Chapter 30: So Much for the Tour

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: So Much for the Tour

The drive to school the next morning was pretty normal.

Chloe had spent most of breakfast talking about picking me up later, apparently already planning what she wanted to see around campus. I mostly listened, answering whenever she actually asked me something.

Nicole still hadn’t texted this morning, apart from the goodnight message she’d sent me around 1:42 AM.

Considering how late she usually went to bed, I figured she probably just woke up late and had to rush through her morning. Maybe she didn’t have time to text me.

It wasn’t a big deal. I was probably just overthinking it.

I pulled into the parking lot, parked, and grabbed my bag. My phone buzzed just as I stepped out of the car.

I looked at the screen.

Nicole: Good morning 🌞

I smiled and typed back: Morning. How was your night?

Her reply came a few seconds later.

Nicole: It wasn’t so great.

I blinked at the screen.

The typing indicator appeared almost immediately, then disappeared before coming back again a moment later.

Nicole: I’m sick 🥺

Something tightened in my chest. I immediately started typing:

How bad is it?

Do you have a fever?

Have you eaten?

Do you need me to come over?

The typing indicator appeared beneath my message. It stayed there for a few seconds before disappearing.

Then my phone started ringing.

I picked it up immediately, her camera coming on a moment later.

"Are you okay?"

Nicole shifted slightly against her pillows, stretching as she adjusted herself on the bed. She looked tired, her hair a little messier than usual.

She gave me a small smile. "Yeah. I’m okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Mhm." She nodded, settling back against the pillows. "Just a bit tired."

I felt a little relieved.

"Did you call the university?"

"Yeah. I already called in and told them I needed the day off to recover."

"Good." I nodded, feeling some of the tension leave my chest. At least she wasn’t planning to drag herself through the day like this.

Nicole was quiet for a moment, her eyes drifting away from the screen as though she were thinking something over.

"You did say," she finally said. "Something about coming over, though." She gave me a small, almost innocent smile. "If you still can, I’d be really grateful."

I stared at her. "You really don’t miss a chance, do you?"

Her smile widened slightly. "Never."

I smiled back.

"You should go to class," she said. "I’ll wait for you."

I nodded. "Okay. I’ll see you later."

I ended the call and headed toward class.

—

The rest of the morning went by pretty easily. Fridays usually had a different feel to them, even with classes still on the schedule. People seemed less focused, conversations lasted a little longer, and everyone looked like they were already halfway out the door.

My classes weren’t anything too demanding either, which helped. Even Mr. Thompson was in a strangely good mood.

He actually smiled at one point, and it wasn’t the evil kind, either.

Mr. Thompson, who was known for having only two types of smiles — the normal one, which apparently didn’t exist, and the evil one, which everyone hated — actually smiled like a normal human being for once.

I wasn’t sure what had happened to him, but I wasn’t about to complain.

By the time lunch came around, I was ready to get out of the classroom. I headed to our usual spot, took my seat, and ordered something to eat.

Jackson, Evelyn, and Sasha still hadn’t arrived, so I started eating without them. Chloe had already made sure I ate more than I usually did before leaving the apartment that morning, but apparently it hadn’t been enough.

I was halfway through my meal by the time Sasha walked over.

"Hey."

I looked up and nodded. "Hey."

She sat down beside me, stole a fry from my plate without asking, and glanced around as she chewed. "Jackson’s not with you?"

"He went to the bookstore with Evelyn. Should be here any minute."

Sasha nodded and reached for her phone.

A few minutes later, I spotted Jackson and Evelyn walking toward us.

Jackson looked pissed. Evelyn looked like she was still arguing with him in her head.

That combination usually meant I was about to hear something I probably didn’t need to know.

They reached the table, and Jackson dropped into his seat with a sigh. Evelyn sat down next to him, looking entirely too calm for someone who had clearly just spent the last few minutes arguing with him.

Sasha looked between them. "What happened?"

Evelyn was the first to speak.

"Jackson cheated on me."

"I did not cheat on you—" Jackson stopped himself and corrected, "I did not cheat on her."

Evelyn turned toward him. "Then what would you call it?"

"I simply liked a picture of a girl on Instagram."

"Yeah. A girl in a bikini so small she was practically naked."

"It was on my feed."

Evelyn glared at Jackson. "Why was it on your feed, then? If you weren’t liking pictures like those, they wouldn’t be showing up on your feed. Right, Nathan?"

She looked at me.

Jackson looked at me too.

I glanced between them, already realizing what they were trying to do.

"Nice try. I’m not getting involved in this."

Evelyn narrowed her eyes slightly.

I picked up another fry and popped it into my mouth, chewing before speaking. "You two are going to settle this later, then somehow I’ll end up being the bad guy for taking someone’s side."

Sasha nodded at that. "True."

I pointed at her with another fry. "Thank you."

Evelyn pouted slightly and looked away from Jackson.

Jackson sighed, leaning back in his chair.

I looked between them again, then found myself wondering what Nicole would do if she ever saw me liking pictures like that.

I had a feeling she wouldn’t be nearly as calm about it. Or maybe she would. I honestly had no idea.

I looked back at Jackson and Evelyn. At this rate, this was probably going to drag on all lunch unless someone actually did something about it.

I sighed and put my fry down.

"Jackson, apologize for liking pictures of naked girls."

"I didn’t like a picture of a nake—"

I flicked the fry at him.

He stopped mid-sentence and looked at me.

"Fine." He turned toward Evelyn. "I’m sorry for liking her picture."

Evelyn’s expression immediately changed. She looked entirely too pleased with herself.

I pointed at her next. "Your turn. Apologize."

She blinked. "But I didn’t do anything—"

I picked up another fry.

Jackson immediately moved closer to Evelyn, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her slightly toward him as if he already knew where that fry was going. Evelyn instinctively leaned into him, half-hiding behind his arm.

I stared at the two of them.

Sasha covered a smile beside me.

Jackson gave me a look. "Seriously? You were about to throw food at her?"

Evelyn peeked out from behind Jackson’s arm, still pouting.

I popped the fry in my mouth, chewing. "Now that you guys are good, one of you is buying me lunch."

Sasha looked at my plate. "But you’re already eating."

I glanced down at my food, then back at her. "I know, right? I’ve just been hungry today."

I looked back at Jackson and Evelyn. They were still sitting close together, Evelyn leaning against him while his arm rested around her.

Jackson absentmindedly ran his hand over her hair, the two of them quietly saying things to each other that I couldn’t make out, and I couldn’t help smiling.

—

By the time my last class ended, the day had gone by faster than I expected.

I packed my things, checked my phone, and saw another message from Nicole waiting for me.

Nicole: Are you still coming? 🥺

I smiled and typed back: Yeah. I’m on my way.

Her reply came almost immediately.

Nicole: Yay 😊

I shook my head, slipped my phone into my pocket, and headed out of the classroom, only to find Chloe waiting for me near the entrance.

I walked toward her a little faster, glancing back toward the classroom behind me.

I just needed to get her to the car before Jackson came out. If he saw her, he’d want to talk, and I didn’t have time for that right now. Nicole was waiting for me.

Chloe smiled when she saw me. "Hey, big bro."

"Hey." I reached for her bag. "Come on."

She handed it over, looking at me curiously. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"I’m not."

"You are."

I ignored that and started walking toward the parking lot with her following beside me.

We reached my car, and Chloe got in. I followed a moment later, closing the door behind me.

I let out a quiet breath, finally relaxing a little.

Chloe looked over at me, her lips already forming a small pout. "You’re supposed to show me around."

I paused.

Oh. Right.

She was supposed to get a tour of campus. But that would probably take another hour or more, and Jackson, Evelyn, and Sasha were still somewhere inside.

I looked at Chloe.

"Nicole’s sick. I want to go check up on her."

"Oh." She paused for a moment. "Is it bad?"

"I don’t know. That’s why I’m going."

Chloe went quiet for a second, then looked at me.

"Can I come?"

I stared at her for a beat, thinking about—

"Yeah. Sure."

I started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.