Shadows Peak |✔

Chapter 55: Sydney

"Yeah?"

He looked conflicted, like he was having an internal battle. His eyes shifting, unsteady. I had never seen him look so unsure before in all the time I'd known him.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked, concern starting to form.

"Nothing's wrong, you know, besides what's wrong," he said, a nervous chuckle following.

"Then what is it?" I asked again.

"It's just, I've been meaning to tell you this for a while now. It just never seemed right, and now, well...I just don't know if I'll be able to-"

"JASPER! WE NEED TO GO NOW!" his uncle screamed from his plane. "I HEARD OVER DISPATCH THAT THEY'RE STARTING TO SEND OUT SEARCH PARTIES FOR YOUR GIRL!"

She'd always wondered what he wanted to tell her, and know she had a pretty good guess.

This whole time, Jasper was working on clearing her name. He hadn't forgotten about her or given up. A tear fell when she thought back to all the times he rejected a girl, or chose to hang back with her at the gym even though he was tired and could have played with the guys. All the times he looked at her longer than just a friend would, and all the times he held back saying something. Like an epiphany, she knew he loved her, and not in the way she always assumed.

Why didn't you ever tell me?

"Syd, you up here?"

The familiar call of her nickname brought Sydney out of her memories as she felt a presence entering the room with her. Shielding her face with her hair, she quickly wiped away the tears that had fallen from her eyes before turning around.

"I'm over here, Jasp!" she called out, glad that her voice didn't mirror her inner storm.

"Hey," he said, smiling when he saw her, his hands behind his back as he walked over. Seeing the puffiness of her eyes, he tried to be light and added, "It's good to know I can still find you when I need to."

"Well, you do know me better than anyone."

Nodding his head, Sydney waited, scared of what he might say next.

"I missed you," he began, making her heart beat rapidly. "A lot happened while you were gone...but, there's only one thing I wish you could have been here for."

Confused, she looked down at his extended hand that held out two folded pieces of paper. Grabbing them, she felt her hands begin to shake as she read the bold letters printed on the first one.

You are invited to Elizabeth Marie St.Vincent's homegoing service.

Refusing to cry, Sydney held her breath as her fingers brushed against her fallen friend's name. Flipping over to the next paper, she saw that it was the actual program for her funeral. Anger and bitterness rose up in her as she felt the loss all over again.

Closing her eyes, she focused on breathing because the emotions warring inside of her were suffocating. Not even Jasper's hug could ease the hurt. She'd been robbed of her chance to say a proper goodbye, and knowing that Liz was just a casualty in Denali's game only made it worse.

After a few minutes passed, and she'd managed to get a grip, Sydney stepped back from the embrace.

"What happened while you were in the Western Region, Syd?" Jasper asked, breaking the silence.