Page 30 of When Darkness Calls

For someone who likes to stay on the outskirts, observing, chiming in every once in a while, I really really hate being alone. It only makes the truth of how alone I really am so much more obvious.

But this, being here with two of my favorite people, two members of my family, one that we had all created when we needed it most, the loneliness is gone. And soon, I think the guilt will be too, or at least not as noticeable. If it takes me having to deal with this strange shy nervousness around Dani to make it go away, I’ll gladly juggle random blushing and butterflies as long as it means I can be in her presence again.

“Okay, so, do you remember everything that happened at Orientation?” She looks between us expectantly. Cade nods.

“…Something happened at the Orientation?”

Dani throws her head back, hands flopping on the table as Cade groans, “Yeah, dude.”

“God, Grays, you really have been M.I.A. Get with the program.”

“Damn, sorry. Give me a Cliff Notes version.”

Dani inhales deep, and in one breath she says, “Liz found Issac with some girl, broke up with him, then got back together the next morning ‘cause he says she got the wrong idea, and he was just being a nice guy, but since then they’ve been super weird, and Liz says he says everything is fine, but he, like, totally ignores her half the time, and the whole new douche-sona he’s had going on since last year has been turned up to a hundred and five since, like, a month ago.”

I blink slowly, glancing over to Cade who’s nodding again as if saying, “Yeah, that’s really been happening. Can you believe this fucking guy?”

“Did you get all of that?” Dani asks, waiting.

I nod rapidly before it slowly shifts into me shaking my head. “Could you maybe repeat that?”

“What part?”

“All of it.”

They both groan. Cade turns, clearing his throat, staring directly into my eyes as he says, “Issac’s being a shady fuckboy and Liz doesn’t know what to do.”

“Oh.” I pause. “Really? Issac?”

“Yep,” they say in unison.

“That’s…unexpected. But okay, carry on.”

Cade and I resume our attentive positions as Dani recounts all the events from the last few weeks.

“Then, he just popped up at the Fest, after completely ignoring her when she was trying to make the plans for us all to go. Didn’t even tell her he was gonna be there, which is already, like, strike one, ya know? But then he’s all like, ‘I came with a friend’ and seemed super nervous that he ran into us—instantly strike two—and was super weird about making sure she knew he wasn’t trying to crash girl’s night.

“On the way home, she said that after I had left them to find the bathroom, he barely spoke two words. She was practically in tears. Liz said he had texted her Sunday morning and they spent the whole day together and it was like when they had first got together. He’s been on thin ice with me for how he’s been treating her and just being a dick in general. But, after today I dunno.

“Issac sat with me and for a minute it was like old times, just for him to absolutely ruin it by leaving all of his trash for me to deal with. He didn’t even ask if I would throw it away. Who does that? Just expected me to deal with it like I’m his maid or something. That was strike three. I texted her and told her we needed to talk about him. So, that’s where we’re at currently. She’ll be over after work.” She takes a large gulp of her pop, standing to throw the yogurt cup away.

I take it back, Issac’s on my shitlist.

Cade’s silently fuming beside me and I’m not sure which is winning out for me, being angry that someone Dani had trusted so explicitly has turned into a massive prick, or genuine confusion for how it happened.

Cay takes a deep breath when Dani sits back down. “Okay, first, I’m proud of you for looking out for Liz. For being supportive of her while also making sure that she is being treated with the respect she deserves. Even if it means she has to do something that’s going to hurt. I know how much she liked him. It’s all I ever heard you two giggling about for years. But you’re being a great friend, Dee Dee. And I know that when the time comes, you’ll be there for her to make sure she doesn’t drown in heartbreak.”

“Thank you and I will.” She gives him a small smile which he returns. But it’s short lived before his anger returns.

“That being said, I’m pissed at you.” His eyes narrow on her as he leans back crossing his arms.

“I have to say I agree on this as well,” I chime in, raising my brow at her.

She huffs petulantly. “What? Why?”

“You went off by yourself. At night. To the darkest, least populated area of the Fest. When there has been a lot of whispering around town for months that some not great things have been happening to people after dark.” Cade’s tone is stoney, the gravity of what he’s trying to tell her hardening each word.

“Then, this morning,” I say, standing to grab the paper off the island, tossing it on the table in front of her, before continuing, “this was in the paper.”