Page 86 of Shattered

She starts to run out after him, but he holds his arm up as if to stop her without turning around. She pauses, watching him with deflated shoulders as he continues to his car and then drives off without looking back.

...

Neilix: Hey, man. I know you probably don’t want to hear from me, but you need to know that I love her.

Neilix: If you won’t talk to me, at least talk to your sister and let her know you’re okay.

CHAPTER THIRTY

Neilix

The drill sends vibrations through my hand and arm as I screw in another sheet of drywall inside one of the last rooms of this building. I’ll be glad once we’ve moved on to the next project and Shane isn’t there. After the final screw is in, I hook my drill onto my belt and swipe my arm across my forehead while drinking some water. It can get stuffy here sometimes, with all the equipment and bodies working without a fan or running air system.

My phone hasn’t dinged for a while, so I know Sienna hasn’t messaged. And neither has Jason. She’s been stressed and worried since he came to my house and found us together. Sienna had immediately tried calling and texting him, but it wasn’t until a few hours later that he finally replied and said he just needed a bit of time but he would talk to her later in the week.

She and I have spent some time together since then, but the knowledge that Jason may not be okay with us and is upset weighs on both our shoulders and makes it hard for us to enjoy our time together. Sienna feels terrible for going behind his back, and I feel pretty shitty about not manning up and talking to my friend sooner. This is exactly what I didn’t want: getting to a good point with our friendship, only for it to be destroyed again.

I drove past his place a few times last week, but his vehicle was never there. I have to believe that once he’s had some time to calm down, he’ll be ready to talk to us, like he said in his text. This isn’t the same as when we were teenagers.

“Any update on the Jason thing?” Harley stands on the other side of the sheet of drywall I’m measuring and cutting to fit a small wall section.

“No, still haven’t heard from him.”

While I am concerned, I’m hoping the fact that he didn’t immediately punch me in the face means he’ll eventually be okay with it.

Harley and I get a few more drywall sheets up and are just reaching for another when my phone starts ringing. I pull it out and see Sienna’s name on the screen, which immediately has the back of my neck prickling with unease. She hardly calls, and never during the day when I’m working. I answer it, watching Harley’s expression turned concerned when he sees mine.

“I think something is wrong.” Her first words make the prickling sensation turn into claws that squeeze my gut.

“What happened?”

“All of my calls are going straight to voicemail now. And he hasn’t even seen my last several texts. He also never arranged to meet up with me like he said he would.”

She doesn’t even say who she’s talking about, but there is only one person it could be. “Maybe he just needed a little bit of extra time,” I offer, trying to sound more certain than I feel.

“I don’t know . . . I don’t think so.” I imagine her chewing on her bottom lip with worry, and I wish I were with her to try to make her feel better. “Anyway, did you find a key at your place by chance?”

I think back to the single key the guy who cleaned my couch found between the cushions. I meant to ask if it was hers, but forgot. “Did it have yellow tape on it?”

“Yes,” she breathes out, relieved.

“What’s it for?”

“It’s to Jason’s house. I’m going to go inside.”

My brow creases. Why would she just decide to go inside instead of waiting until he’s home? Just because I haven’t seen his car there when I’ve driven by doesn’t mean he hasn’t been home.

“Why don’t I check to see if his car is there on my way home from work? And if it is, I’ll go talk to him.”

“It’s here. He’s just not answering his door.”

“Wait . . . You’re there right now?”

“Yes. I just . . . I woke up with a bad feeling, and I haven’t been able to shake it. I left the daycare early to come check his place and saw his car here, but he won’t answer. And then I remembered I lost my key.”

“Well, I have the key, but it’s at my place.” I glance at Harley, standing off to the side with a creased brow, hearing only bits and pieces of my conversation. “I’ll leave right now and grab it, then I’ll meet you at Jason’s.”

“Thank you.” Her voice is still laced with panic, but there is clear relief in her tone.

---