Knowing 12 - Boys of Tommen

6.

patrick

I went straight to Tony's Garage after school. Wasting no time I opened the door, a bell rings above the door, signaling my entrance. At first there's no one in the small room, adorned with a few chairs and a desk covered in papers.

Then Tony walks in through the back door, black oil coating his hands and pants.

"Can I help you?" He asks, pulling a piece of fabric from his jeans pocket to wipe his hands down.

"I was just looking for Joey Lynch."

His expression changes, his eyebrows pull together. Does he think i'm a drug dealer or something?

"It's for school, a project we have." The lie slips past my lips easily and it seems to aid his senses.

"Ah, well, he's not coming in today, lad." Shit.

"Alright, thanks."

I head back through the doors and get in my car. Shit. I was so set on finding him here, there's nowhere else for me to go. I'll just have to put the thought out of my mind until I can figure out where and when to find him. But Sara...

Don't think about it.

But how can i not?

...

sara

Katie was lying on my bed, flipping through a magazine, when I heard the knocks on my door.

"Who is that?" she said, pausing while flipping the page.

"Well, it's not Mom. She wouldn't knock..." I look to Katie like she would have the answer. But she just shrugs, sitting up from her position.

I run over to my window when the second string of knocks sound. What is going on?

Standing on my porch, looking like he was deciding between staying or going back to his car, was Patrick Feely. Patrick.
Oh, shit. My heart quickens as I run to the door, without thinking, I don't even explain it to Katie.

She stays in my room, no doubt listening in.

I pull open the door just as he was turning around.

"Patrick," I say, he stops in his tracks, and turns around to me.

"Hi," He says, walking closer.

What was he doing here?

We didn't do this. We didn't go to each other's houses. Not anymore.

"Um, did you need something?" I didn't know what else to say as he stood there, looking at me.

"Well, no...No, I was just thinking and wanted to see how you were?"

I stood there, gripping the door knob, and opened it wider. An invitation to come inside. It felt too weird, standing there, like we were strangers. We weren't. He was my friend, he could come inside my house. No big deal.