You, Me, and All The Spaces In-between

CHAPTER 39

"Alyx? Are you okay?"

Dad's voice startled me from my thoughts, and I flinched involuntarily.

"Yeah," I said quickly, turning away from the window. It was a grey, clouded day, making for an appropriate backdrop against my melancholic thoughts. "I was just spacing out."

"Oh." Dad scratched awkwardly at the back of his neck.

"Are you comfortable?" I asked suddenly, standing from my seat. "Do you need anything?" It was a Friday afternoon; I'd taken the rest of the week off to see Dad, doing my homework between hospital visits.

"No, no...I'm fine," Dad insisted, looking uncertain. "But...are you sure you're okay? You've seemed...off all morning."

He raised his palms suddenly and added, "I don't mean to, ah, overstep my boundaries or anything..."

I sunk back into my chair, caught off-guard by his question. Ordinarily, this was the kind of thing I decidedly did not want to discuss with Dad.

"No, it's okay," I murmured finally, surprising myself. I stared down at my hands, folded neatly in my lap. "I've just been having...a bit of a hard time at school."

Well, that was putting it lightly.

"Really?" Dad's voice was soft. He cleared his throat with a cough. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Did I? I looked at Dad, really looked into his worn, wrinkled face and shaggy jaw. He looked so old for someone his age.

He shouldn't look that old.

"I guess." Now my voice was too soft. "I just...Robert and I...We had an argument. Well, I guess you could say I had an argument with everyone."

"Ky and Martin, too?" Dad prompted.

"Yeah."

"Elena tells me you've been spending a lot more time with Robert recently," he continued. "I thought Martin was your best friend?"

I knew he was thinking of all the times Martin would come over when we were younger. We'd stay up late, drinking coke, playing video games, pulling pranks on Elena-We'd felt invincible, at that age. Like nothing could touch us.

"Yeah...I thought so, too."

"I'm sorry." Dad sat up further in bed, propping himself up against his pillow. "What...What was the argument about?"

I scuffed the floor with the heel of my shoe. "Have you ever...had a secret? Like, one you entrusted with one person, and then they broke your trust and...shared it?"

Dad nodded sadly.

"Well," I sighed, "it's like that."

I wished I could tell him more...wished I could tell him about Cash. What would he say? What advice would he give?

"It's okay," I added eventually. "I'll deal with it."

"You don't always have to, you know," Dad murmured.

I peered at him curiously.

"You don't always have to 'deal with it'" he clarified. "It's okay to ask for help sometimes. It's okay if you can't be fine on your own all the time. Sometimes we need other people." He met my gaze, and there was a softness in his eyes. "So don't hesitate to ask for that help. Because people care about you."

I didn't have an immediate answer. It took me a minute just to formulate a response. "O-Okay." My voice was wobbly. "Thanks."

"And," Dad continued, stretching through a yawn, "I think Robert still cares about you, too, even if he did mess up."

I knew he was right about that.

"You don't have to forgive him. You are under no obligation to." He smiled hesitantly. "But why don't you call him first? Talk it out?"

"Yeah. Maybe."

I never thought I'd take a piece of advice from Dad ever again. I'd resigned myself to a limited relationship with my father. I hadn't expected anything much from him. Hadn't wanted it.

But now...

"I'll think about it," I amended finally. With a gentle smile.

We lapsed into a comfortable silence-The most comfortable silence we'd had in years.

And that night, when I got home, I called Robert. And then Martin. And then Ky. And one by one, I invited them to Mr. Cone's the next morning.

It was time to tell them everything.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter!