I know, I know. This was supposed to come out on like... Thursday or something. I'm sorry. I didn't have the laptop for a while and I was just focusing on preparations for school (which, surprisingly, is going fine!). I've heard that students get a ton of homework there, so I just wanna give you a heads up the next time I make you wait for a century-long update. I talk too much. Enjoy. :)
***
"She's a... Mozlem?" Blake asks with disbelief. He takes a swig of the Coke in his hand and then sets it on the counter. "And you're telling me this now?"
I shrug. "It doesn't matter, actually," I mutter bitterly. After what happened a few weeks ago, I don't really care about her. At least, that's what I'm telling myself. "You know, she doesn't believe me. I don't want to do this crappy job. But I have to. Just because I've been in the wrong place at the wrong time." I drum my fingers on my knees while Blake paces the room, deep in thought.
He shrugs. "You know, I don't think it matters. Mozlem or not, she's still our target. It doesn't really change our situation." He clenches his jaw. "But Boss is going to be... amused. Remember what he said the other day? He never got the chance to play with them. I think he's high on something." He mutters the last part, pondering over the fact whether his theory might be correct. Boss does smoke once in a while, but I've noticed he's been avoiding alcoholic drinks. He said that if he doesn't want to be noticed by the cops, he might as well be sober.
I've expected junior year to go like this: counting down the days until I'm a senior, the last year of high school, the last year of enduring this short, aggravating, stressful, and maybe the best period in our lives. But instead of burying my nose in textbooks, I always have to come up with excuses as to why I can't be at home with Maddie and Caleb. Dad is always busy at the hospital, so he expects me to take care of them. It seems it's impossible to do that when I have these risky tasks on my hands.
It's like I'm avoiding my family to protect them; ever since that night in the dark alley way, I knew that I had to keep my family's identity safe, in case I'd have the courage to just walk out on Boss. I don't remember much; just Boss, Karl, and Michael abusing this little kid. I felt bad for him, so that's when I stepped in to help him. I have to work for Boss until I graduate high school, in exchange to let the kid go. To this day, I don't know what he did, but it seemed he really made Boss enraged. It takes so little to do that, which I can relate to.
"Maybe he is," I agree. After all, he is a druggie like the rest of us used to be. I was on drugs last year in sophomore year since I was still grieving about my mom's death, although she died when I was almost fifteen - three years. Drugs distracted me. They deviated my thoughts from the murky places in my mind. But it also impacted my life in a huge way. My grades started to decline yet again. I isolated myself from everyone else; even my own family.
I slipped into depression.
"Dude, you've got to stop doing that," Blake says, snapping his fingers in front of my face.
I blink a few times, a little disoriented. "What?"
"You're zoning out again," he says. "Are you thinking about her again?"
I nod. "Are you thinking about him?" I ask, referring to his deceased brother Brian. He doesn't acknowledge my question. He just looks away, a faraway look in his eyes. The conversation we had the other day about Brian comes flooding back to my mind. It seems that he's still coping with his death.
Brian died last year. At school, there was a shooting. Only five students were injured, while one was pronounced dead. That was Brian. He was a senior. Everybody admired him and liked him. It affected not only those who were close to Brian, but pretty much the whole school. It took us a month to get back on track. Although there were several hundred students in school the day of the shooting, each and every single one of them was, in one way or another, heartbroken. It seems impossible that one person can do such a thing; that's because Brian liked doing impossible things.
I get up from the couch and walk lazily over to the kitchen. I grab a cold water bottle and return back to the living room. Blake has his legs propped up on the table as he flips through the channels. He selects an action movie and sets down the remote on the table. The movie is right between a fight scene, where a slender woman is fighting with a slightly less younger girl.
For the rest of the afternoon, we just watch the movie in silence. As soon as Blake decides to go back home, the door opens. I stand up and walk over to the front door. I greet my dad, who's in scrubs. A stethoscope and white coat is draped over his neck. "Hey, son. How was your day today?" he says with a tired tone. Blake comes over and they greet as well.
"I'm...fine," I say hesitantly. "You seem tired. Long hours at the hospital?" I ask with concern. It's not unusual to find my dad exhausted from the long hours at the hospital. But nowadays, he tries to shorten the hours he works in the hospital so he can spend some time with us. I guess he doesn't want to lose another loved one. I don't either.
He nods his head slowly. "Yeah. Things have been hectic lately." He takes his glasses off and picks up the bag from the floor. "How are Maddie and Caleb?"
"They've been upstairs the whole day," I inform him. They're most probably working on homework, since they do so once they get here straight from school.
After my dad goes upstairs, Blake gives me a nod. "See you later," he says. I return the nod with a grim smile. After he leaves, I lock the door and slide my back down on the wall.
After my talk with Blake, it has me thinking about how I'll try to convince Kayla that I'm doing what I am for a valid reason. She may see me as a drug addict - but it's something more complex and complicated than that.
***
"Blake is acting weird lately," Stephanie places a straw in her drink. "First the fight, than this. What's happening?"
"How did you know we were fighting?" I ask curiously.
She shrugs. "I'm not a stupid girl, Nicholas. I know that you guys were arguing. But I don't know about what. I really want to know. I don't want my baby to get hurt."
I stab a piece of lettuce on my lunch tray. I glance across the lunch room and spot Kayla with three of her friends. I look at her half-heartily as memories race through my mind about the spare time we've been friends; or more like acquaintances. "He doesn't show it, but he's just a sensitive guy," I assure him. It's actually true. Blake has this facade of toughness, when deep down inside, he's a soft, sensitive guy. He wasn't that sensitive guy until his brother was shot at the school shooting last year. It changed him drastically.
"Why are you so interested in her?" she questions with disgust. I think she's referring to Kayla.
"Uh, I'm not," I mutter. "Boss just wants me to keep a close eye on her, that's all." I set down my fork and put my head between my hands.
"Right," she says, doubt lacing her voice. "I have to go. I need to talk to a... friend," she says hesitantly. She stands up and leaves the table, leaving me all alone. The others are in the lunch line, so I glance at Kayla's table every once in a while before I hear someone sigh next to me.
"She's gone, right?" Blake asks me. He's clad in an oversized sweatshirt and jeans, which is different from his usual attire. I figure that he just sat down right now.
"Yup," I reply.
"She may be my girlfriend, but she annoys the crap out of me." I chuckle as he pulls his hood down. "You know, I don't want to do this anymore."
"Do what?" I ask, bewildered.
He shrugs. "Having a double life. I'm just sick and tired of this crap. I don't care about that girl Kayla, I don't care about Boss - nobody," he says coldly.
"Kayla has nothing to do with this, you know," I say defensively.
"Right," he says sarcastically. "If she just agreed to do what we asked, then we would have had finished business. But she's just being a stubborn, idiotic, bit-"
"Don't even go there," I warn him. He glances at me and smirks.
"If you like her, then why don't you say it?" he prods. "No wonder you helped her escape."
"I didn't," I say weakly.
He sighs as he glances around. He drops his voice to a whisper and mutters, "You were asked to do one simple thing, but you failed because you have feelings for her. Come on man, it's no big deal. These things happen."
I don't answer him, so he continues. "You're wrong. She does has something to do with this. Both of you do. You won't hurt her because you have this petty crush on her. But I can finish the job for you."
The realization on my face shows as I understand what he's saying. I clench my fists, and before I can even respond with a snide remark, I hear a shrill scream. A few dozen people stand up from their tables as they watch the scene in front of them. I immediately shoot up to my feet and run over to the back of the cafeteria. I see Kayla and Stephanie glaring at each other.
There's blood on Kayla's fist. At first, it seems that it's her own blood, but I scrutinize Stephanie. Her lip is busted open, a few cuts running across her cheeks. She's trying her best not to touch her wounds as she screams for aid. Kayla shakes her head slowly, than looks at me. Her voice overcomes many emotions; anger, disgust, and then regret. She opens her mouth to speak, but I stop her before she can say anything.
A drop of blood from her fist hits the tile floor. I look up into her eyes, anger and pain pumping through my veins. "I thought you were better than this," I say, my voice shaking with emotion. I turn around and storm off, all eyes on my back. Chatter starts to arise from the students as I find my out of the cafeteria.
I step into the hallway and do the only logical thing to do: let out a furious scream, letting all the pain seep into the air. Kayla now thinks different of me, that I make all these stupid mistakes. But for once, the tables have turned.
***
I'm sorry this is short! Ugh, no creativity up in here. -_- But yeah, some insight on Nick's life and stuff. The next chapter will be back to Kayla, so it'll definitely be longer than this chapter. I'm sorry again. Thank you for being so patient. I know I can do better.
Assalamu Alaykum and have a nice day.