Against All Odds?

4. While You Weren't Looking

-♡♥︎♤♥︎♡⁃

𝑰𝒕'𝒔 been thirty minutes since we had dinner, and Mom and I have been sitting in the living room catching up on the four years we were apart. Meanwhile, Corey wasted no time heading out to who knows where at this time of night.

As Mom continues to knit with her glasses on, the sight keeps taking me back to the past—a past I can't relive despite my desperation.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I catch her words just in time as she talks about a funny incident that happened at the café with her and a girl named Ingrid, her employee.

Laughter fills the room, and for the first time in a long time, I'm genuinely laughing—not because I have to conceal the lingering pain or because of the effect of alcohol, but because I'm truly enjoying the moment.

Shortly after, her phone starts ringing, interrupting our joyous moment. While she's on the call with her friend, my mind drifts back to what happened earlier at Jayden's house.

Despite my attempts to persuade Mom to tell me exactly what happened between Jayden and Corey, she hasn't given me anything that answers my questions. And it's not like Corey will tell me either. But maybe Jayden will—I mean, he's always been honest with me for as long as I can remember.

Just as she's about to end the call, telling her friend they'll talk another time because she's busy bonding with me, I stop her, saying that she can continue her conversation while I take a walk.

She looks up at the clock, concerned about me going for a walk at this time of night.

"It's only 9:30. I'll be back soon."

Hesitantly, she agrees and tells me to come back as soon as possible.

"I'm twenty-three, Ma; I don't need a curfew, do I?" I say with a smile.

"No, you don't. I just don't think it's safe for you to be out alone at this time," she expresses her concern again, her eyebrows knit together.

"Ma, this is the safest place compared to the city. If anything, 9 p.m. is like dawn. You should have seen how hard—" Realizing I'm about to reveal more than I intended about my nightlife, I bite my tongue and seal my lips.

"What? What were you going to say?" she asks curiously, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Nothing. You don't want to keep your friend waiting on the phone, do you?" I say quickly, pecking her cheek before hurrying out the door, hoping she won't change her mind.

After making it outside, I exhale sharply, relieved to have escaped what could have turned into an interrogation.

As I walk to Jayden's house, which is about a twenty to thirty-minute walk from mine, depending on the pace, memories of him resurface from when we were both in middle school.

It was a beautiful August afternoon, the events of that day are still etched in my mind as if it happened yesterday. Corey was grounded for breaking the TV—something that wouldn't have happened if he hadn't gotten cocky bouncing a ball around the house. While he was stuck at home, Jayden and I were racing our bikes around town. That day, I was happy we were hanging out like the old days.

Even though I met Jayden before Corey did, Jayden gravitated toward Corey, since they were in the same grade and shared many interests, like basketball, video games, and the like.

As we stood in line at the ice cream truck, waiting for our turn to buy ice cream, we laughed and debated about who was the best character in Scooby-Doo, a common interest we both shared. His brown eyes glowed with warmth, and his dimples, which curved into his cheeks every time he smiled, always made my heart melt.