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“Sort of?”
I shrugged. I didn't know how to explain it.
“What do you need me to do?” Cam asked.
“I don't know.” I didn't have any answers. All I knew was that I didn't want this to get screwed up.
“Do you want me to talk to him?”
“No. I...I don't know.” I buried my face against Cam's chest. I knew he was trying to help, but thinking about the situation with Mark was just bringing back my stress and worries.
I didn't say anything about it that night, and Cam didn't pressure me into it. He just held me, making me feel safe.
With the other worries I had plaguing my life, I was glad that I at least had someone to take care of me.
Chapter 6
Cameron
Ami didn't seem to want to talk about her brother, but I could tell that something was weighing on her mind. I tried not to force the issue, since I didn't want to upset her. But I knew I needed to do something.
I decided to take matters into my own hands. The situation with Mark was my fault anyway. I understood why he had been upset. From his point of view, it was like I had violated his sister. Taken advantage of her. If I'd been in his shoes, I'd have been mad, too. I figured if I could just explain to him that it wasn't like that, that I really cared about Ami, then we'd be able to mend bridges and everything would be fine.
I spent the rest of the week trying to decide how to approach him. I didn't have Mark's phone number anymore, and I didn't want to ask Ami for it. Besides which, this wasn't the kind of thing we could resolve over the phone. I needed to talk to him in person, man to man.
I decided to check his Facebook page. I knew it was a bit creepy, like stalking him online, but it was the best chance I could think of. I thought if I could find out where he lived, or where he was working now, then maybe I could go find him and we could talk.
His most recent posts were all about a comic convention in Allentown. Friday night, he posted a picture with a girl I didn't recognize—probably his new girlfriend—saying they had arrived at the hotel for the weekend. The picture had been taken in front of the hotel. I recognized the place. It wasn't too far from where I lived.
I told Ami I was going out to run some errands. She seemed to believe the little white lie, though she did have a touch of concern on her face. She gave me a kiss and told me to drive safe. I promised I would.
I drove to the hotel, trying to figure out just what I would say to Mark. We hadn't seen each other in four years, and our last encounter hadn't exactly been friendly. But he'd been my best friend for our whole lives. We'd grown up down the street from each other. We'd gone to the same college, before I transferred out, driven away by shame. If nothing else, he owed me one.
I got to the hotel in the early evening. It was small and looked kind of cheap, but the place was packed. Almost the entire parking lot was filled with cars. Probably people coming from all around for the convention this weekend.
I wandered into the lobby, looking around. I thought maybe I would get lucky and spot Mark coming out to get a bucket of ice. He was nowhere in sight, however.
I went to the front desk, putting on my best smile. The woman behind the counter looked tired, but she forced on a professional smile that didn't reach her eyes.
“Hi there,” I said.
“Hello. Checking in?”
“Actually, my friend already booked our room,” I said, spinning a quick lie. “But they didn't give me the room number yet, and my phone is dead. Could you page him for me?”
“Of course,” she said, turning to her computer. “Your friend's name?”
“Mark Cole.”
She typed the name in, then picked up the phone on her desk, dialing in the room number. After a moment she asked, “Mark Cole? Yes sir, this is the front desk. The rest of your party is here in the lobby.”
She wore a confused frown for a moment, looking over at me. I imagined Mark was telling her there weren't any other members of his party. I gave the woman a thumb's up, hoping she wouldn't catch on to the lie.
“Yes sir,” she said into the phone. “Very good, sir. Thank you.” She hung up the phone and turned back to me. “Your friend is on his way.”
“Thank you,” I said. She still looked confused about the situation, so I gave her a smile and walked away before she could ask me anything else.
