Split

Coffee?

I had tried again and again to contact Barry but he didn't appear to want to talk to me-I even called him once but got no answer.

I was getting fed up with holding onto the fading idea that he would respond, so on my day off I collected what little money I had and went to the zoo.
I strode through the gates, ready for an argument with the man that was keeping me from seeing my partner, when I bumped into Debbie.
"Casey, how nice to see you. Couldn't stay away, huh?"

I forced a laughed, "I guess not."

"Well, let me know if you want anything, I'll be around. Enjoy your day!" She walked off, letting me continue my search.
I found him fairly quickly, now knowing where he generally hung around, and Barry didn't look happy to see me. He looked up at the clouds and almost rolled his eyes, "Casey, I know what you're gonna say-"

"You said you would talk to me!" I snapped, cutting him off.

"I know what I said, but I've been busy."

"Well I wanted to see Dennis, well, all of you actually... you said if I texted you then we could meet up."

"Look, I know this is frustrating for you, but I have a full time job, and when I'm not working I'm running errands, I don't have the time to see you."

"You said you would! Let me speak to Dennis!"

"No."

"No?" I blinked in disbelief at his flat tone of voice.

"I can't keep doing this, I have a life and I can't keep swapping around when you feel like you want to talk to someone else. I'm very busy, Casey."

"That's not fair!" I stepped in front of him so that he couldn't walk forward and he sighed, looking over my head rather than at me, "Dennis has just as much of a life as you, they all do! You can't just say that they can't have the light!"

"I've tried every way I can think of to keep everyone happy and it can't happen, it just doesn't work. Maybe if Dennis wasn't such an easily led pervert then I wouldn't be so reluctant to let him see you."

"Don't talk about him like that, he's still a person. I won't drop this, I need to see him."

I crossed my arms and Barry sighed again, "Honey, I'm trying to keep the group safe as best I can, but if I'm switching back and forth, then someone's gonna notice and I'll be locked up. Is that what you want?"

"I want to see Dennis," I insisted, "you have to give me something, I'm going out of my mind at home... I miss him so much, I miss you and Hedwig... I even miss Patricia..."

He scoffed, "you're right, you are going out of your mind..."

"Please, Barry. I just want to see you guys. You owe me."

"I don't owe you anything, I had nothing to do with your abduction. Excuse me, I need to get back to work," He went to step past me and I snagged his sleeve.

"Please, Barry. You're all I think about, all I want is to be with you all. I don't want to be alone again. Please."

"What do you expect to achieve from meeting with him? What do you expect to happen? Because you'll still be studying, you'll still be living in that place. I don't know what you want from us but I don't have anything to offer you."

"I just want a friend... or twenty three..."

He looked down sadly at me, "I don't know how we could get away with that."

"I'm not a kid anymore, I'm old enough to make my own decisions and to be in a relationship. If Dennis and I were to be seen together, it doesn't matter because I'm legal and it isn't anyone else's concern."

"Except for the fact that people would think that you're dating me... Barry... and to be honest, sweetie, no one's gonna believe that in a million years, are they?"

I thought about that, ready to admit defeat but too stubborn to accept that he was right.
"I just want to see him."

"I know."

"Just let him meet me for coffee when your shift ends... please?"

"Fine, this one time. But I really don't think this will work out... for any of us..."

He stormed past me and left me standing on the brink of tears; my head spinning and stomach lurching, wondering what the hell I was supposed to do now.