Olivia's POV
"I know you can see him too," Charlie says before I can open my mouth.
We are sitting across the table from each other, but while he is faced toward the counter, I have my back to it. Even without looking, though, I know that with him, Charlie means Samuel.
"Howâ" I begin, but Charlie shakes his head.
"Not now." He nudges his chin in the direction where I know Samuel and Nick are still seated. "You better go back before either of them decides to do something stupid."
I hesitate, undecided between my curiosity about Charlie and the need to keep my own secret. A moment later, I push the chair back and shoot Charlie an honest smile. "Thank you for giving me the chance to explain my side of the story."
With a smile from Charlie in return, I head back to the counter and stop at the other side from Samuel and Nick.
"How'd it go?" Nick is the first one to ask and Samuel follows a second later with, "You got a chance to apologize?"
"It went better than I expected and yes, I got a chance to apologize. Charlie even accepted my apology."
Nick shoots his younger brother a quick look and then wordlessly turns back to me. His silence reminds me of the other unresolved issue I still have looming above my head. "About what you heard at the intersectionâ"
Nick raises his hand to stop me. "You don't have to explain. I'm the one who should apologize. I was wrong to call you crazy and then to walk away from you."
"You don't have to apologize," I disagree.
"Yes, I do. I was an idiot, and I'm sorry for how I reacted."
"Why the change of heart?" I ask while peeking at Samuel to find him looking as confused as I feel.
"Because of Charlie." Nick nods at the table almost across the room from us. "The kid's smart for his age; smarter than I'll ever be. He made me realize that just because I can't see something, it doesn't mean it's not there."
"He told you this?" I glance back at Charlie but find him gazing through the window instead.
Yet again I wonder how he got the ability to see Guardians. A Guardian must have saved his life, but the question remains of who and when. Before I can voice any of the questions aloud, I count to three. There is little point in me knowing, as it is only a matter of time before my memories of Guardians will be erased.
My attention is pulled away from Charlie when the front bell goes off. I turn to the entrance with a soft smile to greet the new customer, but it dies the moment I find Weston, with his long locks unusually disarrayed and his shirt stained with sweat, marching toward the counter. Before the door even closes, he stops beside Nick.
"We need to talk," Weston says and turns to Nick. "In private."
"You can talk to her, but I'm not going anywhere." Nick leans against the back of his stool and levels Weston with narrowed eyes.
"I agree," Samuel nods and crosses his arms in front of his chest.
I can barely hold in the giggle at Samuel's and Nick's matching scowls and instead turn back to Weston. "What's going on?"
"It's about Brooke." The moment Weston mentions the name of my childhood friend the smile disappears from my face. "I need you to talk with her."
"Why?" I ask. "Is she okay?"
"She's been acting weird for the past few weeks. And then an hour ago she suddenly broke things off between us."
"And you want me to find out why she broke up with you?"
"No. I want you to find out why she broke up with me by saying that it wasn't fair to you. That you're the reason we need to break up."
*
I glance at my phone for the sixteenth time in the last ten minutes and then go back to pacing up and down in front of the bus stop. What is taking her so long?
"Stop," Eliza groans.
I pause in the middle of a step and look to where my temporary Guardian is leaning against the trunk of a nearby tree.
"Stop moving around, or I'll break your leg to keep you still. Nothing you do is going to bring your loverboy here any sooner."
"I'm not waiting for Samuel." I strain my muscles to keep myself planted on the spot.
"Then the cop's son." Eliza rolls her eyes.
"It's not him either."
"I know it's not Mina." Eliza narrows her eyes. "And besides your mother, loverboy, and the cop's son, who doesn't even know he's being third-wheeled, you don't have any other friends."
"That's not true," I splutter. "I have other friends."
As if on cue, the bus arrives and a single person gets off. Her blonde hair shines in the afternoon sun, but even with the bright light, I notice the smudged state of her usually perfect make-up.
Ever since yesterday, I haven't been able to get Weston's words out of my mind. There is no logical explanation as to why Brooke would use me as an excuse to break things off with him, especially with the growing drift between us. However, because Brooke wasn't at home last evening, I had to endure an entire day of work before I got a tip from Weston as to when Brooke would be coming home today.
This brings me back to the bus stop, where Brooke takes one glance at me as she steps off the bus and then turns in the opposite direction. Before she can finish more than three steps, I grab her elbow and force her to stop.
"I've been calling you all morning." I tug on her arm and force her to turn around. "Why didn't you call me back?"
"It's none of your business."
I know the two of us aren't as close as we used to be, but never before has she leveled me with such a cold stare as she does right now. If I didn't know any better, I would be sure that she isn't the same Brooke I once knew.
"I know you broke things off with Weston by pointing your finger at me. And I want to know why. Why did you use me as an excuse?"
"This is why you called?" Brooke tears her arm out of my hold. "To gloat that Weston is now free for you to take?"
"What?" I stare at her, not believing that this is the same girl who set me up on a blind date with Nick. "What are you talking about?"
"Save it."
Before I can say anything else, she whirls around and marches in the direction of our street. She manages to finish a single step when she suddenly loses her balance and falls onto the ground. She catches herself onto her forearms and then turns to her feet to see what she tripped on. But while I'm sure she sees nothing but the air surrounding her shoes, I catch Eliza as she pulls her foot back from underneath Brooke's feet.
"What?" Eliza shrugs and sinks her hands into the pockets of her jeans. "She was being rude."
I shoot her a grateful smile and then cross the step of distance to where Brooke is picking herself up. "See? The One above obviously doesn't want you to leave before we talk things through."
"I have nothing to say to you." Instead of standing up, though, Brooke turns around and plots her bottom onto the gray asphalt.
"I disagree. You have a lot of explaining to do." I cross my arms in front of my chest. "Weston is still obviously head-over-heels for you, so I don't get why you had to use me as an excuse to break it off with him."
"It's none of your business." Brooke glares up at me.
"Yes, it is. You made it my business the moment you mentioned my name."
"What is it that you're after?" Brooke scrambles to her feet. "You want me to admit that I'm still in love with him? Or describe to you how miserable I am? Is that what you want me to say?"
"I don't get you." I shake my head. "Why would you break up with someone you still have feelings for? And why are you acting like this? I never did anything to deserve this."
"You're right!" Brooke shouts, angry tears now spilling down her cheeks. "It's all because of me. Weston and me breaking up. Your accident. I'm the one to blame for it all."
***
Please, remember to vote and comment if you like the chapter.
Much love
- E