Infected
Chapter 2
Iris Maston
I sighed at the sound of Kyle's voice mail. I hung up and sat my phone down on my dresser and continued to get ready for school. He should have been here by now. He's going to make us late. I looked in the mirror at myself and sighed again. My long brown hair dangled around my hips and my green grey eyes held not life but only sleep this morning. I put on some white eyeliner hoping to make my eyes look more open and awake. I stood back a few steps and looked in the mirror again. It helped a little. I pulled on my jacket and pulled my hair out of it. "Iris! Kyle is here!" I heard mom yell from the other room. "Thanks, mom!" I yelled to her. I picked up my book pack and slung it over my shoulder why stuffing my phone into my pants pocket. "Tell him I said hi!" Mom hollered to me. "I will! I love you!" I yelled back as I closed the front door behind me. Kyle was looking at me through the wind shield as I walked over to the passenger side. Already I could see the dark bags under his eyes. I slid in and gave him a soft smile. He smiled back but it didn't reach his eyes. "You okay?" I asked. He nodded and started to back out of the drive. "What's wrong, Kyle? You've been keeping something from me for the past three weeks. I tell you everything and you tell me everything. Can you not trust me with whatever is bothering you?" I sat my bag down on the floor in front of my feet and turned towards him. He stared at the road refusing to look at me. "It's not that I want to keep this from you, Iris, I have to keep this from you." I leaned back into my seat. "What's it about?" I asked. He glanced over at me quickly. If I hadn't been looking at him I wouldn't have noticed. "My dad." He mumbled. I turned away now. I knew his dad, Dr. Taylor. He can get to Kyle easily and stress him out. I worried for him all the time. "Don't worry about me, Iris. I'm fine, I just lost some sleep last night." I looked back over to him as he turned on the radio. It wasn't really loud enough to enjoy the music but it was there for background noise. We sat in silence as he drove us to school. I watched out my tinted window at the old houses along the side of the road. There was a small girl out in on of the yards. She sat on the ground with a pink skirt spread out around her. A husky was jumping around her as she laughed and tried to turn with the dog. Her big blond curls bounced wildly as her head whipped around. I looked away from the joyful scene and back over to Kyle. I wish we could all be as happy as that little girl. I studied his features for a moment. His hair was a mess and had no doubt been that way since he got up this morning. He sat deep in thought as his pale face stayed on the road. He had a deep frown set on his full lips and his eyes looked dull. My forehead creased in worry as it always does when Kyle is unhappy. I really needed to get a new hobby. If I continued to sit around and worry about Kyle day and night I would start to look like one of the undead. Sometimes I just couldn't help it though, when he smiled he always looked so alive and beautiful and when he started to give into stress and his anxiety he started to look real bad. I leaned my forehead against my window and stared down at the road as the white line snaked along beside us and sighed.
I sighed at the sound of Kyle's voice mail. I hung up and sat my phone down on my dresser and continued to get ready for school. He should have been here by now. He's going to make us late. I looked in the mirror at myself and sighed again. My long brown hair dangled around my hips and my green grey eyes held not life but only sleep this morning. I put on some white eyeliner hoping to make my eyes look more open and awake. I stood back a few steps and looked in the mirror again. It helped a little. I pulled on my jacket and pulled my hair out of it. "Iris! Kyle is here!" I heard mom yell from the other room. "Thanks, mom!" I yelled to her. I picked up my book pack and slung it over my shoulder why stuffing my phone into my pants pocket. "Tell him I said hi!" Mom hollered to me. "I will! I love you!" I yelled back as I closed the front door behind me. Kyle was looking at me through the wind shield as I walked over to the passenger side. Already I could see the dark bags under his eyes. I slid in and gave him a soft smile. He smiled back but it didn't reach his eyes. "You okay?" I asked. He nodded and started to back out of the drive. "What's wrong, Kyle? You've been keeping something from me for the past three weeks. I tell you everything and you tell me everything. Can you not trust me with whatever is bothering you?" I sat my bag down on the floor in front of my feet and turned towards him. He stared at the road refusing to look at me. "It's not that I want to keep this from you, Iris, I have to keep this from you." I leaned back into my seat. "What's it about?" I asked. He glanced over at me quickly. If I hadn't been looking at him I wouldn't have noticed. "My dad." He mumbled. I turned away now. I knew his dad, Dr. Taylor. He can get to Kyle easily and stress him out. I worried for him all the time. "Don't worry about me, Iris. I'm fine, I just lost some sleep last night." I looked back over to him as he turned on the radio. It wasn't really loud enough to enjoy the music but it was there for background noise. We sat in silence as he drove us to school. I watched out my tinted window at the old houses along the side of the road. There was a small girl out in on of the yards. She sat on the ground with a pink skirt spread out around her. A husky was jumping around her as she laughed and tried to turn with the dog. Her big blond curls bounced wildly as her head whipped around. I looked away from the joyful scene and back over to Kyle. I wish we could all be as happy as that little girl. I studied his features for a moment. His hair was a mess and had no doubt been that way since he got up this morning. He sat deep in thought as his pale face stayed on the road. He had a deep frown set on his full lips and his eyes looked dull. My forehead creased in worry as it always does when Kyle is unhappy. I really needed to get a new hobby. If I continued to sit around and worry about Kyle day and night I would start to look like one of the undead. Sometimes I just couldn't help it though, when he smiled he always looked so alive and beautiful and when he started to give into stress and his anxiety he started to look real bad. I leaned my forehead against my window and stared down at the road as the white line snaked along beside us and sighed.