Chapter Ten
1021 Words
WILL'S POV
Days after I had sent the text to Liz that I was going to have to visit the house for her sake, she didn't text back nor did she stop avoiding me. Running to the parking lot after my classes each day to see if I could catch up with her was getting tiring.
Cain noticed. He should not have said anything about it at first when he noticed I was always running to the parking lot. But on this day, he came to me.
We had just finished a class that sapped the strength out of me and left my head throbbing, and I dashed out of the lecture hall immediately after the class, heading for the parking lot as usual. I got there and she was not anywhere.
I had a thought in my head this time. It was either she had changed her car or she had stopped coming to school with her car altogether. I hoped it was the former, so I got in my car and lingered on.
Liz did not usually leave school early. It was unlike her. Maybe she had another car and I only needed to wait a little longer and she would come to the car. I got on my phone. It was her I was searching for on i********:. When I searched her name, there were over a hundred other women going by the name and it was in my frustration that I looked up to see Cain. He was coming towards my car and was smiling.
I opened the car and stepped out.
"What is going on, man?"
He asked when he reached me. There was a smile on his face, the kind of smile that said he was going to make a biting remark. He was my friend, alright, I knew very well the kind of things he could say and the kind of things he could do as a person. So it was a surprise when he just lifted one hand and rested it on the open door of the car, the smile now replaced with a stern and concerned look on his face.
"Will, tell me something, you have not exactly been yourself these past few days. Hope you don't have a problem with your dad again?"
He looked concerned and I appreciated that. As troublesome as he could be, he was the guy who knew when I was not entirely myself and when I was not happy. He had eyes that paid attention and that was probably why he grew to be my best friend over time.
"Nah, man. I don't have a problem with my old man. I've just been a bit distracted by so many random things."
I said in reply. I hoped he would not ask me to mention random things. I did not want to add Liz into the conversation. No matter how honest I usually was with him and the other guys, I never felt the need to bring Liz into any of my conversations with them and I had an odd desire to keep it that way.
Maybe it is because she is your step sister. Maybe it is because being with her is going to be considered abominable.
I shrugged off the thought.
My hopes of seeing Liz was dashed when the last class in her block dismissed and the other students came one after the other to take their cars. I was soon alone with Cain, each man not saying anything at all to the other.
It was a comforting silence. One that helped me think some more about Liz. Maybe she was being the sensible one by not wanting to see me. Maybe she was doing the right thing for both our sake, but it did not feel right to how I felt and trying to pretend that it was was driving me crazy.
I wanted badly to see her and talk to her. I wanted to have her stand before me again, my eyes running over her, from her head to her toes. I wanted those perky breasts rubbing against my chest again.
"You know, Will, we are still friends and I am always here to hear your troubles, give the support that I can and help you through hard times if ever you are going through any." Cain said.
The words meant everything to me. Knowing that there was a friend who would just as well share in my troubles as he did in my small victories made me warm.
"Thank you so much, Cain. Did you come with your car? I could drive you home if you are ready to go home now."
I offered. He shook his head.
"My car is still too new to be left in the parking lot at home, man!"
He said laughing. I managed a small laugh too despite myself.
"You know, Will, I think you should get on talking terms with your dad again no matter how bitter you might have been towards him. It is clearly not leading you anywhere, right?"
Cain said again after some time. It was not the first time he was bringing my dad up in our conversations.
"Cain, my dad has got nothing to do with anything. I'm as okay as he is too. I mean, I just moved out of the house because I wanted to be able to have coherent thoughts about things without having him influence even my thoughts."
"I just feel you are sometimes testy when you remember your relationship with the old guy. Fix things up with him. Stop lying about crap."
I sighed. It was not time to remind him how my dad did not care enough for my mom. How his negligence of her was the genesis of her problems. Cain was right, everything sometimes made me really testy, but I did hope a time was going to come when I would forgive him without looking back or remembering all his offense.
"That is okay, Cain. I'll give it some thought."
He nodded his head and patted my shoulder before heading off.
- Writer
