Unravel // Van McCann

11. It's My Business Now

Of course she did. I should've known. I spent the next few minutes apologizing profusely.

"I didn't mean it like that! It was meant as a joke," I tried to explain.

"It's alright, Van. I agree that it's awful but I can't bring myself to throw it out. I wanted to try sculpting to see if it was for me. As you can tell...apparently not!" she replied, laughing.

I liked that she could laugh at herself. Not a lot of people can. For a brief second, I thought about telling her how I truly thought about the lawn ornament but I kept my mouth shut. Sometimes my honesty rubbed people the wrong way. I've been raised to say what you mean and mean what you say. Living here has made me more conscientious about what I say but my honesty slips sometimes. She hung up so I could carry on with the rest of my day.

I grabbed Thai food on my way back to my flat and practically inhaled my food. It was almost 8 PM. The days were getting shorter and I didn't want to get caught out too late seen as I had work the next day. I took the lift down to the parking garage and began making my way to the Clemons' house. It has half past 8 PM by the time arrived. I parked the car in their driveway, expecting it to be a quick visit.

Making my way to the front door, I could see the packages piled at their doorstep. There were five boxes total of various sizes. I knelt down by the lawn ornament and saw that the stick I had used before was still there so I began digging for their house key. I got rid of the excess dirt and unlocked the front door, opening the door wide.

One by one, I started moving the boxes inside the house by the base of the stairs so she could see them right away. She didn't specify where she wanted me to drop them off so I figured here was okay. The largest box was surprisingly the lightest which I was thankful for. Once I was satisfied with my work, I closed the door and began locking it once again, burying the key under the lawn ornament. I brushed my hands off and made my way back to my car. I stopped as soon as I saw a figure standing by my car.

My first thought was I was being robbed but then I realized it was Megan which surprised me even more. I was speechless, waiting for her to speak but she never did. She just stood there which was starting to creep me out. At this point, I was tired of the games we were playing.

"Look...your parents are looking for you. You should go home," I said, making my way towards the car. My sudden movement towards her caused her to step away in fear. I stuck the key in and turned it, unlocking the door.

"I can't," she replied. Her words caused me to stop in my tracks.

"And why not?"

"It's better that way, trust me. But that's not what I came for. How is she doing? She hasn't come home yet."

What does she mean it's better that way? In what way is it better to leave your parents worried sick? I opened my mouth to speak but shut it. This is no longer an active case. I don't need to know why.

"She's still at the hospital. They're going to send her home in the next week or so." If she was going to withhold information from me, I was going to do the same with her. I opened the door and sat down.

"What happened?" she continued, moving closer to me. "Why is she there for so long?"

"Look...I don't have time for this. I have work tomorrow," I said, closing the door. I started the engine and put the car in reverse. I looked in the rear view mirror and saw her standing in my path. "Fuck's sake," I muttered under my breath. I put the car back in park and got out of the car, leaving the door wide open. "What are you doing?" I asked a little too harshly.

"What happened to her?" she repeated, stronger this time. "Tell me and I'll move."

"Why can't you go home?" I asked back. She seemed to shrink at my words.