My Bad Boy Best Friend

Chapter 20: Time is a human construct!

It had been a long but largely inconsequential day at school. Mae and Fran were around me at some point and they were talking about something? I don't know what it was about, I don't know if they were talking to me or just each other?

I didn't feel the need to talk to anyone in particular. It didn't matter. None of this mattered. School was just something I had to get through. And it would be over soon enough.

Danny caught my eye a few times through the day. But he just sort of existed on the periphery. I didn't feel the need to talk to him. My head hurt and I knew if I talked to him I'd say something I didn't mean, or worse, I'd defend Tytan. And I knew I always would end up defending Tytan.

So I stayed away. I sat for class and took my notes like I always did. I floated through the day almost as if I wasn't actually living it. Things moved but I didn't. I had my eyes set on the clock, waiting for my day to end. I had to get to the Crisis House.

It's what we called grandpa's house. Because it's where we went when there was any sort of crisis. Or if it was a family get-together, which happened on two occasions every year, one was Thanksgiving and the other was grandpa's birthday. That was a tradition formalized from the year after grandma passed. Uncle John and dad decided that it had to be done. To make sure grandpa didn't get too lonely.

And because it was a great time.

I drove absentmindedly. It wasn't ideal but I was only concerned about getting there. Finding out what this was about.

By the time I pulled up in the driveway I was shaking violently and I was sweaty. It didn't matter though. I just had to get through this. Just this. Whatever it was.

I fidgeted with my bracelet that I just noticed I had been wearing and waited for someone to open the door.

Uncle Jay did. I can't say I didn't expect him to be here. He did live there.

"Hey, how's my favorite niece doing?" He seemed surprised to see me but not disappointed.

"Can I brag about that or does Bec not know?" I asked, entering the house.

"You've just been demoted to second favorite for asking that question." He said.

"I missed you too Uncle Jay," I said giving him a short hug.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you did. Now what brings you here? I mean, I love having you kids around, great distraction from my own emptiness, but why would you come here?" He asked as I walked inside the house.

"Kids?" I scoffed. Bec was in college and Eric was almost done with college. Uncle Jay was a grand total of two years older than Eric.

"You know what I mean. And I'm obviously not why you're here so spill."

"Oh--I--uh--mom and dad told me to come here once I was done with school."

"Oh, are they coming by too? I've missed your dad's cooking, he left me and your grandpa to starve with our lack of cooking skills." He was still dramatic as ever.

"I guess. Uh, where's grandpa?"

"Blind date. I thought at least one of us deserved a slightly more interesting love life."

"Right." I nodded. Uncle Jay liked the authority that came with being an uncle, and of course, that didn't mean that he had to grow up or anything.

"Do you want something to eat? We have cereal. Since it was just going to be me for lunch I figured I could just eat whatever."

"Isn't it a little late for lunch?" I asked, plopping down on the sofa.

"Time is a human construct, don't bother me with worldly concerns." He said, filling up a bowl with cereal and cold milk and plopping down next to me. "You sure you don't want some?"