Broken Faith ✓

Chapter 33: Broken Shadows

I was searching the halls for him. Trying to figure out if we had changed up our routine or mentioned that we would meet else where.

Nothing of that sort made it to my mind. I made my way to the main foyer and snooped about looking for him around it.

I knew I would have to head to the cafeteria to ask one of his friends. I pushed open the doors leading to the cafeteria with a little too much purpose. They swung and hit the wall and most people standing in the vicinity turned to look at me with puzzlement and fear.

I internally winced. I didn't really want to attract everyone's attention but at least as I approached his friends, they were already looking at me that way.

"Hey, Blane, do you know where Ryder is?" I announced like a megaphone. Everyone in the group turned to look at me like I overwhelmingly direct, but I wasn't really the type to socialise with them. I didn't care to.

"Uh...yeah. He said he was heading to the soccer pitch" Blane met my eyes cautiously.

I found it really funny that this guy was careful with me and yet someone as shrude as Valerie he had fun interacting with. Either life was weird or he just was not as perceptive.

I nodded at him like you would in the army "Okay, thanks" and I turned on my heel and marched out of the cafeteria.

I was nearing the pitch when the smell of grass lingered in the air and I breathed it in feeling calm.

"Come on, baby, where are you" I muttered to myself. I reached the pitch gates and searched the massive field for him.

And there he was sitting on my right a good distance away on the hill of the pitch that surrounded the flat centre.

I made my way to him and shrugged off my bag and put it down. He was sitting with his legs in front of him, his arms leaning on his knees while his head was bent a little low but he looked ahead of him.

I stretched my legs out in front of me and sat there in the silence before I broke it "I was looking all over for you"

He remained silent for a few moments, but didn't turn to look at me "Sorry, I needed to think"

"And this is your thinking place?"

"Yeah" he mumbled.

"Is it because you love football and because its nice and open so you can let your thoughts wander about?"

He turned to look at me with a soft expression "I never realised why until you said it right there"

I smiled at him "So what did you need to think about?"

He hesitated and looked beyond me, at the pitch "Mason...he...err" he rubbed his forehead marred with furrowed lines.

"He isn't doing too well"

My heart squeezed "What do you mean?"

"He has sleep apnea" Ryder picked at the grass on the floor.

"It means he stops breathing for a few minutes while he sleeps"

My eyes bulged out as I imagined that happening to Arlo "That must be so scary"

"It was when we didn't know what was happening. He used to get bad reports from school. Teachers would call him lazy and unattentive. One night when he was really upset my mom lay him down with her and she panicked when he stopped breathing. It happened so many times during the night that she freaked out and took him to the emergency and we eventually found out thats what it was" he stated calmly.