Finding Sage (Young Adult)

Six: I'm Not Dressed for Stalking Today

I could not sleep at all last night. That oversized, giant yellow bird screeched, "Jackass..." every hour, like a coo-coo clock. Plus, I could not get Sage's small and tortured voice out of my head. 'Its been a very long day,' and 'he thinks he owns me.' Those two statements stuck with me all night. Her scared and lonely voice rang straight to my heart, telling me she was letting me see her truest and most vulnerable self. It only lasted a moment. After that she put on an aire of strength.

Rasing Gillian's phone to my ear, I call her.

"Hi Gillian, I told you I would be late today. I have to wait for the movers." I can hear her moving around her apartment. Her steps echo of the walls. She must have wooden floors.

"Sage, it's Kellan. I still have Gillian's phone. How are you?" I ask.

She hangs up.

What the hell?

Obviously, she does not want to talk to me. I almost throw Gillian's phone, but restrain.

I am glad she is okay. She is moving? Oh, that's good.

I go to feed that giant, stupid, caged bird and when I take the cover off I see it's sleeping. This makes me really angry! I shake it until it's awake. "Jackass!" It screams. As wrong as it is, I feel better waking up the feathery terroritst.

It's a long walk from Soho to Gillian's office, but I want to walk. The previous nights events still ring through me. Mix that with the loud bird and Sage hanging up on me... I have some stuff to pound in the pavement.

Close to Whisper, my throat feels dry and my stomach growls. I've been walking for a long time with not enough sustenance. I need coffee, water and at least a muffin. Standing in what seems like too long of a line for 11:30 in the morning, I notice that the girl in front of me has hair just like Sage. Leaning sideways to get a better look, I see that it is Sage.

Smiling, I lean my mouth close to the back of her head and say in a low voice, "Hello, Sage."

She does not respond. On second look I see she has ear buds in her ears. Playfully, I grab an ear bud and pop it in my ear. As she jumps and spins around I hear she is listening to a song I wrote, a Mayhem song.

A smile spans my face but she looks very upset. "What the hell are you doing here? How did you know I was here?"

"You're listening to Mayhem? I wrote that song, you know," I smile, playfully.

Sage grabs the ear bud from me and looks around the café. "What the hell are you doing here?" She turns her body back around, not facing me.

"Relax, love. I'm not dressed for stalking today. I could never hide out in bushes with this red shirt on, I would surely stand out." When my little joke does not create a reaction, I continue, "I am going to Whisper to give Gillian her phone back. I am hungry and thirsty. That is why I am here. However, this is a nice meet-cute, don't you think?" I hope to calm her by smiling and acting light.

"No. Don't talk to me Kellan." She glances around the coffeehouse as if someone might be watching.

I lightly grab her arm and she flinches, "Ouch!" she says, grimacing and holding her arm. Her arms are covered in long sleeves and its hot outside. I grab her wrist and pull up her sleeve, revealing black and blue bruises.

"Stop it!" she yells at me. "You need to leave me alone!"

Customers and employees start looking at us, making me release her wrist. Her words from last night haunt my thoughts again, 'it was a very long day,' and the reality of all she must have gone through becomes clearer in my mind. Blood begins to pulsate through my veins making it hard to restrain my anger.