The Iceberg Tipping
Patience.
James was gone from school, leaving Emma enough alone time to recuperate. Deep, purple bags clung to the undersides of her eyes, half from the nightmares that haunted her in the night and half from baby Jacob waking up at all hours to scream and cry. It was a new form of torture that was literally killing her.
indent Emma stumbled around the hallway, avoiding Rory at all costs and making eye contact with no one. A rumor had been floating around about why James had suddenly disappeared again and why Rory was suddenly hanging around her so much, but she tried to forget about. Rumors are silly and everybody knew that, a lot of people waited for some kind of proof anyway.
indent A whisper called to her, he’s back today, it warned.
indent She was avoiding everybody. Rory because he had gotten too close to her; James because she never wanted to be that close to him again; and Hanna because she would ask questions and Emma had finally found her way back into silence.
indent Hanna hid behind her locker door, an expert spy when it came to Emma, who managed to stumble herself into the wrong locker. The blonde watched as her friend put in the locker number twice before checking to make sure she was at the right one. Around the corner to their right, came Rory.
indent Hanna froze, knowing that Emma wouldn’t want the tall boy around, she’d been turning wrong corners all week to stay out of his way. The blonde quickly ran out into the hall, stepping in front of Rory.
indent He looked down at her, blue eyes confused. “Hi, I’m Hanna,” she smiled, waving, “I’ve noticed you around the halls recently and was wondering if you were new?” Hanna knew everything there was to know about him already; where he lived, his first and last name; his lack of a mother. It was a distraction and they both knew it.
indent Rory looked down at the small blonde, eyebrows coming together in confusion. “What are you doing?” he asked, having seen her watching him every now and then.
indent Emma, he thought, glancing through the rest of the hall and noticing the raven haired girl stumbling into another locker. Hanna struggled to think of some excuse, something to say that would make him leave her alone for just a day or two.
indent “What’s wrong with her?” he asked, suddenly angry and trying to push his way through.
indent “Stop,” was all Hanna said, splaying out her hands on his chest to keep him from moving. “She’s just tired, it’s probably the baby.”
indent “The baby?” Rory asked, growing louder with every word he said.
indent “Her little brother,” Hanna shook her head, leading the boy away from the hall and moving to the next.
indent Rory shook his head adamantly. “That’s not all.”
indent “I know,” Hanna sighed, stopping next to a closet in an abandoned hallway. They would be late for class, but she didn’t care. “I don’t know what’s been going on with her, we’ve been best friends,” Hanna broke off, Rory’s sudden sneer getting to her, “what?”
indent “Some friend you are,” he muttered, turning around and heading for class.
indent “She wouldn’t tell me what’s wrong, she wants her space,” Hanna yelled after him, ignoring the teacher walking up the hallway with a disapproving look on her face and the bell rang above their heads. “Please, just give her some space.”
indent Rory waved with his first two fingers over his shoulders, acting as if he would ignore her. Truth was, though, that there had been a glimmer of something in the small blonde’s eyes that told him she knew what she was talking about.
indent He would just have to be patient.
indent Emma stumbled around the hallway, avoiding Rory at all costs and making eye contact with no one. A rumor had been floating around about why James had suddenly disappeared again and why Rory was suddenly hanging around her so much, but she tried to forget about. Rumors are silly and everybody knew that, a lot of people waited for some kind of proof anyway.
indent A whisper called to her, he’s back today, it warned.
indent She was avoiding everybody. Rory because he had gotten too close to her; James because she never wanted to be that close to him again; and Hanna because she would ask questions and Emma had finally found her way back into silence.
indent Hanna hid behind her locker door, an expert spy when it came to Emma, who managed to stumble herself into the wrong locker. The blonde watched as her friend put in the locker number twice before checking to make sure she was at the right one. Around the corner to their right, came Rory.
indent Hanna froze, knowing that Emma wouldn’t want the tall boy around, she’d been turning wrong corners all week to stay out of his way. The blonde quickly ran out into the hall, stepping in front of Rory.
indent He looked down at her, blue eyes confused. “Hi, I’m Hanna,” she smiled, waving, “I’ve noticed you around the halls recently and was wondering if you were new?” Hanna knew everything there was to know about him already; where he lived, his first and last name; his lack of a mother. It was a distraction and they both knew it.
indent Rory looked down at the small blonde, eyebrows coming together in confusion. “What are you doing?” he asked, having seen her watching him every now and then.
indent Emma, he thought, glancing through the rest of the hall and noticing the raven haired girl stumbling into another locker. Hanna struggled to think of some excuse, something to say that would make him leave her alone for just a day or two.
indent “What’s wrong with her?” he asked, suddenly angry and trying to push his way through.
indent “Stop,” was all Hanna said, splaying out her hands on his chest to keep him from moving. “She’s just tired, it’s probably the baby.”
indent “The baby?” Rory asked, growing louder with every word he said.
indent “Her little brother,” Hanna shook her head, leading the boy away from the hall and moving to the next.
indent Rory shook his head adamantly. “That’s not all.”
indent “I know,” Hanna sighed, stopping next to a closet in an abandoned hallway. They would be late for class, but she didn’t care. “I don’t know what’s been going on with her, we’ve been best friends,” Hanna broke off, Rory’s sudden sneer getting to her, “what?”
indent “Some friend you are,” he muttered, turning around and heading for class.
indent “She wouldn’t tell me what’s wrong, she wants her space,” Hanna yelled after him, ignoring the teacher walking up the hallway with a disapproving look on her face and the bell rang above their heads. “Please, just give her some space.”
indent Rory waved with his first two fingers over his shoulders, acting as if he would ignore her. Truth was, though, that there had been a glimmer of something in the small blonde’s eyes that told him she knew what she was talking about.
indent He would just have to be patient.