Love Lines

14: Eggs and Batman Action Figures

Chapter Fourteen

That question pretty much put the brakes on our conversation and his anger. The only reason I'd asked was to make a point. I already knew he knew. Everyone in the Elite world knew and it would be foolish of me to believe he wouldn't.

What I was surprised about was how angry and hurt I got when we both stood there for a solid couple of minutes, staring at each other. He knew and he hadn't told me. Just like my uncle. But Uncle Clay had a valid reason; my mother had asked him specifically not to tell me.

Cecil didn't have that.

"I guess we both have a reason to be mad at each other." I shoved my hands in my pockets and started messing with the stone Apollo gave me. "Does this mean you're not going to the party on Saturday?"

"No, I'm not." My heart plummeted. "But neither are you."

I looked up at him quickly and frowned. Of course I was going. It was one of the things Andrzej told me was on the list of things I needed to do. "What do you mean?"

"We have a tournament next weekend. It's in Florida. Charity, remember? You signed up about a month ago, you and your dad."

I grimaced. "That's right. I forgot. Crap. Ah...they told me I had to go..."

He watched me flounder around the kitchen, looking for the schedule for the event. The tournament I was supposed to be in this passing weekend was technically the last one of the summer but the one for the coming weekend was a long standing event for various charities. My father usually played for a charity for orphaned kids. Since my mother was one, my father took an active role in the event and had asked me to be his partner this year.

"You can relax," Cecil said, pulling me to a stop after I passed him for the umpteenth time. "Did they not explain all of this to you?"

"I sorta left before I was supposed to. Andrzej was freaking me out not to mention Janus acted like he knew my mother better than I did. Which I guess is true on some level because he knew she was Elite when I didn't." I looked up at him and my eyes narrowed. "Explain that to me."

"Explain what?"

"How you could know something that important about her and not tell me. She was my mother after all."

"Did you get upset with everyone over this or is it just me?"

"You said you'd always be there for me and would always tell the truth. In case you were wondering, knowing my mother was Elite was something you should've shared."

"Tally..."

"Four birthdays, three graveyard visits, one Senior Introduction Cocktail Party...you failed to mention to me that little fact about my mother. Not to mention you weren't there for most of them. Choosing Assarion was a mistake but you..."

"I was there. You just didn't always see me. I was there even for the moments you didn't expect me to be."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I was there and I wanted to tell you but..." His eyes flicked between mine. "You know how hard it was for you to write me that one little note at your party? It was ten times worse for me. Especially on our birthday."

"If you were there than why didn't you ever say anything? How hard would it have been for you to scribble me a note and stick it in the pile of gifts or even mail it..."

"Are you listening to yourself? Do you really think that's the kind of news you send to someone in the mail or in a birthday card?" He shook his head. "You're mad, I get it. But I couldn't tell you like that. It would've been—horrible of me to do it that way. I was waiting until you were Elite. I was planning on telling you on our birthday this year but I..."