The Real Ram

Chapter 45

 I walk into the cafeteria and spot Beast and Shawn. I sit by them and Beast moves a bottle of water towards me. I nod silently and take it.

"Where've you been?" Shawn asks.

"Around," I reply.

"Trish visited us an hour ago wondering if you had stopped by our room," Beast said.

"What did you tell her?"

"That I had left you at your room last I saw you. I thought you were going to rest up?"

"There was a lot on my mind that kept that from happening," I say softly.

Trish sees me before I do. She sets her food down and sits beside me. I know she's still angry. I can feel it. I don't even know why. I mean I did walk out, but she was asking personal questions and she should has no right to expect an answer. Yet here we are, and she gets to be angry at me for some odd reason.

Beast picks up on the tension between us, but Shawn doesn't. He never does...

"Hey Zoe, are you gonna eat?" he asks.

"No, I'm not very hungry."

"Why not?"

When I don't answer Trish scoffs, "You just love leaving questions unanswered, don't you?"

I shake my head, "I'm not sure how to respond to that."

"You never know how," Trish mumbles.

"Why are you so angry at me?" I ask, knowing I should just leave it. I notice Beast's facial expression is giving the same advice.

"Why won't you tell me what happened?" She asks.

"Nothing happened."

"So the closet magically just body slammed itself?"

"You're fighting over a broken closet?" Shawn asks.

"No, idiot," Trish turns to him, "Zoe's hiding the fact that someone slammed her into her closet breaking it, and refuses to tell me who."

"Are you okay?" Beast asks me. His sudden concern makes me want to avoid his eye contact.

"Trish you shouldn't assume," I say.

"Well you won't tell me!" She shouts, "What happened then?"

"He didn't throw me," I mumble, "I threw him."

Trish and Beast's eyes bug out, "What?" They say in unison.

Shawn looks up, taking a moment to stop scarfing down his food to say, "She said she threw him."

"Who?" Trish asks.

"You guys won't even care," I say, but really I just don't want to tell them. I don't like the pressure. I hate attention, especially if it's a subject involving John.

"Of course we care," Trish says, "Who was it? How'd they get in there? Why?"

I sigh and look down.

"See why I'm mad?" Trish exclaims. She sits back in her chair, folding her arms.

"John, right?" Shawn says taking a sip of his soda.

I look at him, confused as to how he knew.

"Shawn?" Trish and Beast both look confused as well.

"What? She didn't want to say it," Shawn replies.

Beast looks at me, "Is he right? Did John show up?" I look down and he and Trish visibly seem unnerved.

"What did he do?" Trish asks.