Malediction

15 - Stepping In

"Where did you get this?" He mumbled lowly as he read over the words I had handed him

"A friend" I answered, unwilling to be specific

"It's reliable?" He raised his gaze to mine

I nodded "I trust her"

He was quiet, and I could see that he was unsure, his jaw clenching

"Friday?" I repeated "After school?"

He nodded "Okay"

Air hung between us, lingering thick and heavy, the silence of the library only more intolerable.

"Do you want to sit? We can figure out what we're going to ask him" I offered, eyeing the seat off opposite me, aware that distance needed to be maintained 

I could see him lightly sigh, fighting an internal battle I wasn't completely sure of.

"We aren't friends, remember?" I coaxed him "Think of it like this, we have been paired together for an assignment, this is the assignment, we work together to figure it out, as classmates, that's it?" I tried

Surprisingly he quickly pulled the chair out and sat, his eyes on my face, yet still looking through me "I just.. I can't -"

"I know" I cut in "I understand it now, honestly, I would have done the same, it's a really selfless thing to do, cut yourself off from everyone around you to try and protect them, so I know you're a good person just caught in a shitty situation, but we'll fix it, we'll figure it out" I wanted him to believe me, because what I said, I meant

His eyes hovered out the small window behind me, and then down at the paper he held on the table. It was like he was withholding something he wanted to say, forcing himself to keep it quiet

"Have you looked up the address?" His tone changed, as well as the topic

I shook my head "No, I got too busy with homework and didn't have a chance"

He slightly leaned his body sideways, pulling a phone from his back pocket.
I hadn't yet seen him with a phone, I wondered if it were new, a recent thing to keep in contact with his mother and Blake. I couldn't have imagined that he had of needed it before being pushed in the public system.

He began typing in the address, his eyebrows creased in the middle, concentrating. His eyes roamed over the screen, his fingers tapping away, the quick movements again questioning his experience with technology.

"Is that new?" I asked, unable to remain quiet as I nodded in the direction of the iPhone

"No, I've had it for a while, Mum and Blake don't know, I've kept it hidden for a few years" There was a slight rebellious tone in his voice, pride almost, a smirk on his lips, an expression that I enjoyed seeing on him

"It's an hour away, small town, high retirement population" He revealed, the plan coming back to focus

"Makes sense if he's trying to keep a low profile" I shrugged, leaning back, my hands on the table, fidgeting

"You sure you're up for this?" Danny quickly glanced in between my hands and my face

I nodded "Why wouldn't I be?"

"It's a lot to take in, and I don't know what my grandfather will be like, this could go bad"

"It needs to be done, regardless of what he's like, he needs to understand that running away from this isn't a solution, surely he should understand why we're doing what we're doing" I explained, convincing more myself