DAD

Part 20

I was walking down the lawn when came out of the library, I had to get back to my maniacism, if that's what people like. So I called Derek up.

"Hey."

"Hey Clem!"

"So, you said you had some solid stuff to say me, let's hear it."

"You said you don't want to hear."

"I want to, now I want."

"Okay..."

At the meantime, Alexa comes running- rocket speed and throws her bag on me, I could feel the hard book covers hitting my bones, that hurts dude.

"Ouch what the fish?"

"Fish, eh? Did I die or you forget I exist?"

"Sir had called me to the library."

"Could've informed." She fights back.

"That didn't seem like a manner."

"Making me wait an hour is so mannerful!" She boved.

"Okay sorry, anyways...Derek is coming."

"Oooo, Dereeeeek..."

"Shut up, business talks."

"I see."

"Oh god..."

***

"So the solid stuff?"

"The solid stuff is this." Derek took his bag and slightly opened the chain so that we could see what he had over there; it was not clear to our vision but I saw something metallic and as I was going to ask-

"Oh my god, where did you get that thing?" Alexa freaked out.

"What thing?" I enquired as I didn't see it clearly.

"It's a- a... oh my goodness, a..." Alexa was stammering.

"-A gun" Derek completed her.

"A gun?!" I asked.

"Sssh, it's a college campus. We don't talk about it here like that." He whispered.

"Where did you get that?" I asked casually.

"Well, it has a background...I hope you guys know I didn't bring it for no cause."

"What's the story?" Alexa asked, astonished.

"Well...- here it goes..."

The storyline: (Derek's P.O.V)

I had gone to Adrian's place, clem's cousin which was just 3 blocks away; to talk about some questions arising issues. Clem had told me over phone how she got embarrassed about not recalling her cousin and also had told me his address. It took me a lot of guts, I don't know why to have a knock on the door, maybe because I was sensing raw information to come out from here. I knocked on the door and stood still for someone to open it. I was now standing for a couple of minutes but no one answered the door. I rang the bell again and when again, it wasn't even a touch of response I thought they weren't home; I stepped down the doorway and started to head towards my car and only then I saw someone over the window of that house, it was supposedly Adrian, but the fact is no one came to the door.

I went back to the door and knocked again and asked out, "Could you please answer? It's important sir."

Right then someone came to the door; still closed but asked me from the other side, "What do you want now?" That surprised me to an extent as they acted like they knew me. I wasn't ready to answer and back there the man opened the door, I guessed he was Adrian's dad.

A man who looked like 40 years, with a book in one hand and a long pendant of the cross. He nodded his head towards his interior, gesturing me to go in. I went in and took a seat on the couch.

It was a nice home, large one indeed, but still looked like it had a lack of care. Some of the corners of the walls were worn out, looked like it was because of fire there. The couches were good but the single one was covered by a black cloth which was quite dirty. The T.V over there at the corner of the living room was like the one of the 90s but the other rooms seemed quite clean and modern from there. It was a fact that only this room was facing lack in care.

"Why did you sit there?" The man asked with a hard tone.

"Oh, sorry sir, it's just...it's a living room so..." I tried to reply to that.

"Follow me" He pointed me to follow him to upstairs.

He took us to a room upstairs, it was Adrian's room which had a painting of space with rockets and written in large fonts 'welcome to Adrian's room' and inside there were some sketchbooks scattered on the table and a PS4 lying on the bed with an iron-man bed sheet.

"So Derek..." He clenched his teeth.

"Sir, you know me?" I was surprised.

"You are Chris's friend, aren't you?" He asked sitting on the desk-chair, facing me.

"How do you know sir?" I took a seat on Adrian's bed.

"Well, I saw you in pictures. Pictures of you and Chris, You and your parents, You and Chris's mom."

"Oh."

"Well, I'm Jack Waters, call me uncle Jack." He smiled to that. It was pretty nice to see that smile on his hard face.

"Well, uncle Jack, I was here to talk to you about uncle Brad."

"I know, people come here when they need something, no one visits us."

"Uncle I didn't mean that, Clem is also involved here."

"Clem?" His eyes went bright.

"Yes." I smiled.

"Oh, she was a darling. The best girl."

"Well, I hope you're aware of her dad's death."

"Everyone is."

"No, I'm not talking about the news, I am talking about the deeper thing."

"What deeper thing?" His eyes condensed dark.

"The thing how he died."

Uncle Jack went silent to that; his one glance that he accidentally took at me made me knew that he's into something; that he knows it all.

"He didn't die out of a car accident, did he?"

He clenched his teeth harder and winced, as if it was a painful thing for him to hear.

"Did he die that way uncle?" I asked again.

"No." It all came with a glimpse of shuts; as if it was quite of a talkative room and got cleared by silence in a moment.

I was shocked and at the same time eager to know what happened. Clem had always told that she believes that his dad didn't face an accident. Uncle Jack's one 'no' made my mind bright up.

"What happened then?" I asked; and Mrs. Natalie Waters came in, I'll say aunt Natalie.

"Would you take tea or coffee?"

"Aunt I would like tea, that's all." I smiled.

She brought tea to the three of us and sat beside uncle Jack.

"Why do you want to know?" Uncle jack asked restlessly.

"It's not me, it's Clem. She's been looking for the reason since he died. I want to help her. Chris and aunt Angelina, aren't being supportive. In fact, they changed their titles to Klein." I sighed loud, a sigh full of regrets.

"Ah, what more could she even imagine; she's a monster...she's destroying Chris and Clem." Aunt Natalie spitted.

"Please tell me." I requested.