THE THING IN THE WOODS

HURT

After breakfast Nichole opens the front door and gets out of the house, her dad is still home watering the flowers, they are a kind of bush-flower which name she don’t know, countless long stems with long purple petals that surprisingly contrast in a delightful way the charcoal of the outside walls, she has seen her dad once or twice working on them but isn’t until now that she wonders since when he’s interested in flowers, so you’re good a gardening uh?

“You’re leaving pretty early” He says with a smile.

“Yeah, I’m not sure about my chemistry homework and wanna compare it with Ash’s” She lies, she lies a big smile, carving deep her dimples to not let him doubt about her, tho he probably does already. She hasn’t seen the chest again, after that night Nichole has tried to find it again but it has vanished, so it means he’s worried that she might find it out, or maybe he knows that she knows, but what does she know exactly? Her dad does gardening, even though she haven’t seen him taking care of a plant in her seventeen years old, and he does know how to shot an arrow and that’s why they call him longshot Copper, and now she just found out that he’s, Nichole is not sure what to think everything is so odd and she’s so mad, so angry at him for keeping things from her, and she’s terrified to find out why her dad need those weapons, he’s an architect for god sake, why do he need a crossbow? Or a gunshot?

Nichole reaches her dad, he kiss her temple and she gets into her car, driving away from the person she supposes to trust more in the whole world, and instead she’s not sure if she even knows him at all.

…….

When Seth gets into the jeep Mat scowls and turns on the engine. Seth looks tired, deep hollows carved beneath his eyes, hasn’t sleep well? Maybe not being back in training, and his debut game as Quarterback, just a few days away. 

“Are you still mad at me?” Asks with puppy eyes, and Mat can’t help not snort.

“No, why would I be?”  Matt replies casually. 

“I don’t maybe because I had to take the bus yesterday back home?” Seth says with embarrassing as Matt starts driving toward school.

“Umm… I told you I had things to do”

“Ok I’m just being a little paranoid” Seth mumbles. “I was a little busy too, actually”

“Yeah?” Matt frowns, what? Hanging out with your new friends?

“Umm… Nichole and I had kind of date yesterday”

“I know” Matt wryly his eyes on the road.

“You know?” Seth says shocked and somewhat hurt.

“Yeah, Nichole told me, does it matter?”

“I…umm… I didn’t know you were that kind of close” Seth looks resentful, his fingers fidgeting on his lap.