Behind

Chapter 26

I hopped in my car and Shawn quickly slid into the passenger's seat. We sped out of the hotel parking lot and towards my house not even thirty minutes into my training session.

"At least they're not going to find us." Shawn amused as we pulled up to my street. 

"Yeah." I choked out a laugh. I've never been so nervous and, honestly, scared to be home.

I shut my door and slowly walked around to Shawn's door where I met him as he got out. We walked up to the front porch together. Somehow standing next to him felt weird, I mean he was only about 9 months younger than me, yet he felt like he was older and out to protect me.

Protect me. He doesn't want me to hangout with Nash because he thinks I'll get hurt. It all makes sense now.

I grabbed the door handle and Shawn pulled my hand back. He forced my eyes up to his. "Listen, I know you're going to hear a lot tonight. And you may not be ready to hear it." My eyes strayed away but he moved his head to hold my attention. "But you need to hear it all now."

I nodded and blinked slowly. He let my hand go and I put my hand back on the door knob and turned it slowly. Shawn kicked off his shoes and I mindlessly copied him. For some reason it seemed that Shawn had been here more than just the time that I had invited him over for dinner.

We walked into the dining room and my mom was seated at the table. Looking at her wasn't the same, it felt different and unfamiliar. 

She smiled and tears welled in her eyes. She stood up and walked around to us. Before she made another move, she quickly looked to the windows around us and closed all of the curtains. She walked to the front door, peeked out of it, then quickly locked it. Following all of her peculiar safety procedures, she ran over to us and brought us both in a tight hug. Shawn was squished tightly to my side and to relieve the awkwarness he put his arm around me as well. I didn't let my arms budge. 

"I never thought I'd ever get to experience this hug." My mom said shakily to the top of my head, but to Shawn's tall shoulder. He was way taller than us both.

I pulled away from the hug and my mom wiped her tears. Shawn sniffed a little, but it didn't seem that he was crying.

I walked to the table and sat down across from where my mom was previously sitting. Shawn and my mom looked at me.

"Can we start this or what?" I asked with an irritated tone. As the words escaped my mouth, Shawn and my mom bounced to life and sat down across the table from me. 

"So," my mom said, crossing her fingers. The light that hung low over the dining room table made the scene of the room resemble an interrogation office at a police station. Shadows dimmed the outskirts of our facial features and the quietness of the house around us made the task of talking sharp and difficult.

"Where should I start?" She awkwardly asked. "This isn't exactly how I ever thought you two would be joined together for the first time."

"Hmm," I hummed loudly. "Probably at the fact that I have a brother and you've kept it from me for, oh, I don't know, my whole life." 

Shawn looked at the smooth wood grains on the table and my mom tapped her fingers lightly against the wooden surface. "It was for your own good, trust me."

"I don't care what my 'own good' is anymore. I'd just like to be told the truth." I shot. "What else do you know?"

"I know that you're a part of Magcon."

I rolled my eyes. "Well yeah, of course I am."

"No," she stared. "I know you're apart of-" she emphasized the next word dramatically. "Magcon."