Missing Time

Chapter 1: An Old Friend

This story is not connected to The Diamond of Life series.

"I don't care if you want to hang out with your friends," Lucas grumbled. "I'm trying to sleep." 

"Fine, I'll just go out," Nelvin said.

"Good for you." Lucas slammed his white bedroom door in her face.

Nelvin sighed, shaking her head. Why's he always like this? She texted her old friend Lizzy that they could meet at Windstone Pizza, and Lizzy quickly responded with an "ok". She put her phone back into her pocket and stared up at the ceiling. Lucas was always such a jerk. Nelvin thought she could help him, but he seemed determined to stay right where he was in life.

She walked across the hallway to Matthew's, his son's, room. She often wondered why he had a son. He refused to speak about the past, and Matthew's mother was an especially taboo topic. She ran her fingers through her black hair, then knocked on the door. 

"You can come in," Matthew said in his soft voice.

Nelvin entered the blue-themed room to see him staring down at his history textbook. He studied a lot; it was all he ever seemed to do. He didn't have any friends that she knew of. He didn't do much other than study and read. He did have straight A's on all of his report cards, but she wished that he would have at least a little fun while he was young; he was only twelve. "I'm going to go to Windstone's to meet up with an old friend of mine. Do you want to come?" 

"No, I have to study," Matthew said, not looking up from his book. 

"Oh, got a test coming up?" He shook his head. "A quiz?" He shook his head again. "Then what are you studying for?" 

"I'm just preparing myself for tomorrow's daily review questions," he explained. 

"Hmph," Nelvin grunted. "Are you sure you don't want to come with me to Windstone's? I'll bring some quarters so you can play in the arcade area while I'm talking to my friend." 

"I'm good." 

"Okay then." Nelvin sighed, then closed the door behind her. She walked out of the house and locked the door. She had been renting the house with Lucas for about a year, which she now saw was a terrible idea. If Lucas were ever too mad at her, she would lose her home. But she couldn't afford to live on her own, so she stayed with him. 

She got into her little gray car and was promptly on her way to Windstone Pizza. She wished that Matthew would've come with her. She rarely spent any time with him; he was always working on his school, and his father certainly never hung out with him. School's important, but it's only one part of life, she thought. 

When she stepped out of her vehicle, she quickly recognized Lizzy. She hadn't changed much since high school. Her brown hair was still at her shoulders, and she wore the same face. How old was she now? Thirty? 

"Nelva!" Lizzy smiled when she spotted the Asian woman. "You sure haven't changed." 

"And neither have you," Nelvin said, grinning. She looked to her side to see a blue eyed man. 

"This is my boyfriend, Nathan Blue," Lizzy said. "And this is my old high school friend, Nelvin." 

Nelvin and Nathan shook hands. "It's nice to meet you," he said. She noticed that he had an accent, but it wasn't strong. Maybe it was a British accent? She couldn't tell. 

"Nice to meet you too," Nelvin said, "but I wasn't expecting another person." 

"Oh well." Lizzy shrugged. "Come on, it's already six. We need to get in there before the supper rush."