"We're all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness - and call it love - true love." (Robert Fulghum)
Moving...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Mom reacted surprisingly calmly, at least towards Anthony. I can't vouch that she'll behave the same way later when, inevitably, she'll ask for an explanation from me. In theory, she knows Zayden, but I doubt she remembered his name over the winter break, as Grandma mentioned him twice in front of her as Zack.
Tony informs me that the boys' coordinator will inform his parents, and he spoke with him to keep the situation between them, for which I am entirely grateful. I express my gratitude by thanking him a thousand times.
"There's no need to thank me. I just wished you were single," he mutters, displeased.
After he leaves, I head towards the dining hall. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief; I've been living in stress for over twelve hours, during which I narrowly escaped all the obstacles that could have come my way. Harlyn, Raine, and Hale thought that after I went out for some fresh air, I just got bored and returned to our room, where they found me trying to sleep about two hours after I disappeared. Nevin had other activities last night, unknown to me, so he didn't question the late hour at which I responded to his messages.
I join the queue behind Lance, who looks like he might collapse at any second and, consequently, isn't in the mood for much conversation. Still, he recommends that I choose the cream soup and risotto. After we both fill our plates, we scan the crowd for our friends, who have finally managed to sit together. I sit between Ava and Harlyn and quickly notice that the table has six chairs, all occupied, and Zayden is not with us. The absence of an empty chair indicates that either we are not expecting him or it is known that he does not eat with us. I frown, but quickly relax my facial expression because it is neither the place nor the time to suggest that we are more than just friends.
Twenty minutes of silence later, during which Hale, Raine, and Ava yawned as if they could swallow the ground due to tiredness and the few hours of sleep, as we couldn't afford to miss breakfast, we all gather in the inn's courtyard to visit some tourist attractions. I couldn't focus on the coordinators' details about what we're going to see because all day I've been wondering where Zayden is. I've sent him a few messages, but I only got short answers at first, and for an hour now, I haven't heard from him at all.
"Mom is calling you," Hale says, nodding toward my pocket where the phone's light shines through the denim fabric.
I glance briefly at Raine and Harlyn to see if they've caught the meaning of Hale's statement, and their confusion suggests they suspect something. I apologize and move away from our group, with Hale following me, who I think actually doesn't want to give explanations. I sit on a chair near our building, relatively empty around, and Hale stays at a considerable distance, quietly smoking his cigarette, as if he just wants to watch over me, not eavesdrop on my conversation.
Inhaling and exhaling once to calm my nerves, I press the green button. Initially, we discuss trivial things, like whether I'm having fun on the trip or if I dressed appropriately for the weather. After about two minutes, during which I start to wonder if she forgot about the burning topic or simply isn't that interested, and I get the impression that she's about to hang up because she hasn't spoken a word for a good few seconds, she says:
