The Perfect Balance

Chapter Fourteen

I go downstairs to the basement, turn on the light, and snag the remote from it's place on the table. I distract myself by searching for a movie for us to watch. "Hot, hot, hot!" Diana hisses a few minutes later as she emerges with a microwaved plate of pizza and a large bottle of soda with two plastic cups on top. She practically slams the plate down on the table as she shakes her hand rapidly.

"You okay?" I ask, watching as she begins pouring the soda.

"Yes," she answers. "Are you?"

"No..." I mumble. "I left a part out of the story."

She looks at me curiously as she hands me my drink. "Go on," she presses.

"I did something stupid, too," I tell her. I explain the situation with Roman, feeling embarrassment wash over me the more I explain.

She stares at me for a second before sighing. "It's okay. I understand why you did it. I don't agree with it, but I understand," she replies.

"It makes me no better than him," I retort with a shake of my head. "I just...I don't know. I just wanted to do something to feel better and I thought maybe that would be it. It wasn't. It just made things worse because now I feel hurt and guilty."

"Does he know?" she asks and I shake my head. "Are you going to tell him?"

"I don't even want to think about talking to him right now," I tell her. "Can we just watch the movie?"

We sit for thirty minutes before Diana's phone starts going off. She looks at it and glances at me. "It's Diego...should I answer it?"

I shrug and she lets the call end. She checks her messages and sees his texts. "Worried about Orion, please pick up," she reads off. "What if he goes to your parents or something?" He calls again and she looks at me. I sigh and shrug, which results in her pressing the phone to her ear. "Yes, she is. She doesn't want to talk. No. No. I know. I'll let her know."

"Tell him to stop messaging me," I mumble and she purses her lips before relaying my message.

"She asks that you stop messaging her," she replies and Diego says something back. "She'll talk to you when she's ready."

I thank Diana quietly and we return back to the movie. We sit like that for a while and I eventually fall asleep.

+++

Sunday is equally as quiet. I force my way to work after begging Diana to tell Diego not to bother me while I'm there. She does and he complies for the most part. He doesn't bother spending the half hour before his shift with me but he stops by when I'm on break to drop off my regular order. I slip into the back room and Diana accepts it for me, calling me out once he leaves. I'm sorry is scribbled along the outside of the cup and I don't even bother drinking it. I give it to Diana, who slowly sips it throughout our shift.

Once my shift is over, I wait with Diana for Calum, who is running late as usual. Her mom comes to get her and asks if I need a ride, to which I reply that my brother is on the way. I'd say yes if Calum didn't just text me to tell me he's five minutes away. I sit on the curbside and wait for my brother. 

Sue lets out her workers early. I see Elena walking to her car and I feel my stomach knot up. I hear the door to the coffee shop open and close and I glance over and see Diego sitting on the curb a couple feet away. I look at my phone and urge that my brother arrive faster. Why doesn't he just leave? His bike is right there. I don't bother looking over again and instead, look at the entrance to the plaza for Calum's car. When the familiar vehicle pulls in, I stand up and dust myself off. I quickly get into the car and my brother pulls up beside Diego, who is now standing.