Black to the Past

Chapter 23

The kids were silent for a while after the strange man had left the room. Meredith was the first to speak up. "Well, obviously he's crazy."
"What if he's not," Wilson asked quietly.
"Wilson, you can't be serious?" Halle said. "He's an old man. A crazy old man. Like he really built a time machine in his house or something and was just waiting for us to show up? Come on!"
"No, I don't think he was just waiting for us but I think he's running out of time or something," Michael added.
"How convenient," Meredith responded to Michael.
"No think about it. He's old. Like, really old. What if he's trying to go back in time to fix something that he like, messed up, and this is his last chance? What if he's been coming to the library or going to different places to see who he could trust? Our conversation was ripe for the picking for this," Michael explained.
"I can see how you would think that Mike, but bro, come on," Jalen told him. "A bunch of kids? Why would he pick us?"
"What does he have to lose? We're young enough to help him but old enough to keep it a secret, like he obviously has all these years," Wilson thought out loud.
"There's no way in this world he has a real time machine! Are you guys kidding me right now?" Meredith's high pitched voice was even higher than normal. She did not want to contemplate any of this. "All I see is us, dead in three days. I am not ready to die."
"Don't be so dramatic, Meredith. No one is going to die," Halle said, rolling her eyes. "Before you get all mad, I'm on your side."
"Halle, what if he is telling the truth?" Wilson asked her directly.
"Wilson, does that sound logical to you? A time machine?"
"I don't know. I just don't know. But maybe," Wilson told her.
"Jalen, what do you think?" Halle wanted to know.
"Anything is possible, I guess," he said shrugging his shoulders. He was thinking of all things possible if time travel could happen. He could go make a better way for his father and his future if he went back in time. If, being the biggest problem in this whole entire scenario.
"It's almost 8," Meredith told the group.
"Oh, shit! We've gotta go," Halle was still worried about her mother and father being home alone with the little kids. Without her there she couldn't monitor the little ones if her parents started to fight again.
"I've gotta go too," Jalen spoke up.
"You need a ride," Michael asked him hopefully.
"Uh," Jalen looked around the room. Michael lived in the same area as Halle and Meredith who would obviously ride together. He didn't know where Wilson lived but he was begging with his eyes for a ride from him.
"I've got him. I need to run some stuff by you anyway, J," Wilson added.
Trying not to look as devastated as he felt Michael shrugged and turned away. He put on his fleece North Face jacket and picked up his backpack. "I know it's not my project but if you guys are interested in coming back Friday, I'm coming too. If you don't come back to meet him, I might anyway. I'm interested in seeing what he has to show us."
"Mike, man, you shouldn't. Definitely don't come alone," Jalen spoke up. He was worried that Michael would show up by himself. If something happened to Michael he would never forgive himself.
"I don't know why, but I trust him. So if you don't want me here alone, well, make sure you're here then," Michael told him before leaving the room.
"Dumbass," Jalen mumbled under his breath. He, too, put his jacket on and grabbed his backpack. He waited for Wilson who was taking his time getting his things together.
"I mean, what if it's real," Wilson wanted to know. "What if we could time travel back and really make it happen. What year would we go back to? How would we stop him from being assassinated? How could we warn him?"
"We can't," Meredith started.
"If, Meredith, if we could," Michael asked her, emphasizing the words if. "Let's answer that question first. Can we meet at someone's house tomorrow?" Wilson asked, looking at the girls.
"My mom's never home. You guys can come over," Meredith told everyone.
"Okay, right after school," Wilson told her.
"I need a ride," Jalen said.
"You can hop in with me again," Wilson told him.
"It's set. Come on, we gotta bounce Mare," Halle warned from the door.
"Yeah, okay. Bye guys," Meredith told the boys. Wilson was still seated. "Wilson?"
"Yeah?"
"You good," Halle asked from the door.
"Yeah," he responded quietly then slowly stood up and gathered his things.
"Come on, let's go," Halle urged him.
"Okay."
The foursome walked to the parking lot together. Wilson and Halle had pulled up at about the same time. Wilson was driving his mother's work car which was a blue Dodge Nitro. It was the car she used when she didn't want to drive her Mercedes around. But mostly she let Wilson drive the car. He clicked the locks so that Jalen could hop into the passenger seat. But he was reluctant to get in himself. He was staring at Halle and thinking of how his idea might have put them all in danger or it was leading them to a life of uncertainties.
"Halle?"
"Yeah?"
"Text me when you can, okay?"
"Okay," she said with a puzzled look on her face. Something about his tone of voice and the look on his face let her know this wasn't about the two of them or some romantic gesture. He was worried about something. But now, she needed to get home.