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Not being able to think of another reason they could easily catch Caden, Iris shut off her phone and tried to contain her anxiety. She paced for two minutes before concluding that pacing would do nothing. Not bothering to put on a coat, Iris slipped into her sneakers and stepped out into the cold night, half hoping the biting wind would freeze her mind so she couldn't think. |
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Caden stood there, running his now not bleeding hand under water for around fifteen minutes, getting stuck in thought as he threw away the glass before returning back to the sink. The man looked in the bottle, seeing tiny pieces of glass swirling around in the liquor, figuring it wasn't worth his time and he could just get a restock anyways as he poured it down the drain. |
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The night was cold. Very cold. But Iris hardly noticed. She didn't care that her hands were almost numb, or that her face was raw and red from the freezing wind. She'd walked around the campus perimeter twice already and was halfway through another lap. She was passing the library when someone called, "Iris! Wait up!" She paused and turned to see Kinley coming toward her. Iris thought for a second before turning around and continued her walking. She didn't want to talk to anyone right now. She wanted to walk until she forgot Caden. |
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Caden grabbed his phone, typing out an apology before deleting it and tossing the phone aside, huffing a laugh. Why was he arguing when he was right? They couldn't find him, his helmet completely covered his face, his plate didn't show up on cameras due to a specific tape, and numerous people had his motorcycle in the city of Pheonix, he was fine. The man sighed, standing and grabbing a fresh pack off the table before heading onto the back porch, lighting one and taking a drag as he scrolled through TikTok. |
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Iris felt a warm hand grasp her numb arm. "Iris! Stop!" Kinley's sharp order and touch drew Iris to a stop. She turned and looked at her friend weakly. She tried to speak, but her voice was empty. Seeing her empty look of despair, Kinley's face turned to concern. "Are you all right? You look awful!" She urged Iris to follow her into their dorm, where her extermeties immediately began tingling from the warmth. |
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Caden's phone rang with a facetime call from Tyler, the man accepting it and immediately being greeted with a tired sigh. "Really? Again, Caden?" The man on the porch wore a questionable look, blowing out a drag as he looked at the screen. "What're you on about? You facetimed me." He noted, Tyler just sighing. "No, why're you smoking?" |
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Kinley proceeded to help Iris warm up as quickly as possible so she could "get down to business." Iris wasn't sure what she meant by that but she was glad for the attention. She either didn't want to talk to anyone or she (selfishly) wanted to be pitied. She knew it was wrong, but right now she just needed something to do. Once she was thawed enough to talk and move her toes, Kinley sat them both down on her bed for questioning. "What were you doing that made you look so miserable?" |
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Caden just sighed, dabbing out the cigarette before running his hands through his hair, flicking his gaze else where. "Me and my girlfriend had a disagreement, I got pulled over and didn't have my license, she I guess was joking when she said 'you could outrun a cop on that'. In turn, I drove off from a state trooper, now she's all scared i'll get arrested or something even though I have tape on my plate which doesn't make the numbers show up, everything else does though. Then she also said they could identify me by my bike, but dozens of people have an exact replica." He explained quietly, Tyler just nodding. "Gotcha, and did it ever dawn on you she's just trying to care for you?"
The friend voiced through the screen, Caden instantly bittering. "Okay but I don't need somebody demanding my every move! I don't need nor want somebody to care this much. It's---it's too much." He snapped, Tyler just listening with a sad look on his face. "Caden. . . it's normal for her to care about you getting arrested." |
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Even though she could talk, Iris didn't want to. After a pause of a few seconds, she said, "...I was walking around campus." Kinley stared at her as if saying, you've gotta be kidding. "Okay, fine. I was... Trying to forget about what'd just happened. Caden and I were talking--" She hesitated, not wanting to go on. Kinley gave her a reassuring smile. "We were talking over the phone, right? Texting? Because he's in Arizona right now. And um, he was speeding down the highway and got pulled over but he drove away from the officer and I was trying to figure out a way to fix it but he was being stubborn and not letting me help and I just--" Iris had been spouting words up till now, but now she was crying. "And I-- He-- We-- We both overreated, I think? He told me I didn't know what I was talking about and made me feel really bad." Kinley wrapped her arms around her friend gently, until Iris was done crying. She pulled back but kept her hands on Iris's shoulders, looking into her eyes. "I think Caden is trying to figure things out himself and doesn't want you giving him advice because he has enough to worry about already. He doesn't want you to get involved so you can stay safe." |
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"She just cares about you, wants to help." Tyler explained, Caden chuckling. "Shut up man, you're talking nonsense." He muttered, hanging up before powering his phone off. The man went and pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, grabbing his keys before getting on the same motorcycle from earlier, not grabbing his helmet as his music became the wind whipping against him. |
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Sunny and Warmer
