Tod swam in front of Luo, trying to catch his attention. "Don't tempt me… I know passionate CPR—"
"Tod—"
"What? What do you want me to say?" Tod shrugged, though there was a flicker of worry in his voice now. "Either he's ghosting us for dragging him into this pond, or something's seriously wrong."
Martins swam over and grabbed Luo by the shoulders, searching his face. His pulse was steady. His breathing was fine. His eyes looked… normal. Maybe too normal.
"Uh… Luo—?"
Before Martins could finish, Luo gently removed his hands and climbed out of the pond without a word.
The three boys watched in confusion as Luo quietly picked up his clothes, his phone, and his bag, then started walking—further into the woods.
"Should we, like… follow him? Or…?" Gavin asked, gripping the edge of the pond.
"Oh, come on. I'm sure he's fine," Tod said, quickly shaking it off. He splashed a wave of water at Martins, trying to lighten the mood. "Let's keep playing!"
"Martins?" Gavin called when Martins didn't respond.
"Sorry, I just… I hope he's alright." Martins let out a breath, trying to shake the unease. He suddenly grinned and splashed Tod in the face. "Anyway—who knew pond bathing could actually be this fun?"
Tod laughed and retaliated, and just like that, the boys were back to playing in the water. But Martins couldn't shake the feeling gnawing at the back of his mind.
The next day at school, Martins sat at his usual desk, wedged between Gavin and Tod. He glanced behind him—Luo's seat was empty.
"Huh…" Martins hummed. "Luo's not here yet?"
"Probably late," Tod said, flicking his water bottle and landing it perfectly on the desk.
"Nice," Gavin cheered.
"Yeah… nice one, Tod," Martins mumbled, but his heart wasn't in it. His fingers drummed anxiously on his desk.
First period passed. Then second. Third. Still no sign of Luo.
By break, the three of them sat by the school fence, quietly eating their snacks. Martins stared at his phone, the screen glowing with another unanswered call.
"You guys think Luo's okay?" Martins asked, worry creeping into his voice. "His phone's ringing. It's not dead. He's just not picking up."
"Now that you mention it…" Gavin mumbled through a mouthful of bread and jam, "yeah, I'm kinda getting worried now."
"Maybe he got sick after the pond thing yesterday," Tod offered, trying to sound chill, but even he seemed unsure now. "Maybe he's just resting at home."
"Yeah… maybe." Martins' voice trailed off as he stared down at his phone, his thumb hovering over the call button.
But something in his gut told him this wasn't just a sick day.