The Shadows Of Yesterday

The Shadows Of Yesterday {12}

I waited until Seth had left for class before texting Arlo. He replied that he'd meet me at the stairs in the dining hall, and I set off.

I reached the stairs after a bit, unsurprised to find that I'd made it here first. Arlo was probably trying to convince Brooks and the others not to come, and undoubtedly losing that battle.

I leaned against the wall and took out my phone as I waited. I scrolled aimlessly through social media to kill time.

"Jeremy?"

I stiffened, looking up from my phone at Cad. He had a drink in his hand from the market, and I realized he must've been cutting through to grab a drink before he went to his next class.

"Hey," I greeted, tucking my phone in my pocket and trying to act casual. "Ziv said you missed me popping by to bother you."

He ignored that, stepping closer. I tried to subtly turn my head when I realized where his gaze had fallen.

Cad's grip on his drink tightened a little. "You've got my number if you ever need to talk privately, Jeremy."

"Gonna charge me a therapist's rate too?" I asked, a bit sharper than I meant to.

"I should, you pain in the ass," he grumbled.

I glanced over at the sound of light arguing. Arlo and Brooks had just entered, already going at each other, with Harley trailing behind them.

"I've got to go, Cad," I said. I bit my lip. "But...thank you."

He reached out and shook my shoulder a little. "You've got people who care what happens to you, kid."

Seth. Seth cared what happened to me. I resisted the urge to touch my bruised face, knowing he'd never meant to hurt me. He'd felt more guilt for hitting me than I'd felt for shoving him; which of us was really the asshole here?

Cad turned and headed for the opposite exit. I shook myself a little and turned to face the others as they reached me.

"You know Prof Gruff?" Harley asked curiously.

"I'm good friends with his son," I explained.

"I heard his son is a total dick," Brooks said. "Like, kinda hot, but a total dick."

I scrunched up my face. "No, not that son. The other one. My roommate is friends with the total dick son, but I can't stand him."

Harley frowned. "Is that the one you were arguing with the other day?"

"Yea, that's Vin. Can't stand that guy. His brother, Ziv, is a lot more bearable," I said. Maybe not lately. But certainly in general. "Can we stop talking about Cad's kids and go eat already?"

"Works for me. Sorry, they followed me here," Arlo said, starting up the stairs.

Harley shifted so she was next to me. "Hey, are you okay? I'm sorry if Chief or I did something to upset you the other day. Things seemed tense with us there."

"You didn't do anything," I assured. "Really, I already told Arlo, I've just been busy. Seth and I have been doing our homework together in the dorm so I haven't been to the library the past few days. Sorry I didn't stop by. I didn't mean to make you think you'd done something wrong."

"Is everything okay between you and your friends?" she asked.

Her concern was as genuine as Arlo's, and it made me want to look away from her. "Of course. Like I said, I just can't stand Vin. Sometimes we go a little too far and it turns into a fight. That's all it was. Sorry you had to see it. Seth tries to keep the peace, but it doesn't always work."