Hello Neighbor: Hidden Shadows: Unofficial AFK Book

CHAPTER 6

   This can't go on for any longer, right? Maybe? Or am I just lying to myself again? Like everyone else did to me. All I've had is repetitive thoughts in my head about what happened two months ago, and sometimes I keep thinking that it's still relevant today. But it isn't. It's like I can't move on. I can't accept the fact that my best friend is gone, or that I'm not alone anymore. Or that it's all over now. It still feels like I'm mentally trapped in some sort of way, and I can't get out.

   "You look better," I voice says behind me, causing me to jump about half a foot into the air. I slowly whirl around to see a face I recognize looking at me.

   "Oh, uh... hi," I say still quivering from being scared, also out of embarrassment.

   "What are you doing out here?" Maritza asks somewhat playfully. To be honest, it still kind of weirds me out that she's being so nice to me. After everything that happened in between us. I kind of hesitate to answer, half-expecting her to get angry again, although everything was in the past. I also don't really have an answer to why I'm out here.

   "I... kind of... I don't know, actually," I stutter. She gives me a more serious look into my eyes, with my heart racing out of fear. 

  "Are you okay?" she asks, sounding more confused than concerned. 

   "I'm fine," I mumble, turning back into the plain. I holds a look at me for a few more seconds, then turning back into the same direction as me. I side-eye her, looking at her hair flow through the breeze, quickly turning back thinking that I was staring at her. But there was still one thing that I haven't gotten an answer for.

   "Why did you blame me?" I ask. Unsurprisingly, Maritza's face get's defensive, slightly balling her fists. I finally turn to her, feeling afraid of what would happen, although I needed an proper answer.

   "Are you really doing this again? I thought we weren't talking about this anymore," Maritza says in an irritated tone.

   "Yeah we weren't. I just want to know why. That's it," I say, glaring at her. Her fists slowly untighten, letting out a sigh and turning back to the grass plain. I still look at her waiting for an answer, trying not to release my past anger from our argument we had at the restaurant three months ago.

   She finally looks at me. "I guess it made the most sense," she answers, shrugging her shoulders.

   "You guess?"

   "Well, just think about it Nicky. You were the only one still talking about him. And we found that poster in your seat, and more under your bed. Doesn't that add up at all to you?" she snaps. I don't know if I should be offended, because of it sounding like she was calling me dumb, or if I should admit that it made sense. "Then we found it. Everything under your bed. I really thought that you had changed for good. Like I had really lost you."

   "But you were wrong."

   "I know," she replies, her voice oddly quiet. I start to feel a sense of guilt sinking in my stomach from asking that now, and from raising my voice at her. "I'm sorry."

   "Are you," I challenge.

   "Yes," she replies, her voice monotone.

   "I am too," I admit.

   She turns back to look at me, her face relaxed, but looking somewhat pleased. "They didn't believe us either," she says. My heart starts racing again, giving Maritza another look.

   "What are you talking about?" I ask.

   "When we were looking for you, we ran into Mr. Peterson. We kept trying to ask him where you were, but all he gave us was your cap, which had blood on it," she continues. I only look at her, half expecting her to look back at me.