“I know. What was Mandy on today?”
A snort. “Must be nice to have a rich daddy with a prescription pad.”
“I know, right? I wish I could pop a pill every time I feel like taking a nap.”
“Ugh. You know that bitch hasn’t slept a full night in months. She takes those pills from her daddy, and she sleeps for maybe two hours. Must be nice.”
“I know, right.”
“I’m having a hard time trying to be nice to her. Please tell me I can’t sleep with Devon tonight. Please tell me that’s not the right thing and we need to be nice because of her and her wacko sister. Please tell me to do the nice thing. Amber, help me out, because I really want to cause havoc in their lives.”
Amber chuckled. “You do whatever you want. What kind of friend would I be if I held you back?”
“Oh god. This could get ugly tonight.”
The two laughed and moved further away. I wasn’t able to hear them anymore. I felt like someone had punched me in the face. They were forced to adopt me? Mandy was a pill popper? I frowned, feeling the blood drain from my face. That couldn’t be… There was no way…. Then I closed my eyes. I couldn’t process this. Mandy. Tray. Even Austin. Those were all good things that had happened. An old ache took root in my stomach and I felt a hole open there. It was vortex, sucking all the good emotions into it, leaving me feeling hollow.
“You’re Matthews, right?”
“Huh?” I lifted my head and blinked. I realized that I had stopped and was now the last in the cave.
A guy from school was frowning at me. He was waiting at the mouth and he waved for me. “Come on. You’re the last. Most everyone’s taken off already.”
“Oh. Okay.” I hurried forward, but I was too dazed to focus on walking over the rocks. I wasn’t paying attention and a moment later, I was out of the cave and on the road again.
“See you.” The guy gestured farther down the road before he hopped in a car that was waiting for him. The door was opened and as soon as he was inside, it took off. His friends yelled out, “Hell yeah! Party at Rickets’ tonight.” Their sounds faded and I turned to see Tray waiting for me.
He was standing by his car, his arms folded over his chest. His head was tucked down and he could’ve been asleep from how casual his posture was. He wasn’t watching me, but I knew he was alert and aware of my approach. When I stood in front of him, he lifted his head. His eyes were guarded.
For a moment, we stared at each other.
The air was thick. There were so many emotions inside me, all of them were swirling around to form a vacuum. He terrified me. He always would, but as I continued to hold his gaze and as his wall began to slide away, I saw the same fear in him. Then an emotion flickered in me, so deep that I was surprised to feel it at all. Hope. It swept through me, a small flicker that grew to a full flame and it mingled right alongside the empty void that had been placed there from overhearing Jennica and Amber’s conversation. Tray must’ve seen the pain in me. His wall fell away completely and he lifted an arm, beckoning to me.
I went to him.
He wrapped his arm around me, sheltering me, and even though he had no idea what was wrong, he pressed a kiss to my forehead. Brushing some of my hair aside in a loving gesture, he comforted me.
I didn’t like depending on people, but I would for a moment. I’d allow myself this pause in my normal living to be weak.
Tray held me for a while longer. He didn’t ask what was wrong. He knew me well enough to know I would tell him when I was ready. After standing there, hugging him back, allowing myself to be comforted, I swallowed and pushed the storm down inside me. He felt it and stiffened. His arm fell away the same time that I moved back from him.
We continued to look at each other, then he nodded. As he went to the driver’s door, I went to the passenger door and we both got in. He drove me home. We still didn’t talk. The farther we got from Crystal Bay and the closer we got to town, I slid down in my seat and watched the scenery go by. I had conversations ahead of me. I knew all of them were going to be painful, but I needed to find out the truth.
If my adopted family had been forced to adopt me, then why? By who? I needed to find that answer and I needed to find out about Mandy. I loved her already. It wasn’t until then, at hearing my relationship with her might be a farce, that I realized it.
When Tray pulled up to my house, I saw the other cars. The curtains were pulled back so I was able to see into the kitchen. It was full of Mandy’s friends. Assuming these were from ‘Tristan’s’ group, from what I overheard, I prepared myself for weirdness and ass-kissing.