“Cady, don’t apologize,” he said. His voice was as soothing as hot chocolate. “Don’t ever apologize for what you are feeling. I understand.”
I sniffed again and asked, “So with Jesse…how did you move beyond it? I mean, how did you go on with your life?”
“Well, it sounds cliché, but I took it one day at a time. I got back into my routine, you know, going to school, doing my homework. I had a few close friends who helped me along. They kept me busy, but didn’t get offended when I didn’t have as good of a time as they did.”
“What about your family?”
“My mom also was lost for a while, but she pulled herself out of it after a few weeks. My dad…well, he doesn’t show his emotions much. I never even saw him cry, which seems weird, but if you knew my dad, it’s not a shocker. He went back to work the day after the funeral like nothing even happened. I don’t think my mother has forgiven him for that yet. They’re not talking a whole lot anymore. I suspect this move is a last-ditch effort on keeping their marriage together. It’s weird living in a house where no one speaks to each other. Sometimes I wish they would just separate and get it over with.”
“I know what you mean there. My dad had actually moved out the day before Lony’s accident.”
“Whoa! Brutal.”
I pulled a blanket out of my closet and carried it over to the window seat where I curled up all cozy-like with the phone. Bryan and I talked for over an hour. I told him about my upcoming therapy appointment, and he told me about the psychologist that his mother made him go see after Jesse’s death and what I might expect.
“So,” he said finally, “I have to go. My father will be home soon and my mother has dinner almost ready. Will I see you in school tomorrow?”
I could tell by the way he asked it that he thought it was time I get back in the swing of things, but didn’t want to pressure me.
“I don’t know, Bryan. I don’t know if I can walk in there. Everyone is going to stare at me.” I knew I sounded whiney, but didn’t care.
“Tell you what…I’ll pick you up in the morning and walk in with you.”
“Seriously? You’d do that? Why? I mean, you barely know me.”
He paused as if weighing his words. “Like I said, I’ve been there. And, since you’re one of the few people who has spoken to me outside of class since moving here, it’s my way of thanking you. You can always go home early if it gets to be too much.”
I thought about it for a moment. I was going to have to go back sometime. Aaron did it. I guess it was my turn.
“You don’t have to come get me.”
“I want to. Just tell me where you live.”
I had to admit to myself, having someone there for support would be nice. For some reason, this total stranger was able to comfort me in ways my family and friends had not. Part of it, of course, was because of Bryan’s experience with his brother, but I think the other part was because he never really knew Lony. He had nothing to compare me to, unlike other kids at school. Bryan saw me as a whole person and not as a half of a matched set.
“Okay. I’ll give it a shot."
I gave Bryan my address and was ready to hang up when I thought of something. "Wait a sec. Before, you said that your brother's hemophilia was genetic..."
"Yes. It is passed by females and carried by males. My mother is a carrier. She passed it down. I have hemophilia, too.”
Nine by Night: A Multi-Author Urban Fantasy Bundle of Kickass Heroines, Adventure, Magic
Chapter 9
I couldn't sleep that night. After my conversation with Bryan, I waited for Aaron to come home so I could ask him about his day. It was past ten before I heard his truck pull into the driveway and he slipped quietly down to his bedroom before I could catch him.
In the morning, my head was a fuzzy mess of cobwebs, and my eyes were dry and red. I hadn’t slept well. After showering, I wasted over a half hour trying on and taking off clothes, unable to make a decision about what to wear to school. When I saw how late the time was I yanked on a pair of faded Levi's and a long-sleeved t-shirt. My stomach felt acidic and queasy. I gulped down an Eggo waffle, but it sat in my belly like a rock. I thought about poking my head into Mom's room to tell her where I was going —I hadn't seen her at all the previous evening —but remembering the wall of depression that had overcome me the day before when I went in her room, I decided to just leave a note for her on the counter.
The doorbell rang. I scooped up my heavy backpack and opened the door. Bryan stood on the stoop, leaning his lanky frame against a post. Time must have faded his image in my mind, because the guy standing before me, grinning with one up-turned corner of his mouth, was gorgeous! The dark of his eyes and hair were accented by a pair of black plastic framed glasses, making him appear studious, but cool at the same time. He radiated calm and strength, but also a hint of nervousness. My shoulders relaxed and I responded with an echoing grin.