Behind

Chapter 44

Have you ever walked into a room and felt like people were already conversing about you? Well that's how it felt when I walked into my house to see Shawn and Nash sitting at my dining room tables, their phones in their hands. 

"Hey sis." Shawn smiled. The term "sis" made my insides feel fuzzy, in a foreign, warm, and uncomfortable way. 

"How was school?" Nash asked. 

"Are you really asking me that?" I spoke as I took my shoes off. 

"Just trying to be nice." Nash mumbled. 

I realized that things have died down from the argument last night. I just want to put it behind me and hope my mom gets over it and ungrounds me. I don't even know if she realizes I'm grounded. I could probably ask to go out with the guys and she's gladly allow my exit. 

"Where'd you go?" Shawn asks, scrolling on his phone. "You walked from the opposite direction."

"I," I racked my brain for a quick fib. "Walked Carmina home." 

Shawn stared at his phone, but Nash stared at me skeptically. The stare held on my eyes for only a few moments before returning to his phone as well. 

It's disappointing that lies flow freely and painlessly through my mouth. I should feel a pang of guilt each time I say the words, but it doesn't hit me until later on. Until it's too late to take anything back.

Eager to change the subject, I sit down at the table across from Nash and Shawn. "Any news on Matt?" 

"He's still sick in the head, in and out of conciousness." Shawn spoke sadly from his side of the table. He set his phone on the wood. "I can't tell whether I believe he wrote those notes or not."

"He didn't." I blurted. 

Nash looked up and Shawn stared at me.

"I just have a feeling he didn't." I covered. "Matt doesn't seem like that type of person."

JC's words rang in my ears. Don't let them believe that he did it. 

I traced my finger on the grains of wood on the table. "Matt was practically brain dead for all of this time, how could he have woken up to write a dumb note?" 

"He could have written it before and his accomplice could have transferred it on." Shawn spoke plainly. 

"Or someone could have easy forged his handwriting." Nash had a point.

I shrugged. "I just don't think he did it."

Shawn and Nash looked back down at their electrical devices. 

"Meeting tonight." My mom walked into the room with the home phone in her hand. "Bart just called."

"Another meeting?" Nash groaned. He straightened his posture when he realized he was complaining to my mom, someone he tried to look good in front of. He cleared his throat and sat up straighter in his seat. "Alright."

"And they're bringing in Mahogany and Jacob tonight."

Shawn slapped his phone on the table. "Why?" 

"Not sure, maybe to introduce them, maybe something's happening." Mom looked sympathetically at him. "Is there an issue?"

"They're just the two nicest people I've met and I hate them coming in." 

I scrunched my eyebrows and felt the wrinkles form on my forehead. That was an odd reason to be mad.

Nash looked at me. "They're also higher specialists than the other guys."