Invisible

Invisible Chapter 30

“I’ve tried, but the second I start talking to her she runs or yells at me. I don’t want to drag you into the middle of this, Evie, but…could you try…I mean, just try to convince her that I still love her, and if she ever stops hating me long enough to listen, I’ll explain everything?”

“I’ll try,” Evie says, “but it may take a while.”

I cringe inwardly. Time isn’t something I have a lot of. If nothing else, I’ll sit on Olivia. I’ll force her to listen to me. I have to try.

But first, I need to deal with Robin. She is the worst liar I’ve ever met, and last night is not something I’m going to forget. I march toward her first hour class. By the time I get there, class has already started and there’s no way for me to get inside without causing a stir, so I stand in front of the window staring at her.

There’s no way she doesn’t see me, but she keeps her eyes trained neatly on the whiteboard. Her fingers move precisely as she takes notes. I watch every stroke, waiting for her to run out of words. She’s so focused, she jumps when the bell rings and knocks her water bottle off her desk. Some kid I don’t know sets it back on her desk and moves on without speaking. Robin fumbles through getting her things back in her bag, moving slowly toward the door.

She tries to pretend me latching onto her arm and dragging her through the halls doesn’t affect her. Nobody finds it odd that she’s tripping over her own feet and bumping into people. It’s Robin, after all. I yank her out to the empty football field and gesture harshly for her to take a seat on the bleachers. She does.

Sitting down next to her, I try to limit my frustration to only the portion she deserves and not everything simmering inside of me. I’m not terribly successful.

“You lied to me last night.” The heat in my voice makes her shrink in on herself.

Robin squirms a minute before answering. “I know.”

“Why?” I demand.

Her bottom lip quivers. “Because…I couldn’t tell you how I knew about Olivia going with you, maybe, or why mentioning the police scared away the Sentinel.” She drops her head into her hands.

I don’t give her an easy way out. The weight of my body sitting down next to her makes the old bleachers creak. My presence seems to have a similar effect on Robin. She groans as she squeezes her head.

“I told my parents…about you.”

Every cell in my body becomes electric. Energy sizzles across my skin as panic begins flooding through my veins. I am almost too freaked out to speak. Somehow, my voice erupts of its own free will. “You what?” I scream.

“I had to, Mason. It was the only way to find out what you needed to know, and it’s okay. They promised not to tell anyone. None of the other Caretakers know. Only my mom and dad, I promise.”

Robin sits trembling at my feet, her eyes wide and fearful as she waits for me to respond. Her words jumble in my head. I can’t seem to figure out what they mean. The pounding need to act, to run, is overpowering everything else. I have to force myself to breathe and think in order to respond.

“What?”

Okay, not much of a response, but it’s all I can manage at the moment. I feel like I am on the verge of losing it completely.

“I tried asking my grandma more, but she hasn’t been well the past few days. I tried asking my parents, but they got suspicious right away. I had to tell them or they were going to pack up and make me move again. I couldn’t leave not knowing if you were okay.” Robin’s voice is pleading, begging me to understand.