Last Chance

Chapter 18: Unexpected Meetings

It's been about three days since Carson decided that beating me up would teach me a lesson. I mostly avoid him and Molly. Tav and I hang out in our room the majority of the day because I'm still slightly sore. It's draining for me to pretend that nothing hurts when I'm around his parents. Fortunately, I've always been good at faking a good attitude.

Still, it's becoming difficult to hide my loss of appetite. Even Tav is noticing it.

"Dude, what's wrong with you? You aren't eating normally... I mean, I know everyone's appetites are different, but seriously. No one lives off what a mouse would eat," Tav says, dropping onto his bed and pulling a book off his end table.

I shrug and look away from his inquiring gaze. "Who says anything's wrong?"

Tav rolls onto his side and fixes me with a flat stare. "That so means that there's something wrong. What is it?"

Sometimes I wish Tav would just go away. Okay, no, I don't. But really, I clearly don't want to tell him what's up, so why does he insist on pushing?

"Is it about Hansen and Persephone?"

I glance toward the door to check for any of the other Hutchins. Then I glare and him and make a shushing motion. "You can't just say that sort of stuff. I don't want the others knowing."

Tav rolls his eyes. "Mom and Dad aren't stupid. They know something's up with you."

"So they asked you to fish the information out of me?" I cross my arms and glower at him.

Tav snorts. "As if..."

When I just raise an eyebrow, he shrugs.

"Okay, they did. But I told them to ask you themselves. They say they want you to open up to them, so I told them to talk to you on their own. Having me find everything out isn't going to build the relationship they want."

"Nothing they do is going to build the relationship they want, Tav. I'm not interested in allowing it. So they might as well forget it." I lean back into my pillows.

"We know that, but they don't." Tav rolls back onto his back and opens the book.

Its title says Fly Fishing 101. Tav's weird like that. We both are. He has almost no interest in fishing at all, but he'll still read a book about it. I don't claim to understand. And I highly doubt that he understands it himself.

Throwing an arm over my eyes, I ask wearily, "What do I have to do in order to get the idea across?"

Tav snorts. "It'll take Mom years to accept that. And Dad won't admit it even if he's already realized. So don't expect them to give up until eternity ends."

"In other words, never."

"Exactly." Tav laughs and turns a page.

"Well, I'll be back. I'm hungry..." I grumble, getting off my comfortable perch on my bed.

"You wouldn't be if you'd eaten breakfast." Tav points out with a glance over at me.

"Uh, yeah, I would." I give him a cheeky grin. "I'm a growing boy, remember?"

"Definitely nothing wrong with you," Tav agrees, going back to his book. "Clearly, Mom and Dad don't know a thing about you."

"Why should they?" I snort. "I've never given them the time of day, much less diddlysquat about me. What they do know is what Mrs. Hampshire could tell them or what was in my file, both of which do not comprise my personality."

"You got that right. I'm pretty sure no file could ever do justice to your penchant for sarcasm. In fact, I highly doubt even another human being could accurately describe that."