Becky had told herself she wouldn’t think about it too much.That leaving Natalie alone was the right thing. That giving space meant exactly that—space. No interference, no pressure, no forcing a conversation that neither of them was ready to have.But by late morning, the idea of “space” had started to feel less like a solution and more like something she didn’t fully understand anymore.Jared’s apartment was quieter than usual that day. He had stepped out for a meeting, leaving her alone on the couch with her phone resting loosely in her hand. The television played softly in the background, but Becky wasn’t really watching it. Her attention kept drifting back to the same thought she had been avoiding since yesterday.Natalie hadn’t texted.Not once.Becky unlocked her phone and stared at Natalie’s contact, her thumb hovering over the call button longer than she intended. She hesitated, then pressed it before she could talk herself out of it.The phone rang.Once.Twice.Three times.

Becky had almost convinced herself the rumors couldn't be as bad as Jessica had implied.Almost.The drive back to the university felt longer than usual. She sat quietly in the passenger seat, her fingers loosely intertwined in her lap while Jared focused on the road ahead. Neither of them had spoken much after breakfast. The confrontation with Sammy Jo the previous afternoon lingered in both their minds, though neither had been eager to revisit it.As the university gates came into view, Jared glanced at her briefly."You don't have to do this today," he said, his voice calm. "A few more days won't hurt."Becky managed a small smile without looking at him. "If I keep hiding, they'll just think the rumors are true.""They'll think what they want regardless.""I know." She exhaled quietly. "But I can't keep avoiding my own life."Jared nodded, respecting the decision even if he wasn't entirely comfortable with it.When the car stopped near the academic building, Becky reached for the d

Natalie had stopped counting the hours.It didn’t feel necessary anymore. The apartment stayed in the same state regardless of time—curtains half-drawn, dishes untouched, the faint smell of stale food lingering in corners she no longer paid attention to. The silence had become routine, almost structured in its own strange way, like something she had learned to live inside rather than escape from.Her phone had been on the coffee table since the previous night.It wasn’t off.It wasn’t broken.It was simply there, face down, as though ignoring it could somehow make it less real.When it finally vibrated, the sound cut through the quiet with an unfamiliar sharpness.Natalie didn’t move at first. Her eyes shifted slightly toward the table, but her body stayed where it was, leaning back against the couch with her arm resting loosely across her stomach. The vibration stopped, then started again almost immediately.Then again.And again.She exhaled slowly, as if the sound itself was asking

Jessica noticed it before Natalie even said a word.It wasn’t obvious at first—nothing dramatic, nothing that immediately demanded attention. It was the smaller details that gave her away. The way Natalie stood slightly too still in the hallway outside her apartment. The way her eyes lingered for half a second too long on passing students as if she was checking for something she wasn’t ready to name. The way her phone remained untouched in her hand, screen dark, despite the constant subtle vibration that Jessica had already heard twice since arriving.Jessica didn’t rush her. She simply leaned against the doorframe, arms folded, watching her friend with a quiet patience that came from familiarity rather than obligation.Natalie finally spoke first, though her voice was flat. “You didn’t have to come all the way here.”Jessica raised an eyebrow slightly. “You weren’t answering calls.”“I’m fine.”Jessica let out a small breath through her nose, not quite a laugh, not quite disbelief. “

Becky didn’t say it immediately.The message from Natalie was still open on her phone, the words sitting there in a way that refused to fade into the background no matter how many times she tried to shift her attention elsewhere. “Are you okay?” It wasn’t complicated, but it carried weight now that she understood what Jessica had told her.She read it again.Then placed the phone face down on the couch beside her, as if distance alone could help her think more clearly.Jared noticed the change without asking anything at first.He had returned earlier than expected, keys placed quietly on the counter, movements calm but efficient in the way they usually were when his mind was already occupied with other matters. He didn’t speak right away, simply watching Becky from where he stood near the kitchen entrance, taking in the subtle tension in her posture.“You’ve been staring at that screen for a while,” he said finally.Becky looked up slightly, as if only now realizing she had been still