No Guidelines

Chapter 10

4, Nov. 2015 Wed.

Audrey

The only thing heard in the room was the scraping of Audrey's thumb. Her middle finger picking against raw skin.

"Audrey!" Sam said.

Audrey jumped in her seat. An expression of guilt was on her face like that of a dog who had been caught doing something it shouldn't have. "Sorry!" she said.

Sam moved from her seat and sat next to her, holding her hand. Not a gentle hold, but rather one that held Audrey's entire fist captive.

"I told you thousands of times to stop doing that," she said.

All Audrey could do was repeat her previous sentiment.

"What's wrong Dri?" Looz asked.

It was 3:15 pm and Adrian wasn't there yet—half the group wasn't there at all. She expected Natalie and Jacob to ditch, due to their newfound romance. Without Natalie, it was obvious that Emma wouldn't be there, but why wasn't he?

"It's just he's not here yet, is he okay?" she asked.

"Did you text him?" Danielle asked.

Audrey checked her phone briefly and gave a look of dismay. "Yeah, but no response."

Looz rubbed her neck. She looked at a loss for words.

"Well, what do you guys want to do?" Danielle asked.

Footsteps echoed from the hall, growing closer to the room. The girls all turned to face the door.

"I bet you that's Adrian!" Sam said.

A tall girl, with black curly locks, came in, rivaling Sam in height. Her face brightened at the sight of Danielle.

"Danielle! Oh my god hi! Is this the writing club?" she asked.

Audrey sunk into her seat.

"Hey, Fara. This is. Why?" Danielle asked.

"You want to join?" Sam asked.

"Pfft, no. I hate writing," she said casually. Audrey winced ever so slightly at her candor. Fara handed each of the girls a sheet of yellow paper. It read, Open Mic Talent Show. Friday the 13th. All arts welcome.

"Ooh! How fun!" Sam said.

"Yeah feel free to sign up by next Wednesday if you guys want to join!" Fara said.

"You sure having it on Friday the 13th is a good idea?" Looz asked.

"Everyone keeps asking us that! I don't think anything bad will happen, it's just a day," Fara said.

"Thank you," Audrey said meekly. She folded the paper as neatly as possible, going over each crease multiple times. She placed it in her cardigan pocket. Fara hugged Danielle and left; presumably to more after-school clubs or students to recruit into the talent show. Or simply just to make aware of its presence.

"You're not thinking of joining, are you Dri?" Looz asked.

Audrey didn't say a word, her eyes were blank as she stared at her phone. A sigh escaped her mouth as she put her phone away. She shook her head at Looz. "No, I could never do anything like that."

"Probably for the best, nothing good comes from that day," she said, "Ask Adrian, I know he's seen all the movies."

"Oh please," Danielle said, waving away at that comment.

"You don't believe in bad luck?" Sam asked.

"Surprising since you're in sports. Aren't all you athletes superstitious?" Looz asked.

She leaned in her chair all cool. "I make my own luck."

"Bitchin," Looz said, the two high-fived each other. The girls got a laugh out of it, except Audrey. She spaced out on her phone again.

Looz looked at her, worried. Audrey felt her gaze and met with her one visible eye. To avoid prolonged eye contact, she darted her eyes back and forth at Sam and Danielle as well. She placed her phone back in her pocket.

"Well, I guess since half the group is gone we can just go," Audrey said. She took out a pen. "Let me just leave a note for Harris."

Rain softly showered above them. Sam swung her umbrella down in excitement and skipped ahead. She twirled around as the light drizzle fell upon her. Her happy laughs made Audrey smile a bit. Danielle put her hood on. Her nylon Swim Team jacket worked well in repelling the rain. She jogged to Sam—her shoulders and arms tucked in from the cold. Her hands never left her jacket pockets. Audrey stared at their school mascot on the back of Danielle's jacket. A slick design of a Tiger Shark.

Sam took her phone out and started recording themselves. "Come join us!" She said.

It tempted Audrey. The weather was perfect. A little pick-me-up was just something she needed. Looz gently grabbed her arm before she could join.

"Hold on Sam," Looz said.

The two stood under Looz's black umbrella. The raindrops splattered upon the shield they hid underneath. The sound was akin to kernels popping.

"Are you okay?" Looz asked.

Audrey stared straight ahead. Her bottom lip tucked between her teeth. She sighed. "You already know, don't you."

Looz didn't respond. She joined Audrey in watching their friends frolic. The drizzle still popped rhythmically as it hit the umbrella.

Audrey let out a quick airy chuckle. "What happened at the party, Looz? Did I do something?" Her voice cracked as she stuttered her words. "I mean, I woke up and you and Adrian were gone and we haven't spoken much since."

Looz pulled her close. "You didn't do anything— he's just going through something right now."

"Did he tell you what?" she asked. Looz shook her head.

"I don't think I'm the person he needs to talk to." Looz turned her gaze over to Audrey. A look Audrey could feel on her skin. She turned her head to meet her.

"Me?" she asked.

"You two are literally almost the same person."

"But I don't know what to do or say?"

"Just be there for him."

Audrey took a deep breath. Thoughts of Adrian and how she could possibly be any help clouded her mind. The smell of wet concrete and the sound of the rain helped to relax her. The warmth of her best friend comforted her in her time of need. A time when she just felt lost. Suddenly a smile crept upon her face.

The sight of Sam merrily coming her way took her mind out of the past— even if for just a moment. She clasped her hands to both of theirs. She held on to them surprisingly firm, despite her hands being wet.

"C'mon you two!" She said, "Let's have our moment while we still can!" She pulled Audrey and Looz out of their shelter to share in her joy with them.

"My hair's going to puff up!" Looz said. She quickly retreated back under her umbrella. Audrey laughed and embraced the rain. A moment of peace from her thoughts— her worries. She looked at the smiles of her friends. If only they knew how much they lifted her spirits by just being themselves. Adrian returned to her mind, only this time she wasn't worried about whether she was or wasn't good enough. The feeling she had right now is one she wanted to share with him.

Authors note
Hey everyone! Thank you for Reading! I appreciate all of you! What do you think of the story so far?

Songs
Name:Artist
Undercover Martyn: Two Door Cinema Club

Editors
Elem
naomi14

Next chapter
Audrey attempt to cheer Adrian up by being there for him.