Fateful Hindrance

14. Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind, And Then You're Back Again

Chapter 14

Out Of Sight, But Definitely Not Out Of Mind, And Then You’re Back Again

 

 

“Do you…know how…frustrating…the guy is?” I huffed out, taking my frustrations out on the punching bag.

Jamie laughed from where she was stretched out a few feet away, shaking her head.  “I’ve known the guy for five years.  I know.”

The bag was swinging, chains holding it up creaking with each blow I gave it.  “He’s…such an…ass!”

“Emmy said a bad word!” Aiden scolded from his spot between Jamie and Sterling.  The three of them were lying on the stomachs with a giant coloring book and crayons scattered around them. 

Jamie and I were on babysitting duty.  Kate had brought them into the gym just after we’d gotten back from our run, looking frantic and claiming that there was an urgent meeting with the Council.  She didn’t say much more, just that we were to stay here until someone came, before running back out.  That had been hours before and we’d already finished training, played around with the boys, and ate lunch that was brought for us.

“Mummy saids we can’t say bad words,” Sterling continued.  “They’re bad.”

“And you should listen to your mummy,” Jamie smiled at him.  “Emmy’s just mad at your Uncle Ryan and slipped up.”

I snorted, rolling my eyes before aiming another punch.  “Slipped up.”

Jamie laughed again and continued coloring with the boys. 

In the two weeks since our heart to heart, she and I had actually become pretty good friends.  It was awkward at first, especially since I was still used to her being awful toward me, but I got used to it.  Everyone else was surprised, too, especially the first night at dinner when she wasn’t glaring and silent as usual. 

It was going to interesting again when Ryan, Tory, and Jude came back.  They actually should have already been back three days before.  When I asked Juliet about it that night at dinner, she’d said that they’d taken an additional assignment that would last a few more days.

That was one reason Ryan was not on my good side still.  The other was that he hadn’t even talked to me since the night of my birthday.  Sure, he called everyone else, but me?  No.  Jamie was the one he called most and I was usually with her when he did.  I would always be sitting quietly beside her, listening to only her side of the conversation because she refused to put him on speaker.  Her reason was that I was bound to start yelling at him…and I couldn’t argue with her after that.

He would always ask how I was, though.  Jamie would look over at me, my lips pursed and eyes narrowed in anger, and smile before telling him the absolute bare minimum.  After all, he still thought that we weren’t getting along.  But even with him thinking that, she still ripped him a new one, telling him that it was his fault that I was pissed at him (even though it was because he still hadn’t talk to me).

But she hadn’t gotten a call from him all day, which wasn’t the usual.  And with Kate looking frantic earlier when dropping off the boys…I couldn’t help but think that something must have gone wrong.  My mind ran with me then, going through all the different scenarios that could play out, which only made me even more frustrated…and worried sick. 

“Em, calm down before you destroy that thing,” Jamie’s voice said as I blindly hit and kicked the punching bag. 

“This is helping me calm down,” I growled, going for it again.