Page 54 of Distorted Obsession

Standing, I pack my bag before I reply, “No, I’m going to meet Colt and Coop.”

“Who are they anyway?” Ayana asks, throwing her bag strap over her shoulder.

I’m not touching this with a million-foot pole tonight.Today has been the first day in a while where I woke up not in a cold sweat, plagued by memories of my dead best friend.

“I’ll fill you all in another time,” I respond.

Ayana, Paisley, and Camiel wave bye before heading toward the exit.

I’m picking up my gym bag when a throat clears, and I shift my attention toward the sound.

“I don’t think you should go over there, Eva,” Jade confesses.

My nose wrinkles in confusion. “Why not?”

“Don’t you think it’s odd that we’ve been in school for a few weeks, and they’re just making their presence known?” Jade inquires.

I’d easily agree with her if it were anybody else, but it’s Colt and Coop. I’ve known them since I was a kid, and they’ve done nothing to hurt me. If anything, I’m the one who has caused them pain.

Noticing my reticence she plows on, “They show up the same day that bitch Portia dies. That seems too coincidental to me.”

“Jade, it’s not what you think. I promise,” I state, trying to assuage her worry.

“Then what is it like, Eva? Because where I stand, school has been in session for a couple of weeks, and we’ve never seen or heard of these guys,” she rebuts, and I realize I have to tell her. Jade won’t let this go otherwise.

Before I answer, I flick my gaze around the room to ensure there’s no one else but us. “No,” I sigh. “Their family has been through a lot with the loss of their sister.”

Surprise fills Jade’s features before it registers, and her lips part into an “O.”

“They’re them?”

I’m unsure if it’s meant to be a statement or a question, but I nod. “They are them.”

“Fuck.”

Huffing, I mumble, “Fuckis right.”

“Oh, Eva. I’m sorry. I thought—” her words trail off. “—I thought they were… shit. I don’t know who I thought they were.”

Jade envelops me, squeezing tight until the tension in my body melts away. I let her hold me a moment longer before I pull back.

“It’s okay,” I begin, but pause, fighting off my budding tears. “Actually, it’s not okay. It hasn’t been okay in over two years.”

I quickly wipe my eyes before they can fall and confess, “It’ll be good to see them. I need this.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” she offers.

“No. It’s best if I go alone. There are things… things I want to discuss with them that I’d rather do without others around.”

Nodding her head in understanding, Jade offers me a sympathetic smile. “I understand completely.” She looks lost in thought before she says, “Believe me when I say this, Eva, I know exactly what you’re going through—more than you know.”

I’m tempted to ask her what she means, but I can see she’s not ready for that conversation. Something I also relate to. “Whenever you’re ready,” I assure her.

Jade’s lips quirk up as she dips her chin. “See you back at the dorms.” Then she exits the locker room, leaving me to finish collecting my things.

Her words swirl around in my head. “Will your brothers forgive me, Fah?”

My earlier muses escape the box I shoved them in. Doubt creeps up my spine, spreading through my veins like a virus.

---