Coexist: Keegan's Chronicles

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Keegan tried not to think about what had just happened and planted a smile on her face. “I’m starving! Isn’t it Lauren’s turn to pick?” She turned to Anna and at the same time they yelled, “Wendy’s!”

“Funny guys. I don’t always choose Wendy’s.” Lauren pouted.

Keegan and Anna exchanged a glance. Anna asked, “Name one time you didn’t pick Wendy’s?”

Lauren paused and thought about it for a moment. “Fine, you’re right. I love Wendy’s. If I had to choose my last supper, it would be a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger, fries, and a frosty.”

Shaking her head, Keegan put her arms through theirs and dragged them down the street. She was grateful for the distraction, but in the back of her mind, she was still thinking about the dark elf and what seeing her could have meant.

Once they got to Wendy’s, Keegan went with a frosty and a baked potato.

“I still don’t get this whole vegetarian thing you are going through,” Lauren told her, wrinkling her nose at Keegan’s baked potato.

Keegan reached across and grabbed one of Lauren’s fries and dipped it in her frosty. “I just suddenly got creeped out by eating animals. I want to help animals, not eat them.”

Anna and Lauren both rolled their eyes. Keegan was always going on crusade for something.

Keegan genuinely wanted to ask Anna about what the psychic had said about her sadness, but figured if she wanted to talk about it she would.

Lauren, on the other hand, was not quite as tactful. She blurted out, “Anna, you have to tell us what is going on with you. Are you really sad?”

Anna tilted her face down so that her purple bangs hung over her eyes. She didn’t say anything.

Seeing Anna’s hesitation, Keegan reached over to touch Anna’s hand and said, “If you don’t want to talk about it, we understand.”

Lauren butted in. “No, it’s not okay. She’s our best friend. If we can help, we need to know.”

“I’ve wanted to talk to you guys,” Anna said softly, looking down at her hands clasped in her lap. “I just didn’t know how to bring it up. My parents are getting a divorce.”

“What?” Lauren was genuinely shocked.

“They’ve been fighting for years,” Anna told them, finally looking up. “I’m kinda relieved. I know they’ll be happier apart. My dad has a drinking problem. He’s such a jerk to everyone. I hate the way he talks to my mom. She’s even on medication for depression.”

Lauren jumped up and ran around the table, pulling Anna out of her seat. She wrapped her arms around her, “It will be okay. I just wish you had told us sooner.”

Keegan got to her feet and joined in the group hug. “Don’t keep secrets from us anymore, okay?”

Anna smiled. “I’ll try not to.”

As if I have room to talk, Keegan thought as they all returned to their seats.

Keegan moved her iPhone around the table as she spoke. “I really had no clue. Your family always seems so happy when they’re out in public.”

Anna met her eyes across the table. “I guess you never really know what goes on behind closed doors.”

Keegan grimaced. Ain’t that the truth—if only they knew they were sitting across from a magical elf.