Revive (Book Two)

Chapter Nineteen: Over-Drive

Chapter Nineteen: Over-Drive

Have you ever walked along the edge, feeling adrenaline rise in your blood as the realization hits that if you made one wrong move... You'd die? It was constant. Tip toeing on the edge of a cliff, staring at the bottom of the crashing waves, ready for them to welcome you home under the sea. It was inviting to trade air to breathe for water to drink, even if it was a trick.

I felt myself close my eyes and place half of my feet on the edge, which the other half was hanging off the cliff. The sun was warm on my skin even in the ocean air. I was facing away from the plummeting bottom, stretching my arms out horizontally. Inching my feet back, I kept going until I fell backwards. To the bottom, swallowed up whole.

Gravel crunching underneath my heavy boots, sounding like bones cracking under supreme pressure. The pounding in my throat had me sweating. My heart wouldn't stop spasming while my blood heated up with anxiety. My ears hurt, yet somehow the hairs on my arms were standing.

I was a failure, and I was walking right into a confrontation I didn't want to face. It gave me horrible feelings of my childhood memories when I had to be punished for my wrongdoings by my father.

Elias, Elias. We're going to have to teach you a lesson. Hands behind your back, turn around.

I hauled on my smoke, taking in as much as I could.

The shop doors were closed as the weather was chilly, but I could hear faint work being done on various cars. I flicked my smoke on the side of the building and walked through the door that still to this day, after years of being this way, was sticky to open.

I didn't bother making eye contact with whoever was there. It was like deja vu.

I walked into Shawns office to see him sitting in his normal position - where he usually is. Not much has changed around here. He was writing a bill for a client, seemingly checking over his work before he sent it off.

"Eli!" Shawn exclaimed which had me shutting the door behind me real fast. "You're here!"

"Hey," I muttered.

"Sit, sit," He instructed with a wave to his hand.

I took a seat on the dusty chair and stared at him.

"I didn't think you'd come," He chuckled.

"Almost didn't," I tiredly said.

"We're going to have a bit of a chat, but first I want to get the hard shit out of the way," He warned. "Don't pull a you and fuck off because you don't feel like hearing it. You need to hear what I'm telling you, got it?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Alright."

"How are you?"

My face stayed cold and unamused. "Peachy"

"Alright," He blew out a gust of air. "For starters, cut your attitude," He made a face. "In all the years I've known you kid, you've not once been as passive as you are right now. You seem tired and broken, and it's fucking shitty to look at and you gotta stop." Shawn stared at me with a deranged look on his face while he clasped his hands on the table in front of us.

I couldn't help but crack a smile. "Is that you being hard on me?" I challenged.

His belly ruptured into laughter. "That's more like it." His lighthearted demeaner didn't last long though. His face fell flat, and he looked at me as if I had flunked a grade. "Listen, I hate having to do this to you, and I'd rather forget about it but I'm also not afraid to tell you straight. What you did was a really stupid and shitty thing," He insulted. "To-to just take an opportunity I gave you and throw it away not once but twice, and leave me hanging... Well it's hard to say I'm not impressed." Shawn shook his head and cursed to himself. "It was a gamble to bring you back a second time but I trusted you. And you betrayed it."