When Em elected not to join the other girls attending Izzy's Mum's funeral, Dom didn't say anything. He knew she was still hurt about what had gone down, and it wasn't his place to chastise her. The timing was terrible for their friendship. Em hadn't been able to forgive Izzy, and going along to the funeral, would have seemed disingenuous. At the same time, Dom worried what would happen—if their friendship would ever recover. Not for the first time, he regretted how things had played out. Em had known Izzy's mum well, so it was a big deal for her not to attend, especially when all of Izzy's other friends were there.
Even Ms. Woodhouse had a word with Em about the service; she thought that Em should be there. Though to be fair, their teacher didn't know the reason why Em was reluctant to attend.
As for him, Dom didn't think that Izzy would want him there. She had her girlfriends and Cole supporting her, and they hadn't spoken to each other in weeks, so it would have been weird. All the same, on the morning of the service, he couldn't get Izzy out of his mind. He'd texted her first thing, and though he hadn't expected a response, he was disappointed when he didn't get one.
Even now, hours later, he kept glancing at his phone to see if she'd messaged back. Nothing. He picked up a book and tried to focus his mind on the words on the page, but they kept jumping around and evading his comprehension. He felt a hand land loosely on his shoulder and a gentle squeeze.
'Babe, you coming to the library?'
It was Em, interrupting his thoughts. He looked up at her from his position on the floor of the common room.
'Nah, you go ahead.'
'What's up? Y'okay?' Em crouched down to eye level with him. He avoided her gaze
'Of course, I am. Why does something have to be up? I don't want to go, that's all.'
'You said you wanted to study.'
'Yeah, but I don't anymore.' Dom stood up speedily and stepped away from Em, leaving her standing in the middle of the room. He wanted to go back to his dorm room, not so much to get away from her, but to get away from everyone. He averted his eyes and walked towards the door.
'You're being a dickhead, you know.' Em's words followed him. She was correct. He was acting badly, but he just needed some quiet time. He was worried about Izzy, and Em was the last person he could talk to about it.
He paused at the door and looked back at her.
'I'm sorry,' he said. 'I know I'm acting cranky today. It'll pass. I'll catch you later, okay?'
Em sighed. 'I guess.'
YOU ARE READING
When Storm Clouds Hover
Teen FictionBest friends, Izzy and Em, have been star pupils at their all girls boarding school Watford High on Sydney's North Shore for years. Since joining classes with boys from their brother school, they're discovering new ways to distract themselves from t...
