I blinked hard and let several good, long seconds pass in order to give the figure before me a chance to disappear. Me just imagining the whole situation felt like it would be a lot easier to handle, although then I had to worry about my mental health again. However, the girl remained. The silence grew thick with tension as she awaited my response while I couldn't understand how in the world I was supposed to handle something like this.
"Have you been hiding out in my brother's room?"
Best to start simple.
"Yes." the girl mumbled quietly.
"How long?"
"A-About two months now."
"So you're the one who knocked over the lamp. Merlot was probably lying about his music player being broke too."
"Yes," the girl hung her head, "Merlot gave me a printout of everyone's schedule so I could know when I could come out safely, but you kept being home at unexpected times."
"Come out? Come out from where? There's nowhere to hide in here."
"For the first few days, I hid under the bed. Then Merlot lied about needing space so he could he could get the wardrobe for me to more easily duck inside."
"How can you hide under the bed though? The sides are way too low. I saw Merlot stuff the wardrobe full too. How is there room?"
"Here."
The girl led me over to the bed, and, with a great heave, tilted it enough for me to see what I'd never known before. The sides did drop low, but they were only buffers. There was enough space for someone the girl's size to squeeze in. Then she took me to the wardrobe where she opened the doors to show me how now only the high top shelf contained my brother's stuff.
"The bed worked temporarily, but it's too difficult for me to lift up and roll under with any sort of speed. Merlot only filled up the wardrobe to trick everyone into thinking it was full so no one might think it being a hiding place if they started to suspect someone was around. He just filled it up with empty boxes."
Folding my arms as my brain still whirred madly piecing together a plan of action, I had to give Merlot credit. He'd been successfully deceptive and smart about this whole thing. For it take two months for any of us to notice we had an extra person living in our house...
"What's your name?" I resumed the questioning.
"Willow Wheat."
"How do you know Merl, Willow?"
"We hadn't met in person until he let me come here. I was living in Southbrook. We've been friends for a while online."
"You're being quite open with me." I noted as she answered all questions immediately and, as far as I could tell, honestly.
"I'm being as truthful with I can. I refuse to go home, so I'm hoping you'll be understanding and keep the secret."
"I'm sorry, but I have to say there's little chance of that happening."
Willow's eyes turned slick with the threat of tears and the expression on her face instantly stabbed guilt through my heart. She was so pleading, so desperate. There was a fear and yet a longing wholly unfamiliar to me within her gaze.
"I don't want to be squished in a wardrobe bored and jumpy at every noise that might be someone finding me out, but you have to realize that it far better than what was going on."
Sighing, I used the pause to collect myself.
"I'm not promising anything. I definitely need to hear why this alternative is so much better before I make a decision though."
"Can't you just believe me? I haven't been doing any harm." Willow tried.
My eyes narrowed, and her sudden stubbornness faltered.
"Yeah, no. That's asking a lot for absolutely nothing in return.
"Fine," Willow sighed herself before pausing for so long I wondered if she would continue, "My dad died from cancer when I was four. My mom, who'd always had problems with her mind, committed suicide a year later."
Somehow, I breathed evenly and didn't flinch much. Willow's words didn't catch me off guard. There had to be something serious and hurtful in her past or going on to have her willing to hide like this from everyone.
"My grandparents, my mom's parents, took me in. They split a few years later. My grandfather is a serious asshole. He's the one who caused my mom's problems. I don't know how grandma put up with him that long. She kept me with her after the divorce and raised me well. She supported and loved me in everything I went through. Including the fact that I started out life being told I was male..." Willow whispered that reality so quietly I could hardly hear her.
"Oh...I see."
That helped things make more sense. Why I first thought there was a little something off with her appearance and why her voice was incredibly deep for a girl's.
She noticed me glancing her over and frowned.
"I used to look better. Grandma seriously got more excited than I did for all the transition treatments. Anything I wanted, as long as it wouldn't have harmful effects later down the road, she was fine with. But..." her words stumbled as more mist tickled her eyes, "She was old. She got sick and passed away. With nowhere else to go, I got stuck back with my grandfather."
"And he wasn't keen to help you the same way as your grandmother did." I supposed confidently, although my voice had gone soft too.
"He's been the complete opposite. He thinks I'm a freak and has been doing everything he can to make me 'right.' It's not just that he won't let me maintain my transition regime, but he's tried to beat it out me too! The last of the bruises have only just gone away, and he makes me scared for my life! I told Merlot about it all, and that was when he offered to hide me out here."
"If he was hurting you that badly, why not go to the police? Or did you try and they didn't listen?"
"Grandfather's known in Southbrook for causing problems and being aggressive, so I know they'd believe me if I went to them. I don't have any other family though. I'd be put into foster care. The chance that I'd end up with someone not much better than him is too high for me to take the risk."
"How old are you?"
"Same as Merlot. Sixteen."
I placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry. I do understand why you and Merlot have done what you've done, but I can't keep your secret. I'm going to call my parents."
"But-!" Willow exclaimed, more desperate and pleading than before, "You can't!"
"I am. I won't stop you if you want to run out the door, but no matter how your grandfather was treating you this is not the solution. It'll hurt you a lot more than you think staying in hiding, and you don't deserve it."
Willow just backed away from me like I was a plague. Her head hung low, too heartbroken to run or realize how I was trying to help her. I hoped as I pulled out my phone that this was indeed the right choice to make.
"What's up, Dia?" dad picked up my call within a few rings.
"Hi, dad. Um, so I know how this is going to sound, but I really need for you to come home as soon as possible if you can. There's a bit of a situation."
"What is it? Are you alright?" he instantly became mildly panicked.
"There's no danger or anything like that, don't worry. It's more that...well, Merlot's been hiding a runaway friend in his room for the past two months."
"...What?"
"His online friend, Willow, was having problems at home, so he invited her to come hide out in his room. He even lied about why he wanted the wardrobe so she could have an easier place to duck into if the rest of us were around. A package came for Merl this morning. I went to put it on his bed, which is how I found her."
"What's she doing right now?"
"She's standing right here listening, upset that I'm not keeping the secret."
"I..." dad had to take a moment to think, "I'll be home as soon as I can. There's a few things I have to finish up at work, and I'm going to have to grab Merlot from school."
"Okay. I'll keep everything fine here until you get home."
"Thanks."
The mood in the room was awful after that. I feared Willow would try to run now that she knew the act was truly over, but she continued to plant her feet unmoving on the floor while avidly avoiding my gaze. The best I could do was convince her to take a shower. Given the apparency that her chances to bathe were low, a musky scent lingered over her person. She slunk off to the bathroom after I provided her with fresh clothes. I worried she'd still be in there when dad and Merlot arrived. She certainly took her time, but dad arrived considerably later than I expected. Mom walking in with him and my brother explained that curiosity. He had picked her up along the way.
"Merl gave us the whole explanation on the way in." dad started off, mostly addressing me, after I took up a space on the couch with the younger ones he made sit down.
"Willow, we sympathize with you heavily," mom spoke gently and kindly, linking her fingers together, "It is horrible what your grandfather was doing, he will not hurt you in any way again, and we will do whatever we can to make sure you have a safe and loving place to stay. However, I am sorry, but it is not here, and it is most certainly not in Merlot's wardrobe."
"Why can't she stay here? It's not like we don't have the money." Merlot argued fervently.
"Yes, we technically have the money to support another person in this household. That is not the matter at hand though."
Merlot scooted forward and frowned.
"Then what's the matter? We have the room."
"Again, that is not the issue," dad replied, "You are talking about Willow as if she is a stray puppy. She is not. After months of lying and deceiving everyone in this household, you are suddenly demanding we adopt a child. That-"
"She's not a child! She'll be seventeen before I am. She just needs a safe place to stay for a bit until she's an adult, and we have every resource to do that!"
"Until she's an adult? How do you expect her to be able to fully support herself within a...a year in a half or so? If we take her in, you think we could stand by as she struggles or just cut her loose? No, it wouldn't simply end once she turns eighteen. Willow would be family if we took her in, and you have no idea what it means or what it takes to be a parent."
"She doesn't need you to be her parents! I-"
"Merlot," mom cut in calmly yet sternly, "This is not a discussion. There is no debating. As I said, we will do whatever we can to help you help her in all the ways you want, but she'll not be staying here."
"That's so-!"
"Merl, it's fine," Willow silenced him with her hand on his, "They're right. You can't just expect to dump me on them like that."
"But!"
Willow shook her head, and my brother reluctantly shut up. I fiddled horribly in my seat, stared blankly at the cookies I'd taken out as if somehow anyone would want them in a moment like this, and jumped when my phone's alarm went off. It was time for me to head to class.
Arbor met me along the way like we'd planned. He barely came into sight before I blurted everything out. He listened patiently as my emotions broke me down the middle as two sides were at war.
"It's so frustrating. There's no way I could have kept the secret of Willow hiding out in Merlot's room. Can you even imagine how destructive it would be to stay in a wardrobe for almost two years? It would deform her body, for one, not to mention strike a massive blow to her mental health. Then there's the fact that where would she even be once she turned eighteen? She'd have no diploma after dropping out of school, and she'd still be marked as a missing person by the police."
"That's true." Arbor replied with a short response as he had been, letting me ramble.
"I fully get where mom and dad are coming from too with not wanting to adopt Willow out of the blue. But then, I do understand Merlot's point as well," I hurried on with a pout, "Merlot said it, and I'm sure Willow thinks the same. She's not looking for them to be her parents. She just wants to be safe and be who she is. Mom and dad would just have to give up a bit of the massive amount of money we have and let Willow use the spare bedroom. Anything more they would feel obligated to do would be forcing their own wishes upon someone who says she doesn't need them."
"Haven't I heard your parents always reprimanded you guys for believing they have a crap ton of money when it's mostly your grandfather's?" Arbor added more to the conversation with a lighthearted chuckle.
"Well, yeah, but...grandpa, on the other hand, treats it as everyone's money. The only time he says it's his is when mom and dad are telling him not to spend it."
"Hmm," Arbor merely smiled, "And I don't think your parents ignoring their desire to help Willow if they take her in is something that one can expect them to dismiss so easily. They're great people who love deeply. To tell them to be shallow and not to care, that's not right."
"I know. I do."
"But then Merlot does have a point when-"
"Are you trying to help me" I huffed, "Or are you having fun playing the devil's advocate?"
"Seemed like you needed some fun to me." Arbor smirked.
I scooped up some snow to pelt him with it.
Arbor returned the attack with fervor. We rushed down the quiet street soon enraptured in our snowball fight. It made me more exhausted than I would have liked when I finally made it to class, but the cheerful moment gave me the needed break from the stress to handle the rest of the stress of the afternoon. Frosted had another one of his fun tests coming up, so there was that. Then, upon returning home, I noticed a distinct lack of the wardrobe girl.
"Mom and dad called the police to mark Willow as found and start the investigation of her grandfather's abuse," Merlot spoke to me with a snap the second I peeked inside his open bedroom door, "Mom and dad at least had to decency to ask if she could stay with us until they found a suitable place, but they don't have a license to do that so the police took her away."
"Do you know where they're going to have her stay? Is it close by?"
"No, we don't know yet, and even if it's right down the street it's too far. Willow should be here."
"Mom and dad-"
"It's you too! Why couldn't you have just kept quiet!?"
"Do you really think it would have done Willow any good to keep living in your wardrobe? She would have been miserable."
"I know! Of course I know that. That's why I was working on a plan. There was a lot of hard stuff I hadn't figured out yet, but I only needed more time. Then things would have been fine for everyone."
"Merl...you've done a lot wrong with this situation, but I hope you understand we all see how much you are and the good you were trying to do. I am proud of you for that."
With a long exhale, Merlot stared at his wall until it seemed like he could burn a hole through it. His infuriated expression softened somewhat while his tone calmed.
"I'm sorry, Dia. For lying, and for being like this. I don't want to talk about this with you right now though. I know you were doing what you felt best as well, but I'm upset and angry. I'd rather you leave me alone right now."
"Of course," I accepted with a nod, "I understand."
Guilt and a bitter sting of frustration refused to go away though. It stuck with me in my chest everywhere, and ignoring it was as difficult as getting rid of it despite days passing. It was why I went along with the crazy idea of joining the others at the gym. Gilly and Confetti didn't go often as it was obviously easier to the use the equipment in our basement, but that area was also small for a crowd. If they wanted to be more social, the into town we had to head. Apple and Timber happily chatted as they sped along on the treadmills while Gilly and Confetti were trying to outdo the other on the pull-up bars. Arbor stood by my side to make sure I didn't kill myself.
"Honestly, you're not doing as bad as I thought." he mused even as I struggled looking like a dying fish to keep lifting.
"I had a feeling this moment would come at some point, so I've been training a little on my own. Not that it did all that much." I admitted through gritted teeth.
"One push-up is better than none."
"Yeah, well, it doesn't have to mean the rest of you have to do a million. Seriously, I'm not even lazy, yet look at this difference." I motioned to everyone else easily doing what truly would have me dead.
"I know it's hard to accept, but there are some things you're going to have to be the worst at."
"Oh, hush you and your teasing." I huffed through another push.
It couldn't be helped that I had to stop and take a break sooner than everyone else. My arms' utter refusal to work anymore aligned well with the end of Timber's run though. He wiped down his treadmill and bounced over to join in the light conversation.
However...
"You've been doing well, Dia. Very impressive, and I mean that sincerely," Timber said cheerfully, "We should head somewhere afterwards to celebrate your success? Is there a place you want to eat?"
"Ooo, how about Bistro 9? I haven't been there in a while. They have those sweet potato fries with maple cream cheese dip."
"Sounds like the perfect after-workout meal," Timber laughed, "You in, Arbor?"
Without wasting a second, Arbor turned his gaze, already nowhere near Timber's face, completely away from him. Timber and I both gave him a second, and I hoped he was just having a random twitch. Arbor, unfortunately, only wore an expressionless mask as he stared at the far wall.
"Fucking hell, we're back to this right away. I don't even know how to feel anymore." Timber exhaled loudly in exasperation, narrowing his eyes at my boyfriend while pouting at me.
"Arbor, c'mon." I prompted.
"I don't like him. I don't trust him. That's not going to change." Arbor finally said, and it sent a chill through me hearing that detached tone of his return after years.
"I'm sorry, Timber." I shrugged hopelessly.
"There's no need for you to apologize. It's not your fault. Guess I screwed up badly in a past life or pissed off some some cosmic entity to get this kind of baseless hatred. Whatever. I'm going to go get a drink from downstairs."
The disappointment stung as badly as watching two people I cared for so much fail to be able to get along. Timber I had sympathy in heaps for, and a renewal of energy fueled by anger snapped my movements when Arbor reached for me. I swatted away his hand and rebuked any attempt of his to get closer to me. He opened his mouth, but it was my turn to look away. The only reason I prompted him to follow me into the dimly lit unoccupied yoga room was because Gilly, Apple, and Confetti were obviously well aware of the situation. I didn't have the luxury of giving Arbor the cold shoulder without making things uncomfortable for them.
"Arbor!" I growled as soon as the door was shut.
"I'm sorry, but I've said it plenty of times for this not to be a surprise. I will say it again though. I don't like him. I don't trust him. I don't have a reason why. I will tolerate being in his presence because I know how good of friends you two are, but don't expect me to interact with him. I'm surprised he even still bothers."
"He does it because he's a good person! He's trying to see you through my eyes even when you give him no reason to see you as worthy in his."
Arbor simply shrugged.
"That is not an acceptable answer." I rebuked.
"No answer will be good then, because I'm not giving you the one you want. If I did, it'd be a lie."
"I don't know what to do then! You and Timber both are going to be around in my life for a long time, and I will not tolerate this tension that makes everyone uncomfortable whenever you're within ten feet of each other." I commanded, folding my arms.
Thinking maybe those words might do something where all my other words failed, Arbor's suddenly curious stare hinted my words had had some effect indeed. It wasn't exactly what I meant to achieve though.
"You're thinking of keeping me around for good then?" he asked.
His tone, amusedly coy and delightfully happy, sank in the message I'd sent. My body still burned from the workout, but my cheeks burned with a feverish blush. My tongue fluttered so badly I could hardly get a sentence out.
"What of it?" I responded with poorly faked indifference.
"Oh, just that there might be a little hope for me after all in coming to Tinseltown with you."
"W-What? Have you been talking to my mom?"
"Huh? No. Why?"
"Because...because she said I should ask if you want to come to Tinseltown with me instead of me assuming we're doomed to split apart again because I want to be a doctor."
"My mom is the one who suggested I suggest the idea when I told her and dad I wanted to stay together with you even though you have to leave Berrybrook."
"It does make a lot of sense...for you to do that..." I whispered.
"I'd been meaning to find a good time to bring it up. Part of me was worried Gilly and Confetti would spoil the surprise. I asked them about the places you were looking at, and they clearly figured out what I was actually asking because they started showing me new places they discovered that housed four instead of three."
"It'd make rent easier too..."
"I think you're focusing on the wrong thing there." Arbor smirked.
"Sorry. I-I'm a little..."
"Overwhelmed?" Arbor chuckled, placing his hands on my cheeks that had to scald like fire, "I can tell. I'll take it as a good sign though."
It was difficult to swallow. Seriously, this was not the time or the place I imagined having this kind of conversation. I wanted to leave the rest of it for another time, but Arbor struggled too greatly in keeping his beaming smile off his face. It made me wonder how I'd ever worried that I was getting ahead of myself thinking he'd want the same thing.
"Living in Tinseltown is expensive, however, even if we get a really good deal. Did your parents say they would pay for you?" I wondered, looking for the cracks that would break this dream.
"They said they would help with the moving expenses and the first few months, but they are expecting me to get a job. It won't be glamorous, but there's always jobs at grocery stores or doing construction or something. Besides, I'm thinking about taking dance lessons again so I can be an instructor."
"Really? That'd be wonderful."
"I reasoned it was about time, what with me being twenty, that I stop being such a financial burden to my parents. I do miss dancing quite a lot, although it's still not what I would truly like to do."
"What do you want to do?"
"That's..."
My blush seemingly transferred onto his face. He took so long building up the courage to continue I almost stopped him right before he pushed on.
"I...I want to stay with you. That's it," he admitted softly, slightly straining, "I'd work if I had to, if you wanted me to, but you'd be making plenty of money. You're the one with the real passion. What I want is for you to follow that, and I'd support you every way I could. I want to be the rock for you like how you bolstered me when I needed someone the most. I'd be the stay-at-home, uh...um...husband, essentially."
God, if that didn't make both our faces explode.
"I don't know if that sounds horribly selfish or whatever, me planning to put the money making on you and such..." Arbor kept going though, his voice quieter than ever.
"I don't think so. I'd be making the money either way, and to have you with me through it all," I swallowed hard again, "I'd love that very much."
Before I could think too much or have a heart attack, my lips connected with Arbor's to cease any more conversation that would add to the craziness. Funnily enough, the familiarity of the slow and steady kissing calmed us down more than riled us up. It was reassuring and right. He and I found a moment to breath before I lightly bounced my fists against his chest for a hit.
"I'm still angry with you though!"
"Hmm?" he tilted his head.
"About Timber!"
"Oh," he realized before sighing and accepting defeat, "Okay."
However, the usual happened. Arbor and Timber stayed away from each other the rest of the afternoon. I would bug Arbor about his irrational hatred, he wouldn't budge, we'd let the matter slide, and that would be that until the rare moment came when the two boys met again. A week passed since the day at the gym where a common dinner came. The evening would be far from normal though. Confetti was over as were Papa Al, Mama, Lia, Aunt Mimi, and Rosey. An endless supply of food was passed around the table, yet the last remaining chair stayed empty halfway through the meal.
"Is he refusing to eat again?" Mama Lia asked with concern.
"I guess so. I thought he gave up on his hunger strike days ago, but I suppose once his belly was full his determination returned." mom's shoulder drooped.
"Hasn't Willow said the place they have her at is nice? Is he still that angry?" Rosey wondered.
"Merlot counts our denial to adopt her a pretty big betrayal. He'll probably always be bitter about it." dad tried to say as if it didn't bother him.
Silence lingered while the air grew dismally awkward. I wished we could stop talking about this, but there was no way not to.
"I think he's being ridiculous though," Gilly stated firmly, standing up, "He thinks he knows what's best, but he's being childish. Almost two weeks is enough time to mope. I'm going to go talk to him and see if I can't get him down here."
Off she went. Mom began to reach out to stop her, but gave up quickly. Papa Al picked up the mood as usual with some expertly picked jokes and lighthearted conversation to point where we began to forget our family troubles a little. Then Gilly returned downstairs much faster than we thought.
"He wouldn't come down?" grandpa spoke.
"No." Gilly replied, and I instantly noticed something was off.
"I'll bring him a plate before bed and see if he'll at least eat by himself." mom sighed.
"No, I..." Gilly stammered.
"What is it, Gil?" Blaze prompted.
"I didn't get to talk to Merlot. He's not coming down because he's not here." she admitted with a gentle fright.
"What?" dad frowned, "I saw him come home from school. I saw him come out of a shower not an hour and a half ago. Is he not hiding in the wardrobe himself?"
"I checked there and under the bed. In our room and in the spare room. He's not in the bathroom either. What I did find was this."
She shakily held out a letter. Standing up as she handed it over to our parents allowed me to see it was addressed to them. Dad snatched the envelope, hurriedly opened and read the contents, while mom hesitantly read over his shoulder. The letter then crumpled into a small ball as dad crushed it with an abrupt, shaking fury. Mom staggered as if she might pass out.
"Please don't tell me he ran away." Papa Al was the one to speak the obvious.
"To go steal Willow so they could scatter off together." dad revealed the rest of the message sharply, "How the hell does he think this is going to help anything?"
"He'll have to come to his sense eventually. I'll call the police so we can get them before they dash off too far or find themselves in trouble." grandpa took control before anyone could freak out.
Me included. My first instinct was ti grab my coat and go running about town looking for my wayward brother, but there was no sense to that. The house Willow was at wasn't nearby, and if Merlot had already gotten there and took off with her they wouldn't come back to this area. All I could do was hold Gilly and Rosey's hands as the adults conversed with the police and wait for the slow trickle of information to come in. Mom's part of our family returned home after the sobering news arrived that Merlot had been successful in getting to Willow and them sneaking away. All my normal bedtime routines went forgotten as the most I could handle was showering, drying my hair, and climbing into my covers. Strangely, I wished Merlot had a well thought out plan for this escape of his. The more effort he put into it the more likely the two would be safe. If he had no idea what he was doing past slipping his friend into the night...
"Gilly...?" I mumbled around midnight, completely unable to sleep.
"They'll be fine." she comforted instantly, obvious awake as well.
"What if they're not?"
"They're going to be, because I have too many words for that boy when he gets home," she spoke before pausing for a long while, "Besides, while Merlot's acting like an idiot, he's not stupid. Watch, we'll wake up in the morning to find he took them to another friend's house."
"I hope so. I don't think I'll wake up in the morning though because I'm not going to be able to fall asleep."
"Me either." Gilly sighed.
It was almost a challenge. There were a few moments of crushing exhaustion where sleep almost took hold, but I would hear Gilly quietly sniffling or turning over for the millionth time and pop right back to my miserable consciousness. We both stopped trying around five in the morning where cuddling together under a blanket numbing our minds with bad morning television provided greater comfort. I took yet another shower, abandoned breakfast when the news came out the two teens hadn't been found, and numbly walked myself to Arbor's when he texted me saying there was something he needed me over for. Something must have gone very right for the Thickets as both he and his mother could barely contain their enthused grins. Either I was too good at hiding my distress or they were too focused on their situation to pick up the clues. It all came out anyway as Mrs. Thicket told me the reason for my invitation.
"Cliff and I were going to ask your parents if we could come over to talk to everyone directly about our idea," she said brightly, "But then we figured it would be better if we told you first so you could bring the news first. We do know that because we're willing and believing it a good solution that others may have different opinions."
"You're being vague, mom." Arbor teased.
"I know," she rolled her eyes, "I'm doing it for dramatic effect."
"What good solution do you have? For what?" I wondered.
"Arbor told us about what's going on with Willow. To tell you the truth, with Arbor most likely flying the coop soon," Mrs. Thicket paused as he and I squirmed a bit, "Cliff and I thought we would find the house rather lonely. Our original plan was to sponsor foreign exchange students, but then we heard about that poor girl's situation. We'd love to have her here, have her be a part of our family, if she'd have us."
Mrs. Thicket and Arbor clearly anticipated certain reactions. My expression falling and tears welling up was not one of them.
"Dia?" Arbor wondered.
"I'm sorry. I do think that's a wonderful idea. I know you would take care of Willow very well, and I think she could be happy with you. It's just that...I am sorry. I should have said something as soon as I walked in. I should have texted or call you last night, Arbor. I was just so out of it. Merlot...has actually run away. He left home yesterday to go swipe Willow from where they placed her, and now we have no idea where they are."
"Oh my, I'm so sorry, dear." Mrs. Thicket gasped softly as Arbor gently stepped closer to wrap an arm around my shoulders.
I couldn't stop the tears.
Neither minded, of course, but there was something about standing there bawling in the middle of their living room with both of them staring at me that wasn't the most pleasant. Mrs. Thicket graciously understood I need some space, and so she went to her room to prep to leave for work. Arbor's comfort was easy to accept then. By the time Mrs. Thicket departed I sat at the table with her son with mostly dry eyes.
"I knew he has his rascally side, but to do something so extreme?" Arbor contemplated.
"It's beyond all of us to understand him right now." I threw my hands into the air.
"Do they like each other? Or does he at least like her?"
"I don't know. I hardly got a chance to speak to Willow to begin with, and Merlot gave me a harsh cold shoulder after I let out the truth. All I remember is that in the past he said he likes girls."
"So, it could be a possibility then? If he doesn't mind that she's got different parts or...sorry, I'm the farthest thing from an expert with these kind of topics. I probably shouldn't be saying anything."
I shook my head and shrugged.
"I doubt he's considered the situation himself. Maybe he does. Maybe he doesn't. Only he can tell us, but-"
"They'll find him," Arbor stopped me before I could fall into myself again, "They definitely will."
"I just wish I could do more than sit around. He didn't even take his phone with him."
"We can go look around town, if you want."
"There's no way they'd be that close. It'd be crazy to think we'd simply stumble upon them."
"Crazier things have happened. Look. We're sitting in the same seats as we did when we spent our first afternoon together working on that project. Now we're here like this."
"Somehow, I'd forgotten about that day. You called me a bitch." I said reminiscently.
"Sorry again about that." Arbor cringed slightly.
"It's alright," I laughed, patting his hand, "I recall calling you an ass. We're even."
We did end up taking a walk. More so for my comfort and distraction than in belief we'd find Merlot or Willow. The two of us went as far as we could until Arbor got me a taxi so I could make it to my class on time. The influx of information sunk in smoothly to further numb my overworked noggin. Sleep found me on a quiet couch in a lounging corner where I sat with Cherry, Rich, and Branch after telling them the news too. They let me rest, woke me up in time for my next class, and Branch bought me lunch after I realized I hadn't brought one from home like normal. My original intention once classes were done was to head to the library to study, but my feet took my far past town. Up and up I climbed until I reached the isolated lake. Why I went there, I had little idea. I didn't expect to find my brother, nor did I wish to visit the cats' grave. Remembering their death wasn't a thought I wanted to entertain. Perhaps it was simply the quiet. Perhaps standing on the dock, keeping myself far enough away from the edge to eliminate the danger of falling in the water, watching the weak ripples was a good way to forget things were how they were. I could be that little girl once more, eager and excited and unaware of how my friend's mom would hurt us.
I scoffed. To think I considered that the good, simple days.
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