Trepidation | Sitkolson [ C ]

Chapter 24 | Web

My fingers moved swiftly over the keyboard, tapping on the necessary keys.

Outside it was raining. Every now and then, claps of thunder were heard and flashes of lightning lit up the dark sky. As much as it calmed me, it still put me on edge.

Hours passed by, and I was still surfing the web, trying to find whatever I could to help me understand what was happening around me.

I knew I was overreacting. I knew there was no reason for me to research. But, if I was practically involved with someone I had no knowledge on, I was going to find the correct knowledge, then be fully involved.

I wanted to be there for Devin and Josh, Chris and Angelo, and even Ryan. Was that possible, though?

Letting go of the question, my eyes latched to the computer screen when more results loaded on the page.

I clicked on the first one, scanning the article.

My lips parted in shock, my eyes widening. My heart started to beat faster and faster, but my breathing remained the same.

"Holy shit," I whispered, quickly saving the page.

I snapped closed my laptop and grabbed my hoodie from beside me. After slipping it on, I left the house, my laptop still gripped in my hands.

Eventually, I ended up at the very entrance of Ryan's garage. Instead of pushing open the roller door and strolling through without his knowing, I banged on the door.

Cautious of my surroundings, I scanned them before banging on the door again.

Suddenly, the roller door was ripped upwards and Ryan was stood in front of me.

A tired scowl was set on his face.

"What is it, Olson?" He muttered, stepping to the side.

Strolling past him and slipping my hood off, I held the hand that clasped my laptop up.

Setting it down on the table he had in the garage, I sat down and started it back up.

Once I had the internet open, I turned back to look at him.

"Did you know?"

My tone held the slightest bit of curiosity, but it was too hard to seem worried. It was rather a demand than a question on my end.

Ryan carefully walked to where I sat, stopping behind me and staring down at the screen with a frown.

His eyes ran across the words, his grip on the chair tightening with each passing second.

Using a hand on the back of my chair to support himself, and the other on the table next to my laptop, Ryan had me basically trapped in my place.

As he was reading, he asked, "Why'd you look into this?"

"I needed information somehow," I answered, staring at the screen. "This is what Angelo was talking about, isn't it?"

Ryan shook his head, but lifted his shoulders in a tired shrug, "Probably."

Emitting a sigh, I ran a hand through my hair. Tilting my head to look at Ryan, I scrunched my nose up.

His eyes wandered from my laptop, to me, "What?"

I lightly tugged at the tank top he wore, "You need to shower."

I couldn't tell if he chuckled, or scoffed. Either way, I managed to crack the tiniest of smiles out of Ryan.

He raised an eyebrow, "I didn't expect any company for the next three days."

I leaned back slightly to get a better look at him, smirking, "So you thought it would be a good time to not shower?"

"Exactly," He chuckled, earning a laugh from me.

The sounds slowly died down and it became harder to hold eye contact. Ryan cleared his throat and stepped away from me.

"I'm sorry," He muttered, then sighed before continuing. "Not just about earlier, but everything. You... You were always... I'm sorry."

I stood up and shook my head, stepping forward, "I'm sorry, too. I've been pushing you, and asking you about your past... I know that it was rude, and careless. Sorry..."

Ryan didn't reply, and I took the silent opportunity to move forward and wrap my arms around his torso.

I could feel his arms shaking slightly as he wrapped them around my waist.

Seconds passed before Ryan got more comfortable and rested his head on mine.

"I don't want to keep you in the dark anymore, Ricky," Ryan mumbled. "I will tell you everything. But... I have to see Angelo first. Without Chris."

"Why can't Chris be there?"

"You don't wanna' know," He sighed.

Pulling away, I inspected him.

Something inside of me was alarmed that he didn't want Chris to be near when he spoke with Angelo, but the other part of me was just relieved because he was actually making some sort of effort in this strange situation. I don't know what changed in the past eight hours, but I was thankful for it.

"Okay," I nodded, gulping. "I'll do whatever I can to help. But, what exactly are you going to tell Angelo?"

Ryan hesitated. His eyebrows furrowed. Grazing his teeth along his lower lip, Ryan nodded slightly as if he found the answer.

"The truth."