Tear Gas (Spec ops guy)

burden.

"What time did you get home last night?" Audrina startled me, making me jump up.

I yawned, resting my weight on my elbows.

"You scared me!" I opened my crusty eyes to see Audrey, curiously looking down at me.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you come in last night." She shrugged, taking a bite of a granola bar.

"Like at 12." I got out of bed and straightened out the sheets.

I hurriedly did the bed, checking the time on my phone. It was 9 am, a little later than the time I usually woke up.

"Oh. Mom and dad told me to tell you they said bye. And that they wanted to make plans again soon." She munched happily, wiping crumbs away from the corners of her lips.

"I'll get back to them on that." I rolled my eyes, walking into the restroom to wash my face and begin my morning routine.

"Is Tiffany okay? She wasn't home when I woke up."

I looked at her momentarily, remembering our conversation. I promised I wouldn't say anything, so I didn't.

"Have you called her?" I asked, drying my face.

"Yeah, she didn't answer."

I slipped out my phone, unlocking it and stepping outside the house. I was barefoot, pacing around the front porch in pajama shorts and a tank top.

She picked up after a couple of rings, I sighed in relief.

"Are you okay? Why did you leave?" I asked.

"I just needed fresh air. I'm at the park. I'll be back in a few." I heard her soft voice through the phone. I frowned a bit, hoping she still didn't feel bad.

It broke my heart, knowing she was struggling but I couldn't help her. I just needed to be there to support her, no matter what.

"Okay. Don't take too long." I hung up, walking back inside the house. The sky was cloudy, maybe it would rain today.

Audrina was sitting on the couch, finishing up the snacks from yesterday. I rolled my eyes as she looked up, shoving junk in to her mouth.

"Eat real food." I snatched the bag away, making her whine outloud.

"It is real food." She said, her voice muffled.

*

"I got breakfast! Well, brunch I guess." Tiffany walked through the door,holding a McDonald's bag.

"I got the breakfast combo because I know how much you like pancakes." She grinned at me, setting the bags down on the counter.

"Thank you Tiff!" Audrina kissed Tiffany on the cheek jokingly. Her cheeks got red, making her turn around.

If only Audrina had known. Maybe she wouldn't have done that.

We ate, having a conversation about everything random. We talked about when Audrina would leave. She said she would leave in a week, maybe longer. I guess it depended on my parents.

"Have you guys seen anything about protests recently?" Audrina asked, sipping her orange juice and scrolling through her phone.

"I heard they started blocking stuff like that on Twitter and instagram." Tiffany added, raising her brows.

"Have they?" I grabbed the remote and turned on the tv, going to the news. They weren't reporting it anymore. There was nothing about George Floyd. It was like everyone forgot.

"Oh look, they're still having them." Tiffany showed me Twitter videos of recent protests.

"Huh." I breathed out, frowning.