They Call It Heart

Chapter 54, Don't Let Me Go

Amalia

I came home alone for the Easter holiday. Julian had musical obligations lined up over the long weekend, so he stayed in Dallas. Fortunately, he wasn't here when Marvin passed. It allowed me to attend the funeral without making up an excuse if he wanted to tag along.

Old Marv's death sorrowed the entire team, but he held an incredibly close bond with Talan. Aware of the devastating impact Marv's death would have on Talan, I was determined to provide him with any support I could, however insignificant it might seem. I still care about him.

Mom and Dad had volunteered to serve food at the community center after the funeral with Dean, Chase, and Rayna.

I left with Jaxon and Erik because Jaxon and I scheduled late morning flights out from Lakeside tomorrow, so I needed to wash clothes and pack. I'm sitting in the living room with them, waiting for my clothes to dry, oblivious to whatever they watch on television. Thoughts of Talan consume my mind. Picturing his devastation, I wish I could have done more to comfort him, but we're not even friends anymore.

When Marvin's granddaughter read a poem she wrote about him, Talan buried his face in his hands, his body shaking, crushing my heart and sending my tears pouring. Jaxon, who was sitting beside me on the bleachers, pulled me into a hug.

"He'll be okay, Ama. I'll do whatever I can to help him."

A loud, fast pounding interrupts my sad thoughts, and I spring to my feet, yanking the door open to see Kade frantic. He bursts inside, breathless and wearing no shoes.

"Talan lost it! He left town, and he's been drinking. I was gonna call you guys to help me talk sense into him, but he ran off as soon as I let him out of sight. I tried to follow him, but I couldn't catch up. So, I turned around and came here."

"Even if you caught up, he probably wouldn't have stopped for you," Jaxon says.

"I know. It was stupid, but I panicked."

Jaxon's features crease with worry. "Was he just drinking, or was he drunk?"

"He didn't seem drunk; he looked exhausted and torn up. I only know he drank because I smelled it on his breath. Then he admitted he had a few shots when I asked about it. I don't know what to do now because if I report him and he gets a DUI charge, it might hurt his Olympic candidacy. He'll never forgive me."

"If Talan only had a few shots, maybe he's just buzzed. It should wear off fast from his metabolism as long as he stopped drinking, and you're sure he wasn't drunk?" Jaxon says questioningly.

"I'm not sure. That's the problem."

Erik says, "Buzzed driving is drunk driving, according to a billboard I read."

Frustrated, Jaxon groans. "I don't want to get him into trouble, but Erik's right. Since we don't know how much he drank, we must report him, especially with the fog coming. The visibility was awful last night." Jaxon looks at Kade, pointing to himself with his thumbs. "I'll take the blame for reporting him. He's still a little mad at me, anyway. Maybe they can stop him up ahead. Do a welfare check on him or something, and hopefully, he isn't drunk."

It doesn't faze me that Jaxon would take the blame for Kade. Jaxon is over a month older than Talan. Coupling that with Jaxon's bossy personality, he always acted like he was the older brother to us all.

I squint my eyes in curiosity as I question Jaxon. "Why is he mad at you?"

"Because of my gigantic, know-it-all mouth!" His cranky reply is no kind of answer.

Jaxon calls Talan first, but his phone is off, so Jaxon calls Dad, learning he and Mom are almost home. Then, Dad reports Talan's vehicle.

Later, I get Erik alone in the kitchen while he fixes himself a sandwich, and I ask him about Jaxon and Talan.