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“I should get back to my group. It was nice to see you again, Blaze.”
I close my eyes because I know I’m going to field questions. Journee is practically salivating as she waits for Tuck to leave.
“Oh Tuck, what were you going to say?” he gives me a questioning look. His eyes flick to my right to Noelle again before he responds. “I was just going to say I heard something about you leaving. Now I know where that was.” He pulls his phone out of his pocket then makes a show of pointing to it. “Gotta take this. It’s probably Daire. Nice to see you.”
He turns and I notice Daire is standing in the doorway signing autographs for two or three people. Tuck joins him, returning his phone to his pocket.
“That was weird. I wonder what that was about,” I state as I look at Noelle.
She acts as if she didn’t hear what I said. Before I can call her on it, Journee is calling my name. The other name.
“Blaze? That’s new. Where did that one come from and how do you know the chocolate god?” she asks.
She waggles her eyebrows. The lights catch on some of the glitter powder makeup she put on for tonight.
“It’s a nickname. My high school friends gave it to me. That’s where I knowTuckfrom.”
“It sounds like that name has more of a story behind it.”
I watch Daire finish signing. He looks my way and Tuck looks too. Tuck blocks my view as he falls in line behind his friend. Tuck waves as he follows Daire to their table.
“I’m going over there,” I announce.
“Why would you go over there? What’s the point? Besides, it’s girls’ night.”
Journee and I share a look. Noelle is acting weird. I feel like I’m missing something and I’m guessing Journee is wondering what the hell is going on given her look.
“Are you okay?” Journee asks. “I’ve never seen you initiate contact before.”
Noelle and I look down at her hand, noticing she’s holding my wrist. I hadn’t even realized that was happening.
“Nothing. Nothing is wrong with me. I’m fine. I just don’t think you need to open that can of worms. You’ve said it yourself. They were your friends from high school. I think we all know a lot can happen when a lot of time has passed.”
I watch Noelle and notice she’s taking little breaths in between her statements. Whatever it is has her working overtime to calm herself. The waitstaff brings food to the table. When a plate is placed in front of me, Journee smiles.
“I didn’t realize I said what I wanted out loud.”
“You did. Now, I want to eat so it can soak up some of the liquor I plan on consuming tonight.”
We all laugh as we dig into our respective plates.
I don’t think about the Noelle/Tuck situation until I’m walking back out to our porch to grab the box left on our doorstep. The return address is my mother’s. I’d forgotten I was supposed to go over to her place that day.
After I check on Journee, making sure she has everything to tend to her hangover needs, I make my way back down to the living room. When I open the box, a letter sits on top of the items I asked my mother to put inside.
Very little about my mother’s letter made sense to me. yes, I’d forgotten to stop by her house, but there wasn’t any major thing behind it. It simply slipped my mind. Something is going on. I know it. My mother knows it and I’m thinking Noelle does too. Whatever it is has to be big if they are working this hard not to slip up.
I feel like it has something to do with my memory and that missing piece. The closer I get to piecing it all together, the more I feel like everyone I know is in on keeping this from me.
The guilt I have from carrying my own secret around tries to rise to the service. I beat it back with the key I’ve been holding onto this whole time. It’s the key I will guard with my life.
That thought makes me wonder if that’s what Noelle and my mother are doing with theirs. I take that line of thinking to bed with me and chew on it until I finally drift off into a fitful sleep. My dreams shift between trying to puzzle out what’s going on in my life and trying to understand what’s happening with Daire. Neither lead me to any real rest.
