Together We Fall

Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

"I'm okay, he's just a douche." Josephine admits as everyone tries coddling her about Marcus.

School ended almost two hours ago but in gym class we decided to stay after and watch the boys practice football. Erica tagged along and stayed with us.

Almost the entire time we've been out here, people have been asking Josephine questions about what happened last night and if she's okay. I'm starting to feel sorry for her, the constant sympathy is just a reminder of why she should be sad.

I'll have to admit that she's taking it very well though. She's hurt about it but is holding it together.

"We need a break." Erica starts, "How about after the boys get done tackling each other, we can all go get food and meet up at the park?"

A picnic in the park sounds fun! It's a beautiful day. Not too windy, not too sunny and it's not rainy. This perfect weather doesn't happen often in Tennessee. We should take advantage of it and make an event out of the beauty of today.

Josephine nods, "Sounds fun."

Everyone begins discussing the details of it and a few minutes later Ethan, Trace, Cameron and Mason all jog off the field.

The four of them go into the field house to get cleaned up and about fifteen minutes later, Cameron is the first to walk out and meet us.

"What's the plan?" he walks up and sits beside Josephine.

Nobody has even mentioned a plan to Cameron but he knows us well enough to figure out we wouldn't all be sitting out here for no reason. There's got to be some kind of idea planned for us.

Mason and Ethan walk out next and stand in front of us all, a few seconds later Trace follows and stands beside them.

Adalyn fills them in, "We're going to the park for a picnic. It's the park off route nine, beside the old high school."

We make our way to the semi-empty parking lot. The only cars left belong to jocks and people in clubs.

Trace walks to his truck while everyone else sorts out the seating arrangements.

Taking nine cars to the same place is just a waste of gas so we're all going to carpool and meet back here later.

Cameron, Josephine and Erica agree to go get the food. Mason, Ethan, Adalyn and Lucas are going to the store.

Trace and I are going to pick up the kids from after school care and we'll all meet up at the park in an hour.

His truck door creaks shut, like always, as I close it.

"How old is this truck?" I ask him curiously.

"Missy is an eighties baby."

I can't decide what's funnier. The fact that he named his truck Missy or that he just referred to it as an 'eighties baby'.

He pulls out of the parking lot and the two cars holding our friends follow behind for a moment before we all go separate ways.

"Who do you think was outside your house last night?" Trace asks abruptly.

There wasn't anybody out there, there couldn't have been. It doesn't make sense for someone to be there one minute then gone the next. People don't just disappear from the middle of an open yard so fast.

I shrug, "I was just seeing the shadow of a tree."

That has to be it.

He turns to look at me, disbelief evident on his face, "You honestly believe that?"