

> Me: already did. staying after school tomorrow.

I could almost hear her sigh through the phone.

> Nina: you are so much trouble. what am i going to do with you?

> Me: be my pillar?

> Nina: ugh, fine, but the pillar contract now includes a clause where i get to make fun of you for getting detention. it’s non-negotiable.

I started laughing quietly to myself. She was unbelievable.

> Nina: so what are you drawing? is it another one of your epic swords? or have you moved on to brooding heroes who stare into the distance?

I looked down at the sword on my page, then at the little misshapen bird next to it. She was getting way too good at reading my mind.

> Me: how do you know i’m drawing?

> Nina: because it’s what you do when your brain is in the clouds.

The bell rang then, a loud, jarring sound that made me jump. Free period was over.

I looked up from my phone and across the classroom. Nina was looking right at me, a small, soft smile on her face. It was enough, I smiled back and gave her a little nod. We were good.

Thank god, my heart would not have been able to handle it.

A few hours later, the bell rang again, school was over and god, It felt like I aged a decade in the last few hours.

The classroom erupted into the usual end-of-day chaos, the scrape of chairs and the chatter of people suddenly free.

I just sat there for a second. My brain felt like it had been run through a blender, and my ribs were giving a steady, aching protest to the whole day. All I wanted was to go home and lie down for a week. But first, detention.

I watched the other students stream out of the room, their energy feeling like it was from a different planet. I slowly started packing my bag, each movement sending a dull throb through my side.

"So," a quiet voice said. "Detention, huh? You’re a real delinquent now."

I looked up. Nina was standing by my desk, a small, teasing smile on her face. Most of the other students were gone, and the room was getting quiet.

"Yeah, well," I said, a small smile forming on my own face. "Someone’s got to be the bad boy around here. It’s a tough job, but I’m willing to make the sacrifice."

She laughed, a light sound that made the heavy feeling in my chest lift a little. "Just try not to get into any more trouble without me. I’ve got a reputation as a pillar to uphold, you know. Can’t have my dumbass friend getting shivved in the library over a late book."

"I’ll do my best."

She hesitated for a second, her smile softening. "I’ll text you later, okay? To make sure you survived."

"Okay," I said. It was such a simple thing, but it felt like a promise.

She gave my shoulder a light bump, a silent ’you got this,’ then turned and walked out of the classroom, disappearing into the now-empty hallway.

I was just about to pull my book out to actually do some work while I waited for Ms. Lail, when I saw him. Jake was hovering by the classroom door, looking like he was trying to work up the courage to do something terrifying, like defuse a bomb.

’Oh, you have got to be kidding me,’ I thought, my brief moment of peace shattering completely. ’Not now.’

He saw me looking and took a hesitant step into the room, his eyes wide and full of a desperate, nervous energy.

"Hey, man," he said, his voice a frantic whisper. "Got a minute? We gotta talk about the plan."

I just stared at him. The last thing on earth I wanted to do right now was talk about Operation: Don’t Die Alone. My social battery was not just dead; it had been taken out, shot, and then run over by a truck.

"Jake," I started, trying to sound a lot more patient than I felt. "Now’s not really a good time. I’ve got detention."

His face fell, his hopeful expression crumpling like a piece of paper. "Oh. Right. Detention." He looked down at his shoes, then back up at me. "But I did the homework! I watched the whole Nazca Lines documentary! I have theories, man. Alien theories."

I put my head in my hands and rubbed my temples. This was my life now.

"That’s great, Jake. But I really can’t right now."

"But what about Phase Two?" he pressed, taking another step closer. "You said we’d talk about it! I need to know the next move. What if I see her tomorrow? What do I say?"

He was starting to spiral, his words coming out faster and faster. I knew that feeling. The panic of not having a plan, of not knowing the right thing to say.

I let out a long, slow breath. I had promised him. And Nina was right, I was his friend now, I guess. Pillars don’t just ditch their dumbass friends, even when those friends are annoying gossips with terrible timing.

"Okay," I said, my voice heavy with resignation. "Fine. Just... give me a second."

I glanced toward the teacher’s lounge. Ms. Lail wouldn’t be back for at least a few minutes. We had a window.

"The roof," I said, standing up and grabbing my bag. "Now."

Jake’s eyes lit up. "The roof? Like, for a secret meeting? Awesome."

"It’s not awesome," I muttered, limping toward the door. "It’s just the only place we won’t get interrupted."

This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶