Bolt

27| The First Time I'm Back And This Is The Sh!t I'm In?

The people in the reception hall stared at me as my foot tapped on the floor repeatedly, the noise echoing in the room. I didn't care what they thought of me; I hated hospitals. Every time I was there was because something bad had happened to someone I knew.

"Trey, relax." Caleb placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled at me. He was so calm and composed. I was jealous he was like that at such a time. But I was glad he was there with me. Without him, I might have lost my mind from the guilt of not being there for my mother when she needed me the most. "I'm sure it's nothing serious." Though his tone assured me, his face did the opposite. Tears welled in his eyes, making my stomach sink into an abyss of worry. He looked away from me and rubbed his eyes.

Why didn't she tell me? I thought.

Caleb and I were in the midst of exposing the church when I got a phone call from the hospital. After the call ended, I stopped what I was doing and rushed there immediately.

Mother never told me about the things she was dealing with. That was how she always was—I was the same. I hated that about us. We would rather suffer through the pain alone rather than ask for help because we never wanted to burden anyone.

How didn't I notice? It was so obvious. The weight and hair loss, sunken eyes, constant coughing, and frequent doctor appointments. I was too busy with the church, so I overlooked the signs.

Tears fell down my face, and I didn't rub them off. I was a terrible son, and I deserved whatever punishment I got for not taking care of her. "This can't be happening, not now," I muttered. I scratched my head and then tapped my temples with my palms, trying to force the negative thoughts out of my mind.

"Trey, look," Caleb said.

Turning to him, he had a fry in each nostril, making funny faces and noises. I chuckled while the surrounding people stared in confusion. He always knew how to make me laugh when times were hard. Caleb was more than a best friend. Through our trials and tribulations, he became my brother.

"Thanks for coming with me," I said, rubbing off the stray tears from my face. "I'm sure Nuhaila isn't happy about us stopping our investigation when we're so close to the truth."

"She understands," he said, swatting his hand in the air to remove any concerns I had.

I raised my brow. "Really?"

Caleb laughed nervously before scratching his neck. "Uh..." He sucked in his teeth. "You see... here's the thing."

I gasped. "What did you do?"

"Nothing bad." He looked away from me. "I promise," he said in such a low tone, I barely heard it.

"I don't believe you." Caleb was many things: a hero, a smartass, and a loyal friend. But he was a terrible liar. He couldn't save himself from a burning building if all he had to do to put out the fire was tell a lie.

He turned to me, chewing on a mouthful of fries with yet more in his hands. "Where did you get those?" I asked. I didn't remember him buying anything now that I thought about it. We had been in the waiting room for hours, sulking and worrying after the call from Doctor Quinn.

"From her." He pointed to a small girl seated two chairs from him. She had an entire bag of Jolelo.

The girl turned to us with a smile and waved. We waved back before her guardian moved her hand down and wiggled a finger at her. I assumed she was warning her about interacting with strangers, which was smart. I would have done the same. The world was full of disgusting people who hid behind righteousness and religion.