System Nullification

Chapter 10

 I was storming down the hallways of the school, trying to keep people from seeing my face. This was due to the fact that I was flustered and frustrated with life in general. "Freaking Zephyr," I thought.

 "Oh, Iris. Sometimes I ask myself what I'd do with you, but then I ask myself what I'd do without you."

 Crap, I was blushing. Clearly I'd been affected.

 "You're beautiful."

 Damn it, Zephyr. "Oh, here's another thing to mention... the kiss," I quietly recalled.

 All of that had happened between me and Zephyr yesterday. It happened in a grassy field under a tree, when the wind was blowing and the sun was setting. It happened during a time I doubted humanity. I felt like something was wrong with me if my thoughts maneuvered their way to Zephyr instead of the government issues like Adam or Cameron's squad. Speaking of Adam, my dad ended up dealing with him. We were hoping for Adam's mental health to improve soon.I opened the classroom door to English only to come to my friends playfullybickering. "For the last time... Reed... Brianna, Iris and I were NOT making out in the grass!" Zephyr protested.

 "Okay, maybe not making out, but kissing sweetly. Multiple times," Reed concluded once he saw me frozen in the doorway. "Oh, hey Iris!"

 "You two are so cute!" Brianna squealed.

 "But, Zephyr, I'm hoping you're not still an idiot," Skylar said. "When I heard about why the hell you did what you did, I literally got a headache thinking about it. Okay, not literally, but still."

 I sighed and sat down, my seat unfortunately right next to Zephyr's. "Iris, we're talking later," Brianna giggled, winking at me.

 I rolled my eyes at her. No matter how I looked at it, I was determined to not care about Zephyr.

 Then I remembered the security I felt when I finished interrogating Adam. The warmth of Zephyr's body, the smile on his face, his eyes, and when he asked himself what he'd do without me.Then, as immature as it was, I remembered the times in middle school where I envied all the girls that dated him. I remembered how long I waited for him to ask me out, because he showed me he cared for me rather than the other girls. I remembered how disappointed I always got when I found him dating another girl. I remembered how happy I felt when he asked me out. There was the five months we had together. I smiled a little bit. Then finally, I remembered having to let him go the moment he was about to do that to me. It all concluded into one bitter memory and avoiding a mental breakdown. Ugh, I needed to get a better grip on my life. Wanting to change my thoughts, I wondered if Cameron's group would ever get tracked down. I should've read their minds to figure out where they hid out at, but I forgot to do that during the school fire with Alex. I'm such an idiot.

 A piece of paper was placed on my desk by Zephyr. I opened it, and in his writing, it said, "What's wrong?"

 I wrote: "Nothing."

 "Something on your mind? Such as me?" - Zephyr

 "Things are on my mind, and no, it's not you, you'd be the last thing that would ever be on my mind. Asshole." - I wrote.

 "That's cold. But eh, I guess you think of me at night, Iris. Let's talk later."

 I bit my lip. Indeed, I did think of him last night, but he didn't need to know that. Wanting to isolate myself from others in general, I rolled my eyes, avoiding reading the minds of anyone. I was glad I was able to do that after the whole Adam incident. It kind of made the whole thing worth it. Typically able to isolate myself unless needed.

 When class got dismissed, I realized Zephyr had Spanish with me too. "Iris..." Zephyr approached me. "I was an idiot back then, I'm sorry."

 "Back then as in middle school?" I snapped. "Yeah, I was pretty aware!"