She quickly shook her head, forcing the thought away. But no matter how reasonable she tried to be, no matter how she reassured herself, a small sting still rose in her chest…
Again, that faint, uncomfortable crackling feeling inside her, like a weak spark biting at her heart.
She hated it…
She texted Otis:
"Richard, where are you? Are you okay?"
But nothing came back. Otis didn't reply.
At this point, Mei was genuinely worried. She began texting Otis's roommate.
"Is Otis in the dorm?"
They were in the same department different classes, but same major, so they all had each other's contact information. His roommate replied:
"He went out already. Left a little after five. Why?"
Mei answered, "It's nothing, thank you."
She started calling Otis.
What greeted her was a cold, mechanical voice:
"The number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later…"
Mei's heart sank further. She pressed her lips tightly together.
What on earth happened?
