Chasing Shadows

Part One ~ Chapter Twenty-One

            Matt and Andrew joined us last. Andrew sat down across from me, and I couldn’t help but suppress a smile. “Hey you.”

            “Hey yourself.”

            “All of us together again!” Matt raised his glass of water. “To surviving this last week.”

            “I’ll drink to that.” I raised up my glass.

            “Wha-?” Andrew looked confused.

            “We’ll explain later,” Julia help up her glass too.

            “Cheers!”

            The rest of the dinner felt like something I hadn’t had in a while. We traded stories and laughed as if nothing was wrong. Andrew teased me relentlessly; it was weird to think I actually had missed our hateful banter. It was all going good until it came to dessert.

            “So,” Kyle leaned into our side of the table. “I’m sorry I never got to Skype you guys back, we had some internet troubles at my house. Did you solve everything with your dad?”

            There was a silence as we all traded looks.

            “What’s he talking about?” Andrew demanded. “And what was this Matt was saying about surviving the week?”

            “Andrew…” Matt started. “I don’t think we should tell you in here.”

            “Did something happen!?”

            “Yeah… It’s no big deal. Well, I mean it was but it’s over now.”

            Andrew looked at me. “Those three texts you sent me, you never bothered to mention something was going on?”

            “Don’t blame her, we didn’t tell you because it wouldn’t have done you any good. You just would’ve sat at home and worried.”

            Andrew sighed and picked at his dessert with a fork. “Great. But you told Kyle? No offense.”

            “None taken.”

            “Amy will explain it all to you,” Julia piped up.

            “What?”

            “After dinner.” Julia looked over at me, giving me a look. As if this was my chance to make it right when I talked about Tim.

            “Right. Sure.”

            “Fine,” Andrew took a bite of his pie. “But I want the whole story.”

            “Then the whole story you will get.”

***

            We headed out to Center Circle to talk, where there was less of a chance of being heard yet we could still feel like others were nearby.

            “Are you okay?” He looked at me.

            “What do you mean?”

            “Something happened to you over break.”

            “I’m fine.” I sighed. “Well, I think I am.”

            “Are you sure?”

            “I don’t think you’re going to rest easy either after I tell you something.” I started to play with my cuticles and inspect them a little too closely. “Prepare yourself.”