Too Keen For Me

Chapter 35: Something Stupid

"Hey PIB," Tristen said with a smile as he Facetimed me.

"Hey!" I said with excitement. "How are you?"

"Good. Spain's good. Did you see the photos I sent you?"

I nodded. What he was seeing was a dream come true. Tristen wanted to get out of Redding just as much as I did, and he was making his dreams reality. Now I just had to get out of here myself, but with UCLA coming up, it would be my turn soon enough. "That paella looked yummy."

"Oh, it tasted so good! But anyhow, the reason I was calling was because I wanted to show you something." He moved the camera to see the setting sun over Barcelona.

I smiled at the sunset over the massive city on my screen. The sky set ablaze with golden and pink hues. As beautiful as it was and as grateful as I was he called me about it, it was just another reminder that I wasn't experiencing those amazing things Tristen was. For a second, a pang of jealousy flared up within me of the fact. "The view is stunning."

He flipped the camera back to himself with a smile. "I thought you would like it."

"Hey, I didn't say I wanted to look at your face. Turn that camera around."

He chuckled as he flipped the camera back to the setting sun. "I wish you were here."

I nodded. I did too. "Next time, right?" There would always be a next time and I for sure would hold myself to that.

"Yeah, next time. Well, thanks for this, but I need to head out and see Miles."

"How's he doing?"

I shrugged. I visited him every day but something within him was off. The more time I spent with him; it was clear he changed. He was not as light-hearted as he used to be. When I tried to talk to him about it, he pushed me away. "He's alright." But I wasn't sure if he would never be the same.

"Good. Well, talk to you later," he said and with that, he hung up the phone.

I looked out the window into the backyard and sighed. It was not overlooking anything beautiful, like a massive city or a beautiful sunset. It was just my childhood backyard, reminding me the fall would come soon enough and I would be gone to LA experiencing something new and exciting.

I slipped on a pair of shoes and went out to my car.

In a matter of minutes, I was at Miles' apartment complex, walking through the halls like I had done so many times before.

I knocked on the door and almost instantly he opened it.

"Hey," I said with a smile as I walked in.

"Hey," he said, pushing his sleeves down, hiding the fresh red cuts from my view.

I hid the frown that wanted to come. This wasn't the first time this week I walked in on him doing this. "Miles," I sighed as I pushed his sleeves up so I could look at his red forearms. As painful as it was to see, I couldn't pretend nothing was going on.

He pulled his arm away. "It's nothing."

But this wasn't nothing. He had tried to shut down this conversation before, and normally I let him, but today I wouldn't. "Please talk to me," I begged him.

"I'm just sorting out my demons."

"Can you tell me about them?"

He chewed on his lip, looking so nervous.

"I'm not going to judge," I said, trying to coax him to spill.

"Rodger did a number on me. He still is. He's trying to make people in the music industry hate me. If he can't have me, no one can. He's doing a fantastic job at making me feel worthless," Miles said with his head hung low.