Cecilia doesn’t want help. She’s made that abundantly clear. So yes, by all means, let's tiptoe around her and let her wallowin her misery some more. That sounds like a fan-fucking-tastic idea.
The stupid that runs through people’s heads never ceases to amaze me.
If she’d been an introvert before, maybe I’d buy into the homebody act and believe it was good for her. That she needed the time alone to get her feet under her.
But I did some digging, looked up her socials and even talked to a few people tagged in old pictures.
She was an entirely different person a few months ago. Happy and outgoing. On the university cheer squad her freshman and sophomore years. She was supposed to be on the team this year too, but according to her coach, she just pulled out. Stopped showing up to practice with no explanation. When her coach finally got a hold of her on the phone, she just quit. Said she didn’t have time to be on the squad anymore.
Something happened. I can feel it in my gut.
She was active on social media leading into July. Her last post was on the fourteenth. A selfie with a crowd of friends that says,Life is a party #ZetaPi.
Then all of a sudden, radio silence. No more updates. No new pictures.
One girl I talked to said Cecilia was the life of the party. Atotalsocial butterfly. Her words, not mine. She had friends. Guys lined up for her attention.
No surprise there. She’s gorgeous even in the oversized sweater and baggy jeans that engulf her small frame. It makes you wonder what she’s hiding under there. Not thatI’mwondering about that. My interest is strictly platonic.
I only want to help. But I can see why dudes would be interested. Her face is bare. Not a lick of makeup to be found and trust me when I say, she doesn’t need it. She’s got this girl next door vibe going for her. It’s insanely attractive.
But she stopped returning people’s calls and texts. Stopped going out with her friends. No more parties. No more anything. It’s like she’s been body-snatched and a new alien life form has taken up residence in her head.
Holt made her out to be a slut, but no one I talked to said anything of the sort. In fact, not one person had anything bad to say about her at all, which makes her sudden and complete withdrawal even more of a mystery.
One I have every intention of solving.
Cecilia will kick it with me most days after school. I haven’t explained that to my boys yet, but it won’t be a problem. They told me to handle my shit so I am.
We have practice during the week, but I can talk with our assistant coach—Jameia— if I need to miss a day or two. It all depends on whether or not Cecilia decides to be difficult.
We can hang at her place on weekends, though, eventually, I want to get her out. Maybe hit up the lake. Get some sun while the weather allows it. I’m not sure what she’s into, but I’ll figure it out.
The bell rings, announcing the end of class, and Cecilia bolts for the door. She thinks she can run away from me. It’s sorta cute.
I know where she’s parked, so at a more leisurely pace I follow behind her as she heads for the parking lot. She glances behind her more than once, and I have to smother my laugh at the look of determination on her face as she increases her steps.
She actually thinks she’s leaving.
We’re outside when she starts to dig in her bag, searching for the keys currently tucked inside my back pocket. I slow my steps, but continue to walk toward her.
She curses, dropping her bag on the ground before crouching down to give her search a real effort. She has one of those off-the-shoulder messenger bags that works as both a purse anda backpack, though from where I’m standing, it resembles a bottomless pit.
I don’t know how she finds anything in there.
“Looking for something?” I come to a stop beside her and lean against the driver’s side door of her Jeep.
“My keys,” she mutters.
Her frustration is all the more apparent when, with an exasperated breath, she dumps the entire contents of her bag on the pavement, only to realize what I already know.
Her keys aren’t in there.
She shoves everything back in her bag and with a frown, stares off in the direction we came from. She bites her bottom lip, abusing the tender flesh with her teeth and the insane urge to tug it free washes over me but I get the feeling she wouldn’t appreciate me acting on that little impulse.
“Maybe I left them in class but….” She trails off, not sounding convinced.
Saving her the trouble of walking back inside to look, I pull her keys from my pocket and dangle them between us.
