Mr. Blackbourne's Mistake

Chapter 19 - Town Picnic

Nathan

"What?" North asked, scowling at Nathan as they worked on the VW Bug.

Nathan winced. He hadn't meant to be so obvious about staring at North. He just . . . wanted to ask about Sang. While he did genuinely want to help North with his latest restoration project at the garage, he also wanted to use this as an opportunity to feel out how Sang was doing. And what he and the others could do to get closer to her. "I . . . was just wondering if we're allowed to ask you about Sang."

"No." North's tone allowed no room for argument as he went back to what he'd been doing on the engine.

Silas lifted one eyebrow at Nathan from where he sat within the car, working on the dashboard. The sight should have been funny, giant Silas stuffed into such a small car. They'd drawn lots to see who'd have to go in. Except nothing felt very funny when Sang wasn't talking to them and they had no idea what to do about it. Silas's lifted eyebrow seemed to question if Nathan had really thought that would work.

Nathan gave a helpless shrug in response. It had at least been worth trying. Then he thought of a different question. "Am I allowed to ask how you and Sang are doing?"

"Perfect." The one word answer was almost like a punch to the gut. Not because Nathan didn't want things to be great between North and Sang, but it hurt to hear when she wouldn't so much as look at the rest of them. Kota had told him about Sang going into Dr. Green's office and avoiding looking at him even when he didn't bring up anything personal. And her running away as soon as she could. "Except for the new gnats around town annoying her."

Silas's head shot around at those words, smacking into the rearview mirror. He groaned and rubbed at his head as he asked, "Does Sang really talk about us like that?"

North sighed. "Of course she doesn't, but she's been upset ever since all of you showed up."

Silas's face fell. "Are we making her miserable by being here?"

Nathan held his breath as he waited for North's answer, then flinched as North smacked his hands on the outside of the car. "You guys hurting her is what's made her miserable! Everyone in her life who should have looked out for her let her down. Her step-mom, her dad, her older sister. Even the freaking teachers at her school followed her like stalkers at the principal's orders. We were supposed to be different." He stopped his tirade to glare at both Nathan and Silas with a dark look that would have sent most people running. "So why weren't you?"

Silas grimaced before shoving himself out of the car, nearly getting stuck in the doorway. "I didn't want Sang to wake up one day and realize she was trapped in a relationship she didn't want but was too afraid to leave after everything we'd done for her. I knew she loved us . . . but that didn't change that we were so young when it all began, and that she'd never experienced any kind of real normal in her life."

"Same," Nathan agreed, then couldn't help wincing. "And maybe I was worried about the same thing for myself too." The maybe was a lie, but he didn't want North to yell at him any more than he already had. Like Kota had said, as much as Nathan hated how things had played out, part of him had really needed to know that this was what he wanted for the rest of his life. Now he was absolutely certain. But that wouldn't do him any good if they'd chased away Sang for good.

North's intense glare at Nathan nearly had him stepping back before he turned the look on Silas. "You should have trusted her more. Trusted that she knew her own feelings and knew what she wanted. She was sheltered and abused, not some ignorant idiot who wasn't aware of what else was out there. But you didn't trust her, and now she doesn't trust you. Which all of you earned."