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I tried to shake myself out of my funk and ended up making the saddest pancakes ever. I picked at them while Forrest wouldn’t take a single bite. We were both miserable and there was a giant hole in our lives that was gaping open. It turned out there was a very large downside to being connected to three men in the way we were. Their presence was that much larger and so easily felt. And missed.
That night when I put Forrest to bed and crawled into my own feeling defeated and down, I pulled out my phone and reread their message over and over again. Nothing changed, but I was quickly slipping into pathetic territory. Before I could change my mind, I sent a text to all three of their phones.
Be safe.
CHAPTER 37
Violet
“Violet?” Jenny’s voice was strained as she tried once more to get my attention. “Are you there?”
I shook myself out of the shocked silence I’d been in and cleared my throat. “I’m here. Um… I’m sorry, Jenny. Can you repeat what you said? I’m not sure I heard you correctly.”
“I know this is unexpected. Believe me when I say that I was shocked.” She sounded like she would’ve rather been saying anything else to anyone else. “Forrest acted so out of character today so I sent him to the nurse’s office to see if he was running a fever. He lashed out at other students, was mean to even his best friends in class, and refused to participate in any of the activities. I’ve never seen him like that, and after the last incident, I pulled him aside to see if there was anything else going on… He wouldn’t say a word to me, Violet.”
I was horrified to hear my son was acting like that, but I knew exactly what was wrong. “I’m so sorry, Jenny.”
“Is everything okay? I didn’t send him out today after the way Principal Boyd acted towards him last time, but if he’s like this again tomorrow, I won’t have a choice. He made Sophie cry today.”
“I… I’m just so sorry. Um. I don’t know what all to say. Forrest got really attached to Ben, Justin, and Mason. He’s crazy about them. They went out of town for work a few days ago and he’s not taking it very well.” Understatement of the year. “They were only supposed to be gone two days, but it’s been almost a week.”
“Oh, Violet, I’m sorry.” Her tone made it clear that she felt bad for me.
That tone got under my skin in a bad way. What was she sorry for? Did she think the guys had left me? Did she think they were hurt somewhere? Or worse? Why did she feel bad for me? Everything was fine. “I’ll talk to Forrest.”
“If you need a break, Violet, I could watch him.” She was being so kind and trying her best to help, but she was ruining my very fragile state of delusion.
“I’m okay. Thanks for calling.” I hung up and walked back out into the diner, set on keeping myself together. I had to.
I’d barely been back on the floor for five minutes when Joanie walked in from running an errand and shook her head at me. I forced a smile while sliding a customer a refill of their coffee. It’d been a rough week for me, too, and the cracks were starting to show. While Forrest was lashing out in anger, I was just…scared. Not knowing if the guys were safe, or even alive, was eating away at me. I flashed back and forth between grief and anger, but the anger never lasted. I cried myself to sleep every night and I was starting to feel like I was losing it.
“You’re done.” Joanie walked up to me and untied my apron. “You need to go home and get some sleep. Have your parents watch Forrest and just rest. You look like you’re barely standing, Vi.”
Tears filled my eyes and I shook my head. “I’m okay. I’m absolutely fine. I can do this.”
“Violet, go home. You—”
“I said I’m fine!” I realized I’d shouted and covered my mouth with my hand. “I’m so sorry, Joanie. I—”
“Hush. You’re not going to hurt my feelings by raising your voice at me, Vi. I’m not changing my mind about this, though. You need to go home and rest.”
I nodded my head too fast and a wave of dizziness washed over me. I braced myself on the back of one of the booths. “Okay. I’ll go.”
“Are you okay?” Chase came out of the back and must’ve caught my dizzy spell.
I cleared my throat. “Yeah. Yes. I must be feeling a little under the weather.”
“I’m sending her home.” Joanie put her hand to my forehead and frowned. “When’s the last time you ate?”
I glanced out the window to avoid her gaze. I couldn’t remember. Lunch the day before? I wasn’t sure. As I was opening my mouth to answer I spotted a familiar face across the street. Angel. I grabbed my purse from behind the counter and raced out of the diner. I cut across the empty street and chased after Angel.
She must’ve heard me huffing and stumbling because she swung around to face me with a stern look on her pretty face. It didn’t relax when she saw me. In fact, her eyebrows pinched together tighter and her lips turned down even more.
I stopped right in front of her. “I’m not sure if you remember me, but I’m a friend of—”
“I know who you are.” She took a deep breath and shook her head. “Whatever questions you’re about to ask me, don’t.”
Tingles erupted over my entire body like millions of tiny needles jabbing me with adrenaline. “I just need to know that they’re safe. I haven’t heard from them in a week and they told me—”
