Nausea: Sequel to Warcrossed

Four Thirty In The Morning

The airport wasn't as full as I was used to them being. My time in Tokyo and New York had made me forget just how small some places were, especially ones in South Carolina.

The small coffee bar over on the far wall was a miracle, and when I approached, my eyes fell on someone I thought I wouldn't see again.

A tall, brown-haired girl with a happy sparkle in her eyes, a small smile on her face as she handed off a cup to the last customer there before me. It had only been us two, since nobody wanted to be in an airport at four thirty in the morning.

"John Laurens! I haven't seen you in forever..." She walked to the side of the bar I stood at, leaning over it on her forearms.

I forced a soft smile.

"Hey, Martha. It has been forever... Senior year."

"I never thought you'd come back to South Carolina. Are you headed back to New York?" she asked.

"No. Virginia. Can you get me a decent-sized cup of coffee?" I wasn't really in the mood for conversation, but it wasn't fair to her if I just brushed her off. We hadn't seen each other since I graduated high school. She was a year behind me. We had used to be good friends. Now, I could barely remember her.

"Sure thing. Why Virginia? Do you have a girlfriend there?" she teased, turning to pour it into a styrofoam cup.

"I'm gay, Martha."

I knew for a fact she wouldn't care if I dated a cactus and named it Scott. She had a girlfriend herself, back when I'd talked to her last.

"Ethan owes me twenty bucks!" She snapped a plastic lid on the cup and handed it to me. The warmth in my hand was a little relaxing.

"Ethan... I don't remember him."

"How can you not remember Ethan?" Martha questioned, her eyes widened. "Warcross get too much for you?"

"No... I mean... I'm not playing anymore." The coffee was bitter and scalding, but I drank it anyway. It took away the numbness for a minute.

"What?! You're so good at it, though! Have you seen yourself play? This past season was awesome! Except the last game. They took it off the air here towards the end for some reason."

"Yeah... Good thing they did."

"What happened, anyway? It's got you real down..." Her face softened, and she reached out to cover the hand laying on the counter with hers. I tried not to notice the ring on her left hand, knowing I'd never have one there.

"Uh... You know Lafayette... Er... know of him."

"Yeah... What about him?"

"He had the same thing James did. Fell out halfway through the game and... Yeah."

Her hand tightened around mine, and when she let go, she came around the bar and threw her arms around me. "I'm sorry, John... You two must've been close, huh?"

I put my free arm around her, cherishing the touch. "You have no idea."