Life Lines

20: The Puppy That Never Went Home

"You're not supposed to." He looked up at me, a little concerned. "Not yet. Not until Saturday."

"You know, I might turn sooner than that. You never know."

"Actually I do." He took the stones back from me, curling his hand around them. I wouldn't have noticed him take a step back but the streak showed me what he was doing before he did it. "I have to..."

"Yeah," I snapped. "Go." I didn't know why I was getting upset. Didn't I just want him to leave a few minutes ago? "My dad or Schylar will probably come looking for me any second now."

There was no hesitation as he walked across the concrete, his back as stiff as a board. But then he paused randomly, like if he took another step away it would be painful.

"I meant what I said."

"You've said a lot tonight."

I was angry and I was tired, not to mention upset and emotionally exhausted. There would be nothing better than for this night to end, for this week to end really. I was slowly coming to terms with the fact I would never get him back. No matter if I turned Elite or not. Things would be different and there was no way of going back.

"Ce?"

He was about to take another step but stopped the second I said something. He turned to face me, the double barely visible now as well as the blue streak. The light from the kitchen casted out, making most of him visible. The purple line that ran across his cheekbone, splitting with one curling around his eye and the other looping around his top lip made him look very strange.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for being here tonight. I don't know what happened but...it meant a lot to me."

He glanced into the darkness in front of him for a second before walking back over. Part of me was giddy, jumping with joy that he wasn't leaving just yet. Another part of me was wondering where my two favorite people were. They should've been to check on me by now.

One of his hands slipped into mine very carefully, the 'kissing stones' gone for now it looked like. It occurred to me that I might need to do some research on those.

"Tally, whether you want it to be or not, I'm going to show up randomly. I know it's confusing and you don't like it but...I missed you. I was worried something might happen tonight after you got home and I was right."

I looked up at him and nodded. Tears were trying to fill up the bottom of my vision and I forced my eyes to look away, to do anything so they wouldn't spill out. Crying just wasn't something that should happen. There was no point at the moment. There never was really.

"I'm not supposed to tell you this but...the next couple of days are going to suck. You're going to get sicker and it's going to feel like it's never going to end. But when it does, I'll be there, just like when you got your tonsils taken out and couldn't talk for two weeks."

"Promise?" I whispered.

He nodded. "I'm not even playing this weekend. That should tell you something."

"Ce, you don't have to do that. You should play if you want to play."

"Tally, I've been waiting for you to turn Elite since we were fifteen. Do you honestly think I'm going to miss the first chance I get to spend time with you on a golf course?"

"You spent the last three years..."

"Watching you. I'll be there on Saturday. I promise."

I hugged him before he could go anywhere. I could sense him trying to draw back, the blue/gold streak heading for where he'd stood across the drive. But the second I did that, the streak disappeared. At least for now.