Running On Empty

Chapter 26~Jaylin~

"Young Master, I am beyond happy that you brought a friend here. I was beginning to worry that would continue to not smile as much as you have been. Thank goodness that you found someone to talk to!" I could feel Garrett's embrace get tighter around me. I must have made him and Madeline concerned this year. I never meant to and felt bad to doing so.

"My name is Jaylin, remember?" I smiled back, patting him on the back. He really does care about me. Madeline does as well.

"Of course, I do. It is my job to be formal in front of strangers though, as the Headmaster has instructed me to do." Garrett lets go of me and goes back to preparing my bed for the night.

He lays out a spare futon on the floor, ready to offer Sota to stay the night already! Soon my room is transformed so that I could have my friend spend the night. My room didn't have very many things in it. Just a bed, a working desk and a dresser that I suddenly saw that the two of them had bought one day.

"I'm not sure that he'll be spending the night with

me." I rubbed the back of my head, once more flashing back to the night where I had first met Silya. She was the first person that had ever spent the night with me. It seems like She had already taken so many of my firsts.

"Sure, I am!" Sota comes in suddenly, his eyes filled with amazement. He places his hands on my shoulder and starts laughing.

To the side, Madeline whispers to Garrett, causing him to erupt with laughter. Madeline pulls me to the side and gives me an approving nod. She looks at Sota and smiles at him suddenly. Sota waves back at her, watching me for a bit before talking about how amazing my room looked. Sota called his family who told him that I would be alright if he wanted to have a sleepover. Was it strange for two guys in their senior year of high school to be spending the night together?

Sota lays on his futon with his hands on his stomach after dinner. "Jaylin, Madeline-san makes really good rice balls! I am surprised at how great the plum pickles were. Usually I put salmon or tuna in my rice balls. "

"Yeah, it was pretty good." I had my back to him once more. Why was it still bothering me that I didn't feel comfortable with this guy? Obviously, he was a good guy, befriending the most unsociable person in the class.

"Is something wrong?" Sota stands up and walks over to only sit down next to my bed.

"Hey, Jaylin, sorry about this. I must be rude for suddenly inviting myself over like this. I honestly want to know more about you. You have got to believe me."

Believe me, people will only hurt you my son.

I look at Sota and smiled half-hardy. "We should get to bed."

Remember, everyone is just using you for their selfish desires. Don't let this go! I'm the only one that you can trust. After all, she left us. She left her son and her husband to take away a girl.

Why was my father's voice constantly replaying in my mind? Why was he trying to convince me of lies again? No! I don't believe this!

Your sister is gone because of her. I hate her. I resent ever falling in love with her. This girl Silya is in my way. She's bothersome, so don't you even try to befriend someone else like her in the future.

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There is a dark tunnel that has two paths. I see that I am in an underground passage. There are rats crawling around everywhere. Where was this place? I see myself screaming at my father as he ties me up to a chair. My father was dressed in the usual formal way, but his face in this vision was more wicked than ever. I saw myself crying after a while. My father had a table laid out of tools spread before him. It looked to be tools that doctors would use.