It was almost midnight. They finally landed safely and now they were just a few kilometers distance away from Trish's place.
Tristan kept on glancing at the two silent weirdos in front of him—Whifler driving and Tanya in the front seat.
They were literally silent throughout their trip which was new to him, especially Tanya. She was supposed to be blabbering at this moment but, right now, she was weirdly quiet.
Yes, they might be tired but, he noticed their stillness since this morning. They didn't talk unless they needed to ask or say something important to him. Also, their gloomy vibe was obvious.
Was it because of Melissa's death? He wanted to ask them but, he was too tired to do so.
"We're here," Whifler told as he parked in front of Trish's house.
Tristan went out first and then halted when he saw Tanya and Whifler also got out of the car.
"You're both staying here?" he asked. Whifler nodded and Tanya just averted her gaze, holding her things, then she headed inside.
Tristan helped Whifler get the other stuff left, then they followed Tanya inside.
Although he was befuddled at their weird behaviors, Tristan just ignored it and posthaste towards his room. He was too tired to deal with them. They might just be really tired, too.
Without changing his clothes, Tristan instantly fell asleep.
.
.
.
Tristan woke up from several rings of his alarm. He groaned and got up to shut it off.
The digital clock displayed 9:45 am. With his half-closed eyes, he glanced at his phone. He was waiting for Summer's reply since yesterday. He did call her but, she was out of reach. He sent a lot of messages but, no replies at all.
'Is she busy?', he thought as he fixed himself—changing his yesterday's outfit with a pair of navy blue pajamas—then, he went out of his room.
He paused when he reached the living room. Everyone was there; Tanya, Whifler, and Trish. They were like in a serious meeting with frowned faces. Seemed like they were deeply problematic over something.
He went past them and headed to the kitchen. He poured a glass of lukewarm water and drank it.
"When did you come home?" Tristan asked Trish as he went back to the living room.
"Yesterday," Trish weakly responded.
"How was it? Did you tell mom?" Tristan was now seated beside Trish—at the left corner of the couch.
"No... Not yet. I'm still waiting for the results, too."
"She's out of town right now, isn't she?"
Trish worriedly looked at Tristan. "Yes."
"Right." Tristan looked at his phone, scrolling his inbox up and down while waiting for Summer's reply.
While he was busy rummaging his phone, Whifler and Tanya were observing him. They would glance at each other then, turned their gazes back to Tristan.
They were all worried and bothered. They wanted to say something to him but, seemed like their tongue was tied up. They couldn't bring themselves to talk to him first.
Trish was starting to feel nervous. Her heart was racing, peeking at Tristan while scanning his phone. Whifler and Tanya felt the same as they stared at his thumb clicking on his phone's screen.
Summer literally took over the internet. The news about what happened to her was all over social media. Even at every turn of the television channel, her name was there.
Thus, their heart was dropping at every tick of his keyboard's tone—anxious that he might see one of the news about Summer.
Although they planned to tell him the truth, they were still afraid of how would he take it. The thought of his reaction was making them hesitant.
"Did you receive any messages from Summer?" Everyone flinched and remained silent. Their gazes were averted which made him more curious and confuse.
"What the hell is going on? You're all acting strange since yesterday." Tristan glanced at each of them. Still, he didn't receive any response.
"Okay?" his brows knitted, wondering. He just ignored them and turned his attention back to his phone then once again dialed Summer's number.
'Were they still mourning? Yeah. Melissa. I almost forgot.', he thought as he put his phone near to his right ear but, Summer's number was unavailable.
'She's still unreachable? Why?', he confusedly stared at his phone's screen.
'Summer was probably like them as well right now, was she? Should I go to her?'
Tristan was contemplating whether to go to her place to comfort her or just stay and respect her space.
He turned his head and looked at them. "Did Summer tell you where she at? I wanted to go to her. Ah! Right, I'll ask Amber."
They all jolted at what he said then they shouted the word 'No' in chorus.
Now, he finally got a response from them but, weirdly enough, they were all surprised.
"No, what?"
Whifler clenched his fist while Tanya and Trish formed a depressed look on their faces. They didn't know where to start or how to explain everything to him. They were brainstorming about it since earlier but, they just couldn't say it to him upfront.
They knew how Summer influenced Tristan. Not to mention the overflowing happiness seen in his eyes whenever she was around him.
He was completely a different person when he was with Summer. He was definitely at ease and content. Above all, he loved Summer.
Trish glanced at Tristan and notice he was getting annoyed by their silence. She bit her lower lip and mustered her courage.
"T-Tristan. I-I have something to tell you, but! But! Please... Stay calm."
"What? Just say it," Tristan told irritatedly. He was really confused and felt uncanny.
Trish clenched her fist and gripped the tip of her skirt tightly. The loud pounding of her heart was doubled. She couldn't think straight, the words were jumbled in her thoughts.
What? What should she say to him? How would she explain it? Where should she start? Was it the right decision to tell him the truth?
With great hesitation, Trish glanced at Whifler to gain more courage. Whifler understood her gaze so, he nodded to show his support.
Trish looked at Tristan's confused face and took a faint sigh. "S-Summer's gone, Tristan."
"Gone?" Tristan's forehead wrinkled. "Where did she go? What do you mean?"
Trish's heart tightened as she stared at his clueless expression. At this moment, she wanted to hide the truth and just let him maintain that innocent look.
No, she wasn't ready yet. She wasn't ready to see the pain in his face. She preferred to see that blank stares and clueless eyes rather than desolation. No. He shouldn't know. She couldn't take it.
"Trish. What do you mean? Did she leave? Where? Tell me!" Tristan's heart started to race. Confusion was swallowing him up.
Although he was uncertain what she was talking about, he felt a strange panic. Seemed like unpleasant words were about to come out of her mouth. Something that he wouldn't want to hear.
He heard Trish sob. Her tears fell nonstop so as Tanya's. He was totally at sixes and sevens listening to them while weeping.
He looked at Whifler who was also in discomfort. "Whifler. What's going on?"
Whifler lifted his eyes and weakly stared directly at him. "Summer's dead, Tristan. She's gone."