Page 10 of Catch Me
“Do you remember that kid from camp? The one who I kissed.”
“Uh, yeah.”
He was noticeably uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. I knew that he still felt somewhat guilty about sending me there in the first place, but we’d healed from it together. Our relationship was good now, even though it’d been rocky for a while. Throughout most of high school, actually.
“Well, we reconnected recently.”
“Wow,” he said. “That’s good, right?”
“Yeah. He went through hell for a really long time, and I’m not sure if he wants to speak about it publicly, but it made me wonder if you would.”
“Me? I don’t know what I’d add.”
“Just what you saw that day. No names except for mine. It might be helpful to have an outside perspective, and you talked to the people who ran the camp. It’ll also show that people can change, you know?”
“If you think it’ll help, I can do that.”
“Thanks. I love you, Dad.”
“Love you too, Travis. And I’m proud of you. Always.”
The words brought a small smile to my face. At one point in my life, I didn’t think I’d ever hear them.
The expression faded when my mind replayed a sound that had fucked me up for a while—that slap Sen got from his dad. It was hard enough that it knocked him to the ground. I didn’t see him after, but he must’ve had a bruise on the side of his face.
With a huff, I got to my feet, giving up on what I’d been trying to write for a video. Nothing felt right. It didn’t encompass theseriousness of these things. What I had to say wasn’t enough, and I couldn’t speak for those who had it significantly worse than me.
I felt inadequate, which was a really fucked up idea. Inadequate because I didn’t haveenoughtrauma.
My hand ached from how hard I was keeping it in a fist. Shaking my head, I grabbed a baseball and whistled. Tessa was by my side in an instant, wagging her tail and ready to catch for as long as I needed her to. It was a good thing I had acres of land back here. It was perfect for times like this.
Chapter 4
Roman
After putting my things in my backpack, I slung it over my shoulder and left the classroom. I was glad it was the last one of the day. For the past two weeks, I hadn’t slept well. I was exhausted, but that still didn’t help me fall asleep.
Even though I told the guys I’d hang out with them tonight, I didn’t feel like it. Whether or not I slept, I wanted to lie down. My body was heavy and so was my mind. I didn’t know how to explain that one to my doctor, but I probably needed to. He’d want to adjust my meds, though, which was never fun. Most of the time, it fucked things up more.
On my way to the parking lot, I saw Ezra, so I veered in his direction. I shouldn’t have, but there were a lot of things I shouldn’t do that I was too weak to avoid. Maybe I’d figure my shit out eventually. I definitely shouldn’t have been seeking out what I wanted from him.
“Hey,” I said when I got close.
He looked up, then pursed his lips. After saying something to his friends, he came over to me, keeping his hands in the pockets of his jacket. It wasn’t super cold in Chicago yet, but Ezra was fromFlorida and he was always shivering. I almost asked if he wanted my hoodie, but I shook that thought away.
“What are you up to?” I asked.
His mouth opened, then he closed it. He looked deep in thought for a minute, and it made me feel awkward.
I cleared my throat. “You okay, man?”
Pale green eyes met mine. They were a nice color beneath his blond hair. It was cut so that it was longer on top, and he always had it perfectly styled.
“Look,” he said with a sigh, “what’s happening here isn’t working for me.”
My brow tightened. I looked over his shoulder, and his friends hurriedly resumed their conversation as if they hadn’t been watching.
Had he told them? The idea made me angry, but I refrained from calling him out.
