Kevin Died

3. When a Stranger Visits

3. When a Stranger Visits

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I had sent like the tenth message in a row to Kevin's phone number. For some reason he refused to text back. I had called and even requested a video chat.

"Come on, Kev!" I growled in frustration. How could he reach out to me in the way he did and then be unresponsive when I try to initiate a conversation with him? It was ludicrous! Obviously he needed something. Obviously he was ready to come home. Why else would he reach out to me? There had to be a reason, and I wanted to help.

I rolled my eyes after not receiving a response from him and sat on my bed in annoyance.

My phone vibrated a moment later and I answered the group video chat from my friends.

"Yo," Jory hollered as soon as they were visible to me, each of the four of them having their own square on my screen.

"What's up guys?" I asked.

"You wanna come out with us tonight?" Sayora asked.

I arched an eyebrow. "I don't know."

"Come on, it's a Saturday," Danielle said. "We gotta have some fun. Especially to get your mind off of depressing things."

"I just don't know if I'm in a party mood."

"No one said anything about a party," Luke said. "Just a get-together so you can take a load off. We want you to have fun."

I considered it for a moment before shrugging. I had no plans, and I suppose I did need to take my mind off things. "Sure," I said finally. "But I'm not drinking tonight."

"Don't have to," Jory said. "We can turn up without liquid courage."

"Alright, guys," I said with a chuckle. I waved at them, they said their goodbye's and then I exited the chat.

I wanted to get a nap in so I could have energy for later, but before I could even lay down my phone vibrated again. I figured it was my friends again, but upon looking at the screen, it most definitely was not.

Unknown: We can meet tonight.

___

I managed to sneak in a two hour nap or so, but I still felt restless after waking.

I headed downstairs, the goal being to make it into the kitchen, but stopped dead in my tracks when I saw a man with my father in the living room on the couch.

Immediately I recognized him. "Uncle, Raymond!"

"There he is," Raymond stood up opening his arms for me to hug him. I walked over and did so.

Raymond wasn't my uncle by blood, and neither was he related to my parents by blood, but he was such a close family friend that he had adopted the title of Kevin and I's uncle. He and dad had been best friends since their first year in high school.

"What's going on?" Raymond asked, releasing me and looking me in the eyes with his dark brown ones.

I shrugged. "Nothing much. Just trying to get by."

He nodded. "I hear that."

"Where's mom?" I turned to dad.

"She's in the kitchen preparing dinner."

"Oh, I'm not gonna be here for dinner tonight, dad," I told him.