Darkwood Falls Paranormal Investigators Book One: The Dead Truth

Chapter Sixteen

"It is such an uncomfortable feeling to know one is a fool." - L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

     The throbbing headache I woke up to the next morning made me sincerely regret drinking all three of those Long Island Iced Teas.  I groaned, clutching my head as I sat up and opened my eyes.  It took me a moment to remember where I was.

     "Here," I heard a voice say.

     I looked up and squinted at Nick who was standing over me.  He held out a bottle of water in one hand, and in the other, he held two little pills.  He was grinning as if my hangover were something comical.

     "Thanks," I grumbled, taking the water and pills from him.

     "Are you okay?" he asked, moving a pile of wrinkled clothes from his armchair and chucking them carelessly into the floor before sitting down.  I pictured Brandon having a full blown panic attack from watching Nick do such a thing, then the thought of Brandon pissed me off.

     I unscrewed the top off the bottle, threw the pills in my mouth, and took a big drink of water. "Fucking fantastic," I replied.  "I feel awesome finding out my own cousin has been lying to me, and that Richard hired me because of the reason Brandon was lying to me."

     "Well, technically he didn't lie.  He just didn't tell you," Nick said, as if that settled the matter.

     I glared at him, "That's called a lie of omission, Nick."

     "Well, you know you're going to have to talk to him sooner or later."

     "No, I won't."

     "Come on.  Don't be childish."

     "Excuse me?  Did you just call me childish?"

     "I'm just calling you out on your bullshit.  Besides, you really don't want me to be your only

friend, do you?"

     "Friend?" I said, suddenly feeling guilty for getting irritated with him.

     "Oh, um . . . I meant the only person you're talking to," he said quickly, looking away from me.

     I smiled, "Having you as my only friend wouldn't be such a bad thing."

     "Well, regardless of me being an awesome companion, you still need to get up.  I'm taking you to talk to Brandon."

     "No, thank you," I said, pulling the blanket I was using over my head to hide.

     "Are. . . are you hiding under a blanket?"  Nick said.

     "No," I said.

     "Shawn, really?  Are you a five-year-old?"

     I didn't respond.  I continued to sit there under the blue fleece blanket.  I was started to suffocate.

     "This is something you need to confront and work through, Shawn," Nick said, snatching the blanket off my head.

     "Look who's the professional psychiatrist now," I said, glaring up at him.  

     I reached out for my blanket again and he tossed it over his shoulder.  He then reached out and grabbed both my hands and yanked me up hard.  The water bottle I'd had in my lap fell to the floor as I was pulled up and I fell forward into his arms.

     "Hey!" I said irritably, shoving him back from me.  "You can't make me do anything."

     He smirked, "I don't think you want to test that theory."