Chapter 12: Why her?
Keith’s room was dim, lit only by the soft bluish glow of his laptop screen and the flickering pause icon on Netflix.
Phoebe lay beside him on the bed, her bare leg draped casually over his, her head resting near his shoulder. His arm was lazily wrapped around her waist, fingers tracing tiny circles on her back like it was second nature.
"I’m so sorry I came late," she murmured, voice muffled against his hoodie. "Was caught up in the whole Merlina drama."
Keith chuckled, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "Drama ? Like boy drama ?"
Phoebe sat up a little, seriousness clouding her usual playful tone. "No, Keith. It’s something serious. I just found out her mom—like, her actual mom was a teacher here. She was assaulted and murdered. On campus."
Keith’s body tensed. His hand froze on her back, then slowly pulled away. "Wait... what did you say?"
"She told me her mom was Mrs. Marjorie Sanchez. An Eco professor or something. Do you know her?"
Keith went dead quiet. Zoned out, like someone just yanked him straight out of reality. His gaze drifted past her, fixed on a spot across the room, completely blank.
Phoebe snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Uh, Earth to Keith? You good?"
He blinked rapidly, coming back to himself. "Yeah. Yeah, sorry. Just... that name hit hard."
"So you do know her?"