Page 69 of We Thought We Were Invincible
Shutting it behind me, I walked in to find brother and sister, my best friend and my girlfriend, sitting side by side on the couch staring at me. Callie had the blanket pulled to her chin and a death grip on Colby's arm that she relaxed when her brain finally registered it was me and not some intruder.
I saw in them the same fear that brought me here.
“Couldn't sleep?” I asked them.
Colby looked to his sister, an exhausted sigh escaping his lips. “I don't think I'll ever sleep again.”
“Me either,” Callie agreed, scooting over and folding her legs beneath her. She held up an end of the blanket, inviting me to stay.
My shoulders sagged in relief as I sank into the couch and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. Colby didn't say anything, and it was then that I remembered he'd come with Callie to the dance so she could confront me. Our friendship was safe.
He caught my eye and nodded. “It's good that you're here, man.”
None of us said it, but the real reason we were there was because we couldn't bear to be alone.
Colby flipped through channels, settling on an old John Wayne movie on TMC, and the three of us sat together all night, knowing full well that although one night stole away our peace, it'd take a lot more to bring it back - if that was even possible.
26
Callie
Exams were postponed and school was closed early for the holidays. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a mistake. It gave all of us way too much time to think, way too much time on our own.
I threw myself into working at the diner. The holidays increased business enough so there was always something for me to do.
Those first days were the hardest. News crews hung around town. People made speeches. We were the talk of the nation. To them we were another school in a long line to use to advance political agendas. Should we have more guns? Fewer guns? I didn't care. Not at the time. All I wanted was to forget. To feel like life could be good again.
Jamie's dad was everywhere. I swore he only saw us as his way to Washington. He was using his son to get there. Every time he spoke, he insisted on having Jamie by his side, wanting to remind people that his son was there. The son he'd kept hidden before. Now he was the family man, only wanting to keep his boy safe. It made me want to vomit.
Jay called. It took over an hour to convince him I was okay. What a lie.
I threw another set of rolled silverware in the bin, glancing up at the clock. On a normal day, Seth would come lumbering in right about then, ready for his early dinner. He'd give me life tips, talking in a soft tone that was surprising coming out of such a large man.
His stool was empty, only reminding us of what happened. Seth's grandson did that to us. I wrung a towel between my hands, crushing it and squeezing it. I hated Matthew. I couldn't help it. Maybe things could have been different if we'd helped him, but that didn't stop the heart-bruising anger at what he'd done to us.
Tears welled up in my eyes for what must have been the millionth time in the days since that night. Turning away from Seth's place in our lives, I threw the towel on the counter and tore the apron off over my head.
The chime on the door sounded, and I looked up, hoping for news. Morgan was having her third, final, and most difficult surgery today. She'd pulled through the others, but a part of me didn't believe she'd make it.
Colby walked toward me. It was brief, but I saw his eyes tick toward the empty stool as mine had. He gave me a weak smile.
“Parker says we've still got a few hours 'til she's out.”
His eyes held the same sadness that I was sure were mirrored in mine. Morgan had broken both our hearts, but neither of us could stop caring. We hadn't gone to the hospital. Colby said it was to give the family time, but I knew it was because neither of us could face them.
“Your shift is over, right?” he asked.
“Like an hour ago,” I admitted. “I was just -”
“Trying to keep busy,” he finished for me. “Come on. Jamie's meeting us at the beach.”
When we pulled into the parking lot, Jamie was leaning up against his car, one arm crossed over the other, hair blowing away from his face in the wind.
He pushed himself away from his car to meet me at my door. I'd barely stepped out when he pulled me into his arms. My eyes darted toward my brother, but his focus was on the water so I relaxed into Jamie. His lips grazed my ear.
“I don't like being away from you,” he whispered.
I looked up into his face. A few days ago, I couldn't imagine him ever saying things like that to me.
