How To Love A Dead Boy

Chapter 14 | Never Let Go

"Oh okay, thanks," I reply, with a small smile. The boy shrugs.

"I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything," he says.

I watch him walk away and once he disappears into another room, I stand for a moment longer in the hallway, wondering as to what to do with myself. Once again, I feel myself drawn to go up stairs. Feeling  a little strange, I place my hand on the railing and slowly and carefully make my way up the long staircase, being careful not to make too much noise. 

Although to go snooping around someone's house wasn't really something I did on a regular basis, it felt a little less odd, having spent the last few days surrounded by Ryden. 

As I reach the top of the staircase, I look around the little landing at the several doors that line the small hall. Turning my head to the left, I find the door that I'm after. It's closed, but I know in my gut that it's the one that Ryden had ran into that night.

The floorboards beneath me creak with each step, as I tiptoe from the landing to the door. With my arm extended, I grasp the cool doorknob and stand at the door for a moment. I lean in and press my forehead against it. Staring down at the floorboards below, I take a deep breath and bit down on my lip.

My hand loosens on the doorknob and falls to my side. I take a step back, unable to go inside. Ryden might have come barging into my life, but I couldn't come up with a good enough reason to go barging into his. 

With a sigh, I make my way back down the stairs. Not really knowing what to do with myself, I walk down the hallway, looking at all the various paintings and photographs that line the walls. Halfway down, I find myself drawn to one particular photo - a family portrait. 

The sound of the front door opening disrupts my train of thought and I tear my eyes away from the family portrait. I make my way down the hallways and I find Mrs. Mitchells standing in the doorway. She sees me and a tired smile comes to her face.

"Lucy, it's so nice to see you again," she greets, pulling me in for a hug. I reciprocate her gesture and when we stand back from each other, they boy shows up.

"I hope Christopher took good care of you," she says looking over at him. He rolls his eyes and I smile.

"Yes, he did," I reply and I notice the boy's cheeks go a little red. Mrs. Mitchells turns back to me and tilts her head to the side.

"I'm so sorry I was late, I honestly completely forgot that we made arrangements on Saturday night. I'm actually surprised that you even knew where we lived!" she exclaims. I feel my cheeks burn red this time as I try to search my mind for a reason. Oh bugger, I hadn't thought about that! I suppose anyone would be surprised to find out a total stranger knew where they lived.

"I, I got the address of one of Ryden's friends," I finally reply and she smiles in response.

"Oh, of course! Anyway, I think that we'll reside in the living room. Christopher, can you make some tea for our guest?" Mrs. Mitchells says.

Christopher groans in response and while he goes off into the kitchen, I follow Mrs. Mitchells into their living room. We sit down on opposite sofas and she smiles at me.

"So, tell me everything. I want to know every detail you can remember, without it being too hurtful, of the night my son died."

***

I spend almost two hours inside the Mitchells residence, and at just after six o'clock, I'm lead outside by Christopher after saying my goodbyes to his mother. I wave goodbye and am just about to walk away when he stops me, grabbing my backpack. I stop in my tracks and turn to him. The light from inside of the house splashes onto the porch and Christopher looks behind him, almost to check that Mrs. Mitchells isn't in earshot.