The glow of the screen fell across Kyle's tired face, highlighting the dark circles beneath his eyes. The page flickered once before finally loading.
He rubbed his eyes hard. Sat there for a minute with his face buried in his hands, then reached for the mouse again. A few clicks.
Tests → Completed → Grades.
A list of subjects appeared on the screen, with letters lined up neatly beside them.
Kyle blinked rapidly and let out a relieved breath.
Almost every completed test had an A next to it. Even Economics. Hopefully that would be enough to satisfy his teacher and spare him another one of his father's "pleasant phone calls."
History was the only exception — a B. Dates, battles, famous historical figures — none of it ever seemed to stick.
There were still English and Literature exams ahead. Lesser evils than Economics and History, but the odds of a perfect score were still slim.
Closing the grades page, Kyle glanced at the phone beside his keyboard. He stared at the locked screen for several seconds before finally picking it up.
No notifications.
He opened his messenger. Meg's chat sat at the top. Below it, the group chat with his friends. Darren's conversation rounded out the trio.
Following some internal impulse he couldn't quite explain, Kyle opened it.
Darren:
Can't make it this week.
Kyle:
Ok.
Darren:
Good luck with your exams.
Those messages were already two weeks old. The same amount of time since Kyle had last texted Darren. And Darren hadn't texted him either.
Work had apparently become a nightmare for him and Megan. They were finishing some project. That was why Kyle hadn't bothered him or asked him to come over for tutoring.
…A lie.
Again.
He simply couldn't bring himself to text him.
Several times a day, he opened their chat and reread their last messages. Waiting for something new to appear. It never did.
And his thoughts kept circling back to Darren more and more often. To the messages that never came. To this tense silence between them.
...But Darren could have written something himself, couldn't he? Asked how the midterms were going?
Kyle's gaze drifted automatically toward the pencil sitting in his desk organizer. He raised a hand toward his cheek, holding it an inch from his skin. Then slowly lowered his fingers, letting them hover near his lips.
He locked his phone and dropped it onto the desk.
Sliding lower in his chair, he rested his head against the backrest and stared at the dark ceiling. His gaze caught on the half-open curtain and the dim crescent moon beyond the window.
"What the hell is wrong with you..." he groaned into the silence. "Get a grip."
Kyle flinched at the sudden vibration of his phone. Holding his breath, he looked at the screen. Then immediately exhaled.
Just a TikTok notification.
He rolled his eyes.
Not long after, he shut down his computer and got into bed. For a while he simply lay there holding his phone, staring at the dark screen that almost dissolved into the darkness of the room.
When sleep finally claimed him, the phone was still resting loosely in his hand.
----------------------------------------
A knock at the door.
Kyle turned in his chair and saw Megan standing in the doorway.
"He-e-e-y..."
She stopped mid-sentence.
"Oh my God. You look like death."
Covering her mouth dramatically with one hand, she stared at him.
Kyle crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.
"Midterms."
"Oh, right." Megan smiled. "Totally slipped my mind. This project is eating me alive."
With a groan, she flopped onto the bed and looked up at him.
"I haven't even had time to talk to my favorite little brother all week."
"Can't say I'm too upset about that…"
"Hey!"
Kyle snorted and laughed quietly.
"How's the project?" he asked after a moment.
"Final stretch. If everything goes smoothly, we'll wrap up next week...". Megan stretched out on the bed. "I feel bad for Darren. He's got dark circles under his eyes just like yours. Been working himself into the ground these past few weeks."
"Mhm."
"So tutoring's still on hold? You two haven't been in touch?"
Kyle looked away.
"Nope. I've been busy too. Didn't want to bother him."
"Oh, come on. You could've at least asked how he was doing."
"Why?" Kyle frowned.
"Okay, fine. If you don't want to, you don't have to."
Disappointment slipped into her voice. She sighed.
"When are your midterms over?"
"Last one is Tuesday."
Megan suddenly sat upright.
"Oh!"
"What do you mean, 'oh'?"
"Do you want to come hang out with us at the end of the week?"
"'Us' meaning...?"
"Me. Darren. You."
Kyle hummed and looked away again.
"We want to unwind after the project is finished," she continued, ignoring his obvious lack of interest. "I already bought tickets..."
"Nope. Not going."
"...To the aquarium."
Kyle's gaze snapped back to her. His eyes widened. His heart immediately started beating faster.
"The aquarium?"
"Yep." She nodded. "I got three tickets. And honestly — when was the last time you actually left the house?"
"July…"
"For Fantastic Four. I remember." Megan pointed at him. "And what month is it now?"
"October."
Megan nodded, a thin ironic smile tugging at her lips.
"Exactly. October, Kyle."
Kyle shrugged as if he didn't see the problem.
Megan pressed a hand to her forehead.
"You're eighteen and you're already living like some kind of retired hermit-nerd."
"Wow. That's quite a title," Kyle drawled. "I kind of like it."
"So are you coming?"
"I'll think about it."
"Limited-time offer!" she said. "I'll just invite someone else instead."
"Ugh." Kyle slapped his palms against his knees. "Fine, I'll go."
"Perfect!" Megan beamed. "Now I just need to invite Darren."
"Wait."Kyle blinked. "He doesn't even know yet?"
"Hehe. It'll be a surprise."
In a single jump, Megan hopped off the bed, walked over, and kissed the top of his head.
"Hey! Personal space!"
"Yeah, yeah..."
Ignoring his attempts to shield himself, Megan kissed his hair one more time and quickly retreated to a safe distance.
"Good luck on your tests!" she said from the doorway. "I'm staying in the city until Wednesday, so I'll see you next week."
"Great. Finally, some sister-free time."
"You'll miss me by tomorrow. Just wait."
"Yeah, right..."
"Sweet dreams."
Megan lingered in the doorway, waiting.
Kyle let out a short breath.
"Night."
Megan winked, flashed her trademark wide smile, and disappeared into the hallway.
"Aquarium..." Kyle whispered, a hint of involuntary awe in his voice.
The next thought caught up with him almost immediately.
And Darren.