Jellyfish

17. To Help the Wicked

Riding in the front seat of Frankie's car was different. I'd been in it enough to be familiar with the roughed-up leather and bumpy ride, but it had always been Miles in the passenger seat. Something about the change felt wrong, or maybe not wrong, but significant. I didn't like the thought, so I pushed it aside in favor of tapping along to the radio. Frankie didn't seem to know how to talk to me right now, if the silence were any indication. It was like he was afraid to say the wrong thing and chase me off again, or maybe he just didn't want to push his luck. Whatever the reason, I let the silence be, not too bothered by a lack of conversation. I was too busy thinking forward to properly worry about now anyway. We were almost there if I remembered correctly, and I had no clue what to say to Cain. I wasn't sure he'd even talk to me, but I was willing to try.

"This is a good idea," Frankie blurted out suddenly, but there was no confidence in his statement. "Yeah?"

I looked over at him, registering for the first time that Frankie was kind of panicking. "Yes, Frankie. You're doing good."

"Sorry," he laughed nervously, refusing to meet my eyes. "I know I'm a little, er, spastic. I just need reassurance sometimes. Well, all the time. I'm sure it gets annoying, but I just can't help it, y'know?"

I nodded because I did understand. We were both nervous right now, granted, we were nervous for very different reasons. Frankie just wanted his life to go back to normal and his friends to be happy. I just wanted the return of my peace and security. At random, I found myself sort of missing Blair. He'd really set this all into motion, but I didn't blame him. In fact, I wasn't upset with him at all. Losing Diego would've been one thing, but it had turned into more than that. I'd lost one of the only real friends I'd ever made and sure we weren't the type of friends to sit around and talk for hours, and maybe Blair liked to show his affection in a mean kind of way, but it was still friendship and that was probably why everything felt so different. I got used to the feeling of security, of knowing I had a Blair to walk beside me and four older brothers just downstairs. All I wanted right now was to have that back, and it made me nervous that I might not get it. That I might even lose it for good.

"Okay," he sighed, pulling into Isaac's driveway and turning to face me. "I'd give you a minute, but I think the longer we sit in this car the less likely we are to go in, don't you think?"

"I'd say that's accurate."

With a deep breath, I opened the door and pushed myself out focusing on one step after the other. I could do this, I kept telling myself. I can talk to Cain and prevent him from calling my parents. I could end our feud before it got out of control. All I had to do was talk.

"He's in his room," Frankie muttered quietly, letting us in with the spare key and leading me silently up the stair-case.

Isaac's house was as I remembered it, just considerably cleaner than that night. It was silent in the big house, probably why Frankie tread as if he were a burglar and we'd be caught for trespassing soon. I remembered Miles's room and our dog pile on his floor that night. The mixed emotions in my stomach did nothing for my nerves so I forced my gaze away and continued passed it. Chances were Miles was here, in that room, probably suspecting nothing about me creeping passed his door. He probably wasn't thinking about me at all, in truth, and maybe that thought hurt just the tiniest bit. Shaking my head, I did my best to expel any and all thoughts that didn't have to do with Cain. This was too important to me for distractions and we were too close to the master bedroom for me to be thinking of anything else. It didn't occur to me to question why he was in the master bedroom, or where in the world Isaac was, but I wouldn't have had the time anyway.

Frankie wasted no time in knocking and calling out a quiet, "Cain?" He received no answer, and with one last anxious smile in my direction, Frankie pushed open the door and pulled me inside. "Cain, I know you don't feel great right now, but I have a guest."