Diaries of the Dead

22 | Puzzle Pieces

unedited.

22 | P u z z l e  P i e c e s 

           The sweet smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the thick walls of the most successful diner in town.

            Tables were packed full as people of all genders, races, and profession sat down to enjoy each other’s company and a hot plate of home-style cooking. It was the rush hour of the morning so Aiden expected the long lines and loud mingled voices, as many parents stopped by Grace’s diner before work.

            He scanned the crowd, searching for one face in particular. It was the only reason why he was here in the first place. Had it been up to him, he would be at home applying the finishing touches on his book. But unfortunately, he was at the diner looking for a certain depressed boy.

            Nate had called him an hour earlier, telling him to meet him here. He was nowhere near to being able to decipher voices, but Aiden could tell the curly-haired boy’s voice was lacking its usual cheery tone. Considering Nate still lived with his parents and did not have any friends outside of his party junkies, Aiden reluctantly volunteered to be the shoulder to cry on.

            When Aiden’s eyes locked with Nate’s, he propelled himself forward, elbowing his way past people while simultaneously uttering a string of apologies.

            Nate gave him a weak smile, his deep chocolate eyes showing sadness, yet they still resonated with some sort of amusement.

            Aiden smiled at that, knowing whatever happened didn’t manage to completely drain Nate of his carefree personality. “Hey,” Aiden greeted him just as he slid into the seat across from him.

            Nate gently pushed an insulated cup towards him. “I got you a latte, but it’s kind of cold. You took a while to get here.”

            “Thanks,” was Aiden’s reply as he cupped the drink in his hands. “So, what did you want me for?”

            “Grace broke up with me,” he mumbled miserably.

            “Really?” Aiden perked up in his seat, centering all of his attention on Nate. “Why?”

            His averted his gaze to the linoleum floor, becoming fixated with the tile pattern. “Apparently, I’m not good enough for her. She told me that she loves Mitch. Always have, always will.”

            Aiden tilted his head, studying Nate. “Aren’t you and Mitch really good friends?”

            “Yeah, we-” His sentence broke off as he shot his eyes to Aiden’s. “How do you know that?”

            He pressed his lips shut, trying to think of an excuse better than he read it out of Jessica’s diary. “I think I heard it somewhere. From Vanessa, I think.”

            “Oh,” he choked out. “Well, we were. Mitch and I were the best of friends. We been through shit together, you know? We were like polar opposites. He was the good rich kid and I was the messed up kid with a drinking problem. He helped me through it. He helped me fix it. I told him I owed him my life for that. He was the one who told me about this town. He said if I moved here, I would get it together. He even bought the place for me! But now that I think about it, he was probably trying to butter me up so he could sabotage me later on.”

            Aiden swallowed heavily, amazed by the earnest emotion that emitted from him.

            “I always knew it somewhere in the back of mind. You know, I used to have the hots for that dead girl who lived in your house. Mitch stole her from me. Then, I started liking Grace. She’s a little rough around the edges, but she’s fun. He stole her, too.”