Addicted to Green

CHAPTER 45

NAVINA

I knocked on the door a couple times. The black rusted door that might be hiding Caden. My Caden. Im restless as i wait knocking more and more. Gripping the straits of my backpack. Finally it opens.

"Navina. You made it." Jesper smiles wide, his pearly whites showing his crooked smile. His curly brown hair is messy and his chocolate dark eyes glint in the moonlight.

"Yes. hi. Um, is Caden here?" I then asked, trying to look past him. But he shrugs.

"Well he's at the boxing place that he has been going to way too damn often." he then said. He backs away further to let me in and I am smiling. Muttering a 'thank you' and looking around. My eyes are shifting into his living room and kitchen and a hallway.

"Are your... parents not here?" I then wonder as I walk along. I don't mention a specific parent since I don't know if he has one or two or none.

"Nope." he says and closes the door.

I nod swiftly and turn to look at him. "So can you show me where this boxing place is? '' I asked. I slide my backpack off and put it on the kitchen chair and look at him.

"Well... it's kind of in a bad place."

I shrug. "It's fine. I want to see him." I then said,

He sighs but nods. "Okay but I'm going with you... i mean he should be back..." he then furrows his brows not convinced that he's coming back anytime soon. "Just give me a minute to grab my jacket." he then said in defeat and stepped on his heel towards the hallway.

I wait only a couple minutes before he comes back slinging a black loose jacket over him and we leave. It's kind of late, it's nine pm and the sun is down. This neighborhood is kind of quiet, there's just darkness around for miles but the street lamps keep it bright. There's probably a couple townhouses meshed tog\ehter in a U type of shape and there's a small park and daycare right in the middle of where we are walking.

"So where is it?" I then wonder as we start walking in the direction of a forest and a dark area.

"It's just five minutes away." he then said and pointed straight ahead where there's a little building up ahead and it's ragged and dusty old looking, it's dark for the most part but as we reach closer and about to turn Jesper speaks again. "So what happened to you two?" he then asks.

I shrug and sigh. "We were doing good... great even... but then he went to a party, a gala thing that the river dragged him to... then he just.... Became distant. Then after radio silence for a couple days or so, I caught him behind the school high. He said he would just ruin me.'' I whispered and looked down at the ground remembering what happened. "So he broke us up..."

I hear him chuckle and I frown looking up at Jesper. "What's funny?" I was confused.

"Nothing..." he laughs, shaking his head more. "Just, that's a very Caden thing for him to do." he then mentions.

I frown. "Has that happened before?" I then asked, confused.

"Well only to me. I think." he frowns. "I'm not sure about others. He's never really gotten close to anyone else." he then mentions.

"So how come he's close with you?" I then asked curiously.

"Well, I won't let him go. Of course there's always a price to pay with being Cadens friend... or anything really."

I swallow "what was yours?'' I ask early.

He turns to me, his chocolate eyes meeting mine carefully. "River broke up with my parents, because I was going to go to the police about what River was doing to him... " he sighed heavily. "The only reason I went was because he was so bad he could barely stand up or move. That was the second time he came to me, he told me about the river... not in many words just silent nods. One thing he did say was that it was normally just his mom getting hurt not caden." he takes a deep breath after that long explanation. "After the second time he came... i dont know... i just couldn't watch my best friend get beat up like that every once and while, and by the same man that was supposed to protect him, you know, be a father figure to him after losing his own father." he explained with emotion coating each word. He seems very invested in caden, and I admire that. I guess caden does have that effect on people. Not just me.