Friends Become Foes

chapter 7

All I could do at the moment was stare at my cousin/brother. My body was frozen. My thoughts were jumbled, truly showing my lost cause ADHD.

What is he doing her? How did he get here? Why is he here? When did he get here? How did how know that I was here? Did he know that I was here? Was he following me? Did he stalk me? My brain is going to explode. Does he hate me? Why is he here? Oh wait, I already thought that... Does he know about Kyle? Butterfly!

Nico shifted uncomfortably under my intense stare. "Come on dude! Are you gonna stare at me all day, or are gonna give a hug today?"

That snapped me out of my thoughts. I lunged at him and pulled him into a big hug. "I've missed you baby bro..." I whispered to him. We buried our faces into each others neck. He smelt like pepper and hospital. Was he still dating Solace?

"I know. I'm sorry about what happened at camp. I wish I was there. Why did dad have to say that he needed my help on that day? I could have helped you..." We pulled apart. "Why didn't you tell me where you were going? Do you know how long it took Will and I to find you? You kept jumping from place to place with that friend of yours, making my life more difficult." He said the last part as a joke, but I still took it seriously.

"I'm sorry Nics. I really am. But... The camp... They kicked me out... I stopped at my moms for a few minutes to pack some of my stuff then I hit the road. Not turning back. I lived in the park for a few days, visiting mom and Paul every now and then... But that was it. Then i over out of the city. Moved to Florida. Got a job. Stayed there for two years. Met Kyle, my new friend. Moved again with him to Washington, sans Fransisco, Miami, California, las Vegas, back to Florida, went to New York for a few days and then came here. L.A."

I took a deep breath. I waited impatiently for Nics to say something. Anything. But his fave was blank. A true poker face. It was slowly killing me. Even if he showed anger, I would easily accept that better than this poker expression.

Then, a grin spread across his features, instantly relaxing and calming me down a notch. "Heh. Its would seem that the almighty King Sassy has been doing a lot of secret travelling around the country." He said in a British accent.

We looked at each other for a moment, then we both burst out laughing into a big giggling fit. We couldn't stop. We fell to the ground, clutching our sides that were aching from the pain.

After we calmed down, we both sighed deeply and begun to tell each other what we did in the last ten years of our absence. For the moment, I was detracted by what had happened earlier this afternoon.