Take My Hand

Chapter 32

I laid low the next few days. Partially because I was upset about Leo, partially because I was embarrassed by my actions, but mostly because I needed a break from the boys.

I didn’t want to cut them out of my life, but I needed a few days off. I needed to get myself under control. So I took a few personal days. I didn’t answer my phone calls, I didn’t read my text messages, I just pretended they weren’t a part of my life.

After three days the boy free zone I had created in my mind and in my apartment was broken by a knock on my door.

“Hello Rae,” he said.

“Hi,” I responded, just staring.

“Are you going to invite me in?”

“I’m trying to remember when I invited you over.”

He grinned, sliding around me into my apartment. “Just now actually. I’ve been trying to reach you, but you seemed to be ignoring me or something. So I texted you, ‘I’d like to see you, if you want me to come over, just don’t respond to this.’ And you didn’t respond, so I was invited.”

I rolled my eyes. “Clever Evans, very clever.”

“You’re acting very awkward toward me,” he said as we sat on opposite sides of the table scattered with my textbooks.

“I know,” I replied. “I’ve been on a hiatus from boys the past few days. It’s weird being near one again.”

“Is this about what happened the other night?” he asked.

“And the massive fight Leo and I had afterwards? Yes, thats part of it.”

“What else?” he asked.

“I don’t want to be that girl. You know, the groupie, the one that you all get with. The one who sluts around with you. I want us to be friends and I’m fucking it up.”

“You’re being too hard on yourself,” Wes said, taking my hand.

“Am I?” I asked. “I think I have a right to be.”

“You need to not let it get to you so much. You can’t control what other people think about you. Their thoughts are their own problems. Trust me, you’re stronger than that Rae. You taught me that, maybe it’s time you remember it yourself.”

I had begun to live on a very set schedule. Weekdays were for school and counting down to the weekends, and the weekends were exclusively for the boys. Saturday nights I spent at the show, cheering them on.

As I was waiting in the audience for this weeks show to begin, my phone began to ring inside my bag.

“Rae!” Leo called frantically into the phone. “Have you seen Wes? We can’t find him anywhere!”

“What? What happened?”

“He just disappeared! We didn’t even see it happening. But he’s gone and we can’t find him and the show’s about to start and he’s been acting strange all week please please please help us find him!”

“Of course!” I exclaimed, putting my jacket back on as I hurried down the aisle. “I’ll start looking on this side of the stage, let me know if you find him.”

“Thank you!” Leo hung up. I turned and began to hurry towards the entrance as the lights dimmed; the show would be starting soon and the boys could be on at any time. That meant we had to find him as soon as possible.

I pushed open the front door and stepped outside into the cold air. I didn’t know why this was where I wanted to look first, but if I was trying to get away as Wes seemed to be, outside would be the first place I went. When I didn’t see him right outside, I went and rounded the corner of the building and there, about halfway down the alleyway was Wes, crouching down trying to be hidden.