Trepidation | Sitkolson [ C ]

Chapter 23 | No

The school hallway seemed like it had even more people in it today. Either that or my nerves were getting the better of me.

When I left Angelo's house, my mind was running more than ever.

He said he could feel them... He said he could feel the presence of his friends that passed years ago. I couldn't say that it was just grief, or guilt, or any emotion getting in the way. I couldn't shoot down the opportunity that maybe he could feel them. But, what made me even more confused, was why he wanted me to speak to Ryan. If he and Ryan could both feel them, what would that mean? I couldn't not try and figure this out.

Just as the bell went, my chest collided with someone else's, and I tried my best not to at least chuckle at the irony.

Ryan seemed rather shocked, but didn't make a move to walk around me and continue his way down the crowded hallway.

"I have to talk to you," I said, looking up at him.

"Uh," He took a look around us, then nodded, "Yeah, okay. Just... Give me a second."

I let Ryan walk away, then leaned against a locker with a sigh.

I was far from what some people would consider as responsible, but I couldn't help but feel as if... I'm not sure. It's crazy—thinking about all of this. I mean, you'd never think that there was this much drama in someone's life. You never know just what they're going through, but you'd never expect it to be like this. I didn't, that's for sure.

I guess I was more focused on random shit in my head than my surroundings, because when Ryan returned and tapped my shoulder, I jumped with a gasp.

He let out a small chuckle, then tilted his head at me, "You needed to talk?"

I nodded, taking a look around at the emptying hall, "Yeah, but not here. Somewhere more... private?"

Ryan gestured behind him, "This way."

For a little over two minutes, I followed Ryan through the school, eventually ending up at the tree he usually sat at.

I sat in front of him, picking at the dying grass below me.

Trying to find the words was beyond difficult, but trying to maintain eye contact was harder.

It was awkward, and I could practically feel the slight tension from where I sat.

I cleared my throat, throwing the small blades of grass to the side, "Um... I spoke to Angelo the other day. And, he was really... He seemed pretty scared. He told me..."

When my voice trailed off, my words cracking and throat drying, and I showed no effort at trying to speak again, Ryan did.

"He told you what?" Ryan's eyes narrowed, curiosity etched into both his eyes and face.

"Angelo told me that," I took a deep breath, then started to pick at the blades of grass, yet again, to distract myself, "He could feel them—Vinny and Ryan Ashley. Well, he spoke about Vinny, but not Ryan Ashley... He said I had to speak to you, too. Why...?"

"Is this a–" Ryan's voice cracked, and he shut his mouth quickly. I assumed he didn't want to let his emotions get the better of him. Especially not in front of me.

"This can't be..." Ryan stood up, and I looked up at him.

Pushing myself up, I set a hand on Ryan's arm. It was rather hot, and very tense. My arm shook just touching him, but he didn't notice.

"Ryan," This time he looked at me, "What does he mean?"

Shaking his head, Ryan stepped back, causing my arm to drop back to my side, "I-I can't tell you that. I can't tell any of them that."

I had to hold myself back from rolling my eyes, to be honest, "Come on, Ryan. This is serious."

"And so I am," He retorted, now glaring at me. "Just like I was when I told you to piss off and leave me alone."

He hesitated for a second, like he was unsure of what to do. But, he later shook his head, ridding himself of whatever his thoughts were, and pushed past me, then stomped his way back towards the school.

I scoffed and turned around, "Ryan! Fuck- Really?! You're such a dick!"

Every single time, it's 'I can't tell you', 'You can't know', or 'Piss off, Ricky.' Every time, there was something stuck so far up his ass, he couldn't just accept the fact that someone wanted to help. I had no idea why everyone was acting the way they were, but it was getting old. The only way I'd be able to find out anything, would be to find out by myself. And that's exactly what I did.

A/N: Pretty bad 'I'm back!' chapter... Words can't describe how sorry I am for not updating recently. As usual, there's a lot going on right now. What seemed to somewhat brighten my mood, though, is the Patriots' win, and the fact that The Walking Dead returns in less than a week. I promise I will try my best to update as frequently as I used to. Again, I'm sorry.
(Also, I know that on the new cover where it says 'Sitkolson' the 'i' isn't visible. For some reason, 'i's aren't really visible in that font. Oops)
xxx