EVERGREEN WOOD《COMPLETED✔》

A TRANSITION

Chapter 26

We entered the smoothie shop and scanned the crowd for Noah. Skyler pointed at the corner and I saw Noah frantically calling someone. He kept dialing and redialing but supposedly the person is not picking up. We snaked through the crowd and reached for Noah. As soon as he saw me he bolted and shook my shoulders.

"Where have you been? I've been looking for you." He paused and took me in for a moment. "What happened to you?"

"We need to talk," Skyler told him. "But not here."

We headed outside for the parking lot. Noah turn around and faced me. "Are you going to tell me what happened?"

I swallowed and took a deep breath. "We have been wrong. It wasn't Luke. There's something wrong with the evidences."

Noah studied me for sometime. Then he turned to Skyler, "Did you happen to find her crying her eyes out somewhere?" Skyler's expression told me that she was as surprised as I was hearing the question. She simply nodded.

"You're coming home with me." Noah grabbed my hand and tried to head for his suv. I jerked off my hand and said, "We don't have time. Someone's gonna get hurt."

"Luke is behind bars. Nobody's getting hurt. You need to get home now." There was something in Noah's eyes that scared me. I took a step away from him. 

"What are you hiding?" My voice shook a little.

"You have to get home Jenny. You're sick." I gaped at him. What on earth was he talking about.

Skyler stepped in between us and said, "You need to stop taking decisions for her. And she is not sick. You better listen us out or you can just leave. Your choice."

I was so grateful to have Skyler here. Now that she mentioned it, I realized that for the last couple of years I have been doing exactly as Noah wanted. I did whatever made him happy. I did it because he was my best friend. But now it just looks like he had been living my life too.

"Stay out of this Skyler. You don't know nothing," Noah said without taking his eyes off me.

"Noah, listen. I don't know what you are talking about. I don't know this you. The Noah I know would've listened to me by now and taken steps before someone got hurt. Genevie saw the attacker. She saw that it wasn't Luke. And it wasn't. Her life might be in danger."

"Snap out of it," he shouted at me. Tears settled in my eyes. I did my best to hold them back. He can't break me. Not now. Not when people need me. He stepped closer and put both of his hands on my shoulder.

"Do you remember the time your mother died?" he asked me.

"What the hell does that mean?" I snapped at him.

"Do-you-remember-the-time-your-mother-died?" he asked me again giving pause between every words like my brain could not process all at a time.

"Yes," I replied, "in the hospital. My dad was sulking. Granma and gramps were crying. You and Jeremy did all the work."

"Do you remember what happened after Jeremy pulled you out of the ICU?" His eyes searching mine for answers.

"I-yes. I fell asleep on one of the chairs crying. You guys took me home. I woke up the next morning." I didn't find anything out of ordinary in that. What was Noah trying to say?

"Do you remember the funeral?"

The funeral.

I tried to remember the funeral. But only bits and pieces came to my mind. Me standing for speech. Burying my mom. Crying at my bed at night. But not the whole thing.