Standing By

At the Duck Pond

(Scott)

We all jumped up as Kevin shouted. Oh fuck. Oh fuck. We'd done it again—hurt Avi, inadvertently excluded him again, with that Can I Milk U joke. He hadn't been there for that. And here we were, cracking up over it, practically throwing his face into it. Even Chance, Austin, and Tim were aggravated this time. Especially Tim. He spent a minute yelling at us. Granted, somewhat deservedly; I did feel bad about laughing. And Tim was right; it must've been something you had to be there for because, despite our attempts to explain it, not one of them was laughing. Only Austin found it even remotely funny.

"Oh God, guys!" I shouted, half ready to bolt out after Avi, half ready to break down and cry. I seemed to settle for whimpering at the door, unable to go much further. Kevin pressed his hands to my back, also ready to go flying out after him. Mitch had buried his face in his hands, but my instinct to run after Avi was actually stronger than my instinct to comfort Mitch. Luckily, Kirstie had placed her hand on his back. Rob and Adam had quickly pulled it together and were standing there with shocked looks on their faces. Tim still looked pissed, his hand on his hip. Austin and Chance bunched up by him, maybe to calm him down before he lit into us again.

Kevin pushed at me. "Scott, move!"

I grabbed at his arm frantically. "We gotta get to Avi!"

"I know!" he cried at me. "But you're blocking the door!"

"I think Avi is being too damn sensitive," Kirstie declared. "I'm tired of tiptoeing around him."

Kevin spun around, practically falling over in his haste. "Leave him alone, Kirstie. Don't you dare start in on him around me!"

"Or me!" Tim added angrily, making both her and Mitch startle.

"Stay out of this, Tim!" Kirstie ordered heatedly.

Mitch's mouth opened in surprise. "I—"

My hands flew to my head, holding it between two balled-up fists. Avi had just walked out and was who knows where, Kirstie's pissed at him for being sensitive and at Tim for for trying to interfere. Tim's pissed at me, Mitch, Kirstie, Kevin, Rob, and Adam for putting Avi in the position to where he wanted to step out, and it even sounded like Kevin was mad at Kirstie.

"Stooop, all of you, just stooop!" I howled. "Stooop, stop, stop, stop, stop!"

Everybody finally froze in place, Kirstie now yelling at Kevin stop being so sensitive about Avi.

"Problem number one," I began as William walked into the room, nearly knocking me over. I only just managed to dance out of the way.

"Have you seen Avi?" I demanded.

"That the small dude with the beard?" he asked. "I came to check if everything was OK. I heard yelling."

"Yeah, that's him," Adam said calmly, having successfully talked Tim into standing down.

"Artistic differences," Austin mumbled. "He disagreed with a song."

Ehh, more or less... kinda. I shrugged. Oh well. Sounded better than 'we're having an argument about having hurt his feelings'.

"Where'd he go?" Kevin begged William, just turning away from Kirstie and leaving her sputtering.

He shrugged. "Don't know, but he had his car keys in his hand."

"What?" Kevin, Mitch, and I gasped, Home Free now barreling forth, chattering and shouting.

"What the hell?"

"How's he—"

"Where's he think he's going?"

"His car keys? He rode over with Kevin!"