The Bad Boy Returns

Chapter 27: Strange Actions

KAT'S POV
Shane has been acting strange since Nate got locked up. He's been on edge and eerily quiet. I assume it has to do with the fact that they were best friends at one point. Since I know better than that I'm guessing it's a lot more then nostalgia that's causing him to act different.

I head to my locker, grabbing the black, metal lock spinning it around before pulling it down. I swing open the locker door letting in gently slam against the back of the other lockers.
For precaution I search the hall making sure that Brit isn't in the vicinity to attempt to cut my fingers off with a slamming locker door.

Strangely enough she is right across the hall from me, surrounded by her posse but something is off. She doesn't have a menacing look upon her features. She's looking straight at me that it almost seems like she's staring right through me. The intensity of her somber look sends chills up my spine and I scrunch my face in wonder. She snaps out of whatever trance she was in and realizes that I was staring back at her. She quickly narrows her eyes before quickly scurrying away from her friends and right past me without so much as a snarky remark about me.
Ok is everyone going crazy?
I look around the hall in major confusion. I don't understand why everyone is acting weird all of a sudden. Did I miss something?
I slowly close my locker and walk down the hallway in search of Shane. It's difficult to get around the halls for me with my shortness and all. I'm pushed and prodded and it usually feels like I'm drowning in a sea of giants. Maybe that's a little exaggeration but I swear that's how it feels.

I push my way through the oblivious people around me trying not to get knocked down.
Suddenly I get locked in between a wave of more students and am pushed over. I reach my hands out preparing myself for the impact of the floor against my body, but it never comes. Instead my body is met with another one that wraps its arms around my waist. I panic in the tight hold before looking up and meeting stormy eyes.
"Shane!" I breath I relief. "I was looking for you but you know..." I refer to me falling. He was leaned against the lockers, before I suddenly crashed into him.
He gives me a small grin, shaking his head. "Be glad you crashed into me and not someone who isn't as sweet as me." He says, still clinging to my waist. My hands were place on his chest in attempts to stop my fall.
I snort looking up at him. "Oh yeah if this were two years ago you would've been the one who threw me on the floor." I say lightheartedly. As the crowd finally thins out for lunch I see his face more clearly.
He gives me and annoyed, pointed look. He obviously didn't find my joke humorous.
I pat his chest, looking up. "Shane it was just a joke, you know I don't care about that stuff anymore." I say slowly.
"You shouldn't joke about it Kat it makes me feel like crap." He says, lightly pushing me off of him. I step back worriedly. "I'm sorry Shane I didn't know you felt so bad about it." I apologize.
"Well I do, every time I think about what I put you through I feel like an asshole." He admits.
"Honestly it's not the worst thing that's ever happened to me." I tell him, trying to calm him down.

I look back up at him and see him giving me the same soul-crushing look that Brit was giving me this morning. I give him a concerned look.
This isn't right.  He's always laughing when we talk about the pranks he used to pull on me. We've gotten past that. At least I thought we had.
"I'm gonna go I'll talk to you later Kat." He rushes away leaving me to eat lunch by myself again this week.
"But-" he's gone before I get the chance to call him back. I drag myself to the lunch area and set my things down at an empty table in the back. It feels like freshman year all over again. 
Nikki has been gone for a couple of weeks helping her parents out in Africa with their wildlife clinic.
Which leaves me here to deal with the every day bore of school.

Eventually I make it through the rest of the day and begin my walk back home. I pass several houses noticing the different colors and designs that have. I pass by Shane's house and see him jogging out of his front door right next to me. I look over at him and he just walks with me in silence. I'm not sure if I should be feeling angry at him for the way he's acting again or if I should feel sorry because it seems like a lot is going on in his mind and it doesn't seem good at all.  In fact whatever it is has definitely taken over his mind and he only focuses on that.
I wish asking him could work but that is like playing a game of clue, you have to fit all the puzzle pieces together because he only likes to give vague, simple answers when he doesn't want to talk about how he is feeling.
I look over at him and notice how he is wringing his fingers together in an anxious manner. He looks straight ahead not showing that he even knows I'm there. Several times he looks like he's about to speak or say something but closes his mouth, slightly shaking his head in what looks like shame. Finally after I've had enough of whatever this is I turn to him, grabbing his left hand in mine. He looks up with wide eyes that bore into mine.
"So now you want to look at me?" I tease continuing. "Is something wrong? Are you ok Shane?" I ask squeezing his hand. He looks down at our conjoined hands and starts shaking his head mouthing the word 'no'.
He pulls his hand from mine turning to look away before looking back at me. We continue walking and are pretty much in front of my house when he actually starts talking. We walk into my house as he talks.
"Actually no." He says looking worriedly at me. "I need to tell you something." He stops there looking at me.  I urge him to go on but a throat clearing interrupts us. I look up and see my mom and dad standing on opposite sides of the living room. My mom looked like she hasn't slept in a proper bed in weeks and reeks of booze.
Austin is to the side glaring at my mom in anger. I feel my own anger boil up inside me as I try to put this scene together in a way that makes any sense at all. I come up empty-handed and decide to ask bluntly.
"What is she doing here?" I see my dad step up but my mom is the one to talk.
"We need to talk, all of us."

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Hello lovelies
Sorry this is a short one I hope you still enjoyed it!
Thanks for reading!!:)