Eden

Chapter 9

I put the shirt over my head as I went down the stairs, making sure not to wipe off the oil that was on my neck in the process. I got to the living room and the group was sitting around the place. They stopped talking when I entered, all eyes turning to look at me.

This was what I hated about my attacks; all my friends would start acting like I was glass around them. It made me feel weak and powerless against it. I sighed heavily.

"You don't have to act like whatever you're talking about will kill me, ya know? It was just one episode, I'm fine now."

Devin was the first to speak up, his tone serious and authoritative. He was always the one to talk to a member of our group when they messed up, almost like a dad. It seemed like they had been talking about it because I noticed the way he turned to look at them before speaking. This only made me angrier.

"Look, Vince, we know you don't like being a burden- I'm not saying you are, but you gotta understand that we're here for you man." I rolled my eyes at what he was saying.

"Guys, what's the big deal? It was one silly episode and I'm alright-"

"It wasn't just a silly fucking episode, you almost fucking died, Vince. Have you looked at your car? There're marks all over it, your brake calipers are practically gone and a seatbelt in the backseat is locked. There are vines stuck in the wheels and it's muddy as hell! You ran off the fucking road, Vincent."

He pointed one of his arms outside and toward my car. He had a habit of talking animatedly. I just stood there and watched him explode with concern, his anger directed at me but mostly himself for not being there.

"It's okay, Devin. I think he gets it." Camila said softly from the couch at the end of the room. She was curled up in a little ball with her phone in her hands. Her cheeks were tear-stained, but the lack of makeup made it look less horrifying.

Ivan was just quietly observing, or so it would seem to any other fellow, but I could tell he was worried because of how he was sitting with his back straight but arms crossed. His eyebrows were slightly squinted and the corner of his bottom lip was tucked in his mouth.

Scratch that, he was the most worried.

He was wearing a hoodie with the hood over his head, his face practically the only thing visible. His neck was peeking out a bit, but that was because he was turned to Camila to listen to what she was saying about a store that exploded in Ohio.

My eyes widened in their sockets when I saw; the bright red patches on his light brown skin. He turned to me and his eyebrows creased in a slight frown. I couldn't stop the huge smile that was growing on my face and that seemed to be what alerted him.

He shot up from the chair, grabbed my arm, and led me out of the room in record time.

"OH MY GOD!"

"Vince, please shut the fuck up and listen. It's not that serious okay?"

"When did you get this? Was it last night at the party? Oh, wait, I remember you talking about having to pick up a friend last night. Oh shit, are you guys more than friends."

I watched him deflate and I knew I hit the nail on the t head. I proceeded to ask the million-dollar question.

"Soo, who's the lucky girl?" I questioned with a teasing voice. He looked up at me, and with the way his eyes moved and lips set, I knew he wasn't going to spill anything. He pat me on the shoulder before heading inside the house without another word.

Did he just close himself off? At me?

Hurt was an understatement, but I had other things to do than getting invested in my friends' lives. I headed inside and asked Colt for his hair things. I doubted that would have any sort of thing that would help with my kind of hair, but I would work with what I could get.