IncuBUST

My Fear or Yours?

The next morning, I had parked the car in the employee parking lot at the vet's office and was making my way towards the front door when I felt a tingling along the back of my neck. Someone called my name, and I glanced over at the medium sized patch of grass near the entrance where people could take their pets to relieve themselves before coming into the building. There was a trash can, a dispenser filled with pet waste disposal bags and a bench. On that bench was Nikolai.

"Chase," he repeated hopping up off the bench and racing over to me. I smiled uncertainly and said, "Hey, Niki. What are you doing here? Is Juno okay?"

"What? Oh yeah, she's fine. I'm here to talk about Octavia," he replied coming to stand next to me.

"What about her?" I asked glancing through the glass doors at the waiting room beyond.

"Where is she?" Niki retorted and I shrugged saying, "At school presumably." He scowled and snapped, "Don't act cute with me, Chase. I saw the email from her guidance counselor. It said she was staying with a friend that lives in her old apartment building."

"Well, you know, she goes to school with her old landlady's daughter. Maybe--"

"I can feel when you're lying, Chase. What the hell is going on?" he interrupted, and I looked back through the entrance.

"Can we talk about this later? I'm going to be late for work," I said, and he snapped, "No! My mom is worried sick. Celeste and Augie miss their cousin. Why are you doing this?"

"I'm not doing anything, Nikolai," I hissed, "I'm just trying to keep Octavia safe. I'd like to do the same for you."

"For me? What are you talking about?" he exclaimed, and I wriggled in frustration fighting the urge to whine.

"I want to talk to you, Niki, I really do, but I can't right now. I take my lunch at one. Meet me here. In the meantime, trust that everything I'm doing is in Octavia's best interest." He stared at me for several long seconds before nodding and saying, "Fine, but you better be here."

"I will," I replied with a smile, "And I'll explain everything."

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I clocked out a few minutes after one and left the vet's office finding Nikolai sitting once again on the bench near the grass patch. I walked over to him, and he stood.

"You have lunch yet?" I asked and he shook his head. We fell in step next to each other and I gestured down the street saying, "There's a great little diner nearby." He smiled and said, "Cool, but this time, I'm paying."

We walked for a few minutes before he asked, "Okay, so what's up with you and Octavia?" I sighed and replied, "She stayed with me over the weekend."

"Figured," he said, "Why?" I jammed my fists into the pockets of my scrub pants and glanced around saying, "Last week, I was assaulted outside the Sweetwater Iceplex. Some-some punk kids threw balloons filled with animal blood at me."

"Oh my god, Chase, are you okay?" he exclaimed placing his hand on my shoulder. I smiled at him and replied, "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Did you report it to the police?" he inquired, and I nodded saying, "Yes, and on Friday the three boys were arrested."

"Who was it?" he asked. By now we had ceased walking and were standing in the middle of the empty sidewalk. I looked up at him and said, "Gage Petrakis, Brandon White and Ethan Payne." I could see the names under their yearbook photos clear as day in my mind's eye.