Primal » Isaac Lahey

Chapter O3.

It's been five days since the Winter Formal and the night Lydia was placed into ICU. It's been three days since the Sunday night Lydia went missing. It's been two days since I slammed my locker door into Isaac Lahey's face and two days of search parties throughout the woods. As each day passed, the likelihood of finding Lydia dropped drastically, and I wasn't coping well. The week wasn't even halfway over, and I felt on the verge of falling apart. This week has been far beyond what I had expected it to be, starting with the night I tried to visit Isaac Lahey.

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I sat behind the wheel of my SUV for a moment thinking about Isaac before starting driving. If what Jackson was told Danny and I wasn't true, then stopping by and ask for answers could be considered rude and I could offend him. On the other hand, if Mr. Lahey really was abusing Isaac, and Jackson actually was telling the truth, then stopping by could possibly help Isaac—maybe even save him. My fingers tightly gripped the steering wheel. I didn't exactly know where Isaac lived, but if that was his bike I saw in the yard across from Jackson's house, then that had to be his place. I've seen pictures of his father on old swim team photos they kept in the trophy case at school so I knew what he looked like. At least I had something to go from.

How could I not start overthinking? I mean how are you supposed to bring up a topic like that? It was a serious matter and I didn't want to handle it inappropriately. Maybe I wouldn't just blurt it out, maybe asking Isaac if he wanted to go out? I'll probably end up humiliating myself like I did at school, but I hoped he'd give me a chance to talk. I mean I drove all the way to his house to talk to him, not to have the door shut in my face, and hopefully, he realizes this. I need to be assertive and not take no for an answer. But what if I came off as too pushy?

The surprisingly light traffic made for a quick drive, and I was turning down the right street. I looked at the quaint house with a bike thrown in the front yard. It was a single space driveway so I was forced to park on the curb outside the house. I glanced in the rearview mirror, quickly flip my hair into place and pulled on my coat as the weather was dropping with the sun.

A car drove by and parked across the street as I shut the door behind me. Sighing internally, I lean against my car door as I watch the expensive car park and the boy come out. At first, he looked at me in confusion before acknowledged me, "What the hell are you doing here Jamie?"

His attitude didn't bother me as much as it should have. I was used to his behavior after knowing him for so long. "I'm going to go talk to Isaac about what you said earlier," I said from across the street loud enough for him to hear me, but not loud enough that the entire neighborhood would as well. Compared to the rest of the neighborhood, the large, modern black and white house of the Whittlemore's seemed out of place. Just like Jackson.

He scoffed at me. "You're really that serious about this," he mused. "Even if you asked Lahey, what makes you think he's going to tell you? His father has been doing it for years--"

"Years!" I shout a little too loudly. I wanted to go over and smack him, but then I noticed the face peeking out from the house behind him. In the window, Mrs. Whittlemore looked out over her front yard at her stepson. She smiled when she noticed me and gave a small wave. Promptly, I wave back embarrassed at my own outburst. She knew me well enough, I mean I am her son's best friends sister. It wasn't too awkward when we saw each other, but it wasn't like she'd come out and start a conversation.

"I thought I already explained this to you Jamie. Plus it's not like his father is going to let you in the house. You're a total stranger."

"And you're a total asshole! And no you didn't share that important piece of information! You just--ugh! I'm not even going to bother with you anymore." Jackson was just something of another kind, and I don't have time to correct him on how ones supposed to treat another human being. That was a lesson long overdue for him."Tell your mother I said hello," I gave up before crossing the street again.

"She's not my mother," he grumbled before storming into the house. The front door slammed shut and echoed across the street.

Nervously, I walked to the small front door. The silence was painful, but not as painful as the clenching in my chest as my ribcage struggled to contain to hyperventilating heart. I stopped just a few feet away from the door. My nerves began to build up and I almost regretted the drive over. I glance back towards my SUV on the road and noticed Jackson peering across the street from inside the comfort of his own home. He watched on almost intrigued by the fact that I was actually caring for another human, almost as if the idea of compassion of others was foreign to him.

Wanting to prove him wrong, I pressed the doorbell and waited in silence. I turned to look at Jackson but noticed he'd drawn the curtains closed. From outside Isacc's house, I could see there was interior light on, but it was a minute or so before someone answered the door. It swung open and revealed a taller older man. His face was a bright red as if he powdered blush onto his checks just seconds beforehand, and I couldn't help to notice the beads of sweat dripping from his overgrown brows. His presence gave off a threatening vibe, which made me slightly nervous, but I had something I needed to do. He looked down at me irritatingly, as if I was a pestersome bug that wouldn't fly away. "May I help you young lady?"

"Um, I'm sorry if this is a bad time--"

"Yeah, it kinda is," he interjected rudely.

"Sorry but," I ignore his rude remark and continued, "I was wondering if I could talk to Isaac or if he was home?"

He looked flabbergasted that I asked for Isaac. I noticed he had some the same physical features as Isaac, so I came to the assumption that this man is his father. "Isaac," he asked me shocked leaning against the door frame. "You, a pretty girl is asking for my son." I nodded, disturbed by his odd behavior. Mr. Lahey chuckled before glancing behind his shoulder. "Isaac can't come downstairs, he's," he paused, "grounded."

"Oh." That was all I could say. "Are you sure I can't just talk to him for a second? I need to ask him a question about school," I peered over his shoulder into the extremely messy house.

"No. He's grounded. That means he can't talk to anyone. That's what grounded means."

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair nervously, "Okay, but could you at least tell him that Jamie Māhealani stopped by."

Mr. Lahey nodded before slamming the door in my face. The exact opposite of what I wanted. The sound of multiple locks clicking told me that he was done with the conversation. I scoffed at his rude mannerisms before turning back towards my SUV. I sat in the drivers seat looking back at the house. From my spot, I saw a shadow move in front of the upstairs bedroom. The last thing I saw before pulling away was the curtain moving back and I saw the curly haired boy looking down at me.

For now, I knew he was okay at least.

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UPDATE: 20/03/18. I believe it's edited, if you see anything please leave an in line comment. Thank you so much for reading this!

Word Count: 1355