Genesis

CHAPTER 17 Born to be Wild

As we drove the route to South Effingham High, I told him all about the information I had found on the internet last night. He said nothing.

"Ty, if you can't trust me enough to tell me what's going on, then I can't be in this relationship anymore."

"It's not a matter of trust, Essie. I do trust you. I'm just not sure you'd understand."

"Well, I guess you won't know until you try me."

"Not now."

"Then when?"

"I need more time."

"Fine. Take all the time you need."

"Please don't be like that."

"Like what, Ty? You just said we needed to talk."

"Okay. After school then."

We arrived at the high school, parked in Ty's usual spot, and walked into the building without resuming any conversation. He walked me to my locker and, without saying a word, took my face in his hands, waited until my eyes met his, then kissed my forehead. I had closed my eyes momentarily and when I opened them, he was gone.

I arrived at Mr. Joshua's class early, as usual, and tried to slip into my seat quietly in an attempt to avoid conversation.

"Good morning, Essie," he called out from a corner of the room.

"Good morning, Mr. Joshua," I managed with a feeble smile.

"Want to talk about it?"

"About what?"

"Whatever's bothering you."

"It's just more boyfriend drama," I volunteered reluctantly, squirming in the hard plastic chair.

"Maybe I can help," he offered.

"I do have some specific questions this time. But I'm afraid you'll consider committing me just for asking them."

"Essie," he said sincerely, "I've lived in Eden my whole life and I've seen a lot of things. I promise that I won't consider having you committed for asking strange questions. You can trust me."

Karen came through the door just then, heading for the seat next to mine. "Thank you, Mr. Joshua," I whispered, pulling out the book we were currently reading.

"Hi, Essie," she greeted me pleasantly, as she had every day.

"Hi, Kah-ren," I responded in kind, trying my best to imitate her pronunciation. Our friendship had yet to develop beyond simple pleasantries; I was only peripherally aware of students other than Ty and Mara. Maybe today was the day to make an effort to change that.

"How are you today?" I asked with every bit of interest I could muster. It's not that I wasn't interested, but my mind was still reeling from the unnerving information I had learned from my late night internet searches.

"I'm good, thanks. You look tired, though. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind and I couldn't sleep last night."

"That sucks."

I nodded.

The bell rang for class to begin. "Let's talk more later," I whispered.

She nodded and wrote her phone number on a small piece of paper she ripped off the corner of a page in her notebook. "Text me," she whispered back.