DELICATE / Brandon Darrow

thirty three

thirty-three
ballet
FIRST PERSON

Scrolling through my phone while the subject still stayed stuck on Zoe, she posted a photo. Her caption answering my text that I sent her in class.

"I texted her in class saying where are you?" I explained the context. "Look at the caption."

I moved my phone forward so they all could see the picture, and caption.

"'Here I am'," Elisia read out.

"It's geo-tagged," Stinger said, clicking on it which brought up a location. "That studio is downtown."

"I'll go," I told them.

"I'll go with you," Rowan nodded.

"No, go make sure Hailey is okay," Elisia said. "I'll go with Cynthia."

Rowan took one last reassuring look at me until I nodded to her.

"I'll go get Zoe's address from school, and then I'll go to Hailey's house," Rowan said. "I'll meet you guys at the ditch, after?"

"Yeah," I agreed. "Be safe."

"Promise," she responded, then left.

Elisia started a conversation with Stinger about Ash so I dozed off. This has been happening to me recently and it's strange since I'm never the one that would be caught daydreaming.

"Cynthia," Stinger snapped me out of my thoughts.

"What?" I gave him my attention.

"How are you?" He asked me.

"Fine," I nodded, unconvincing.

"She's not...everything with Brandon then Sean— it's really hard for her," Elisia answered for me, knowing how hard it was to say it myself.

"Have you talked to any of them?" Stinger asked me.

"No."

"Don't worry...you'll get through it," he gave me a smile.

♡

Elisia and I have been standing outside the studio for awhile, but no sign. What if she isn't here? What if this is just a trick? No. It's not.

"There she is," I told Elisia as I watched others, including Zoe, leave the studio.

We both followed her cautiously into this random part of the building. We were able to sneak into the door before it closed and saw the other door she entered in. Elisia called her name but there was no use.

"Lets just go," I said and tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge.

Elisia turned her light on from her phone. We both looked down and saw all different kinds of snakes until we saw the Cobra. We started to freak out. So we did what the only thing we could do, scream.

As we banged on the door, someone finally opened it for us so we jumped out. I almost fell until I was caught in someone's arms.

"Cynthia, are you okay?" Sean asked me as I immediately pushed him away. "What happened?"

"What are you doing here, Sean?"

"I heard screaming. I couldn't open the door so I found someone who could help," Sean replied.

"No, why are you really here?" Elisia asked. "Did you start taking ballet lessons now?"

No answer.

"FYI, you have a snake problem," Elisia told the random
man with the keys, grabbing my hand so we could leave.

"Cynthia," Sean called for me.

"Elisia, go meet Rowan. Let me talk to him," I told Elisia and she hesitantly walked away. "I saw you at the bonfire Sean. And don't say it wasn't you 'cause I know it was."

"Listen, Cyn, it's not what you think," he told me.

"You're trying to kill us Sean," I croaked. "Just like Brandon."

"Cyn, Zoe threw Brandon in jail. She set him up so he made me go to the bonfire to figure it out," he explained to me. "Brandon is not King Cobra, Cynthia."

"Bullshit," I scoffed and started to walk away before he pulled me back.

"Cynthia, you're my cousin. I never and would never lie to you," he pleaded. "Please, believe me."

I rolled my eyes and thought about it. He had a point. He has never lied to me. But this is different. I didn't know what to believe anymore.

"I believe you," I gave in. "But I can't trust you. I can't trust any of you guys."