CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
I was still reeling from my argument with Aaron. I was having a hard time dealing with his decisions, that seemed an awful lot like betrayal. I wanted to understand his reasoning—and deep down I did; after all, I was resorting to the same mistake—but I couldn’t condone it.
Trying to get my mind out of the clusterfuck I found myself in, I grabbed a beer and looked for a quiet corner to put my thoughts in order. That was when Mia stormed out of the house, a disturbed look on her pretty face, scrunching an envelope in her left hand. But when I noticed what she held between her fingers, I knew all hell would break loose.
And that my relationship with her was in danger.
She stomped up to Ben, who took a step back and paled when he saw what she was caring.
“What is this? When did you receive it?”
“Mia, calm down—”
“This can’t mean what I think it does. But what else could it be?”
The girls and her parents stood from where they were and stepped closer, trying to understand her outburst. Rosie urged the kids to play inside, shielding them from what was unfolding. It turned out to be a good call, as things only escalated afterward.
“It can’t be right. It can’t be. I know what happened. I was there!”
She paced in front of the grill across from Ben, who looked green and on the verge of throwing up, glancing at Aaron for guidance. But apart from his immobile posture, Aaron’s rounded eyes betrayed his turmoil. And mine.
Ben raised his hands slowly as if dealing with a feral cat. “Mia, I need you to calm down—”
“I was doing fine! I was getting better.” She stopped her pacing and placed her palms on her forehead, squeezing her eyes in pain. “Why is my mind playing tricks on me? I know this isn’t true, he wouldn’t have done—”
Ben rounded the grill and talked gently. “Mia, just hear me out.”
She paced again, not listening to Ben’s words. “I saw what happened. I know what happened. I’m not going crazy—”
“If you just let me explain—”
“There’s no way…Explain?” She stopped her pacing and peered at him with wet eyes and a red nose. “What do you mean ‘ explain ?’” She took in a deep and broken breath and whispered painfully, “Is it true?” She then squeezed her eyes shut and raised one palm. “Wait a second. You got the letter. Did you know about this?”
The smell of burned meat surrounded us, but it wasn’t as bad as our turmoil. No one dared to move a muscle. To either salvage the meat or intervene in an unsalvageable situation.
“We were in a dire position,” he answered quickly before his window of opportunity closed. “We had to act fast, we were all in danger, especially you. So, I suggested—”
“This was YOUR IDEA ?”
“There was no other way at the time!”
She bent over her stomach, breathing heavily. “Oh my God, I’m going to be sick.”
I looked around the room. Danny’s eyes glared at Ben and Aaron in suspicion. Lisa and Izzie seemed confused. Haley was petrified. Mia’s parents were concerned. Aaron had his eyes closed and rubbed the back of his neck. None of us knew what to do.
Ben stepped closer, but still at a safe distance from Mia. That seemed prudent because my Spitfire was about to explode.
“I wanted to tell you! But there was never a good moment, I needed an opportunity—”
“Oh, you’re right!” She stood tall abruptly, rubbing her forehead in dizziness and rage, and leaning against the table to steady her legs. “The damn lack of opportunity. Geez.” She tipped the options off on her fingers. “If only we saw each other almost every day. Or worked together. Or had been best friends for almost our whole lives. Or traveled for work side by side. Wait a minute. We’ve done all those things !”
Ben ran his hands through his hair in distress. “We were trying to protect you!”
Mia grabbed one of the bottles on the table and threw it at Ben, who dodged just in time for the bottle to hit the wall, scattering glass and beer on the wall and the floor.
“ THAT WAS NEVER YOUR CALL TO MAKE !”
“Mia!” her parents shouted in concern, as Lisa and Izzie asked us what was going on.
Danny shook his head in disapproval and betrayal, as Haley covered her mouth in pain, both seeming to understand what the whole thing was about.
Mia recoiled and touched her head in pain and despair. She leaned on the table again, trying to control her breathing, and I was too much of a coward to run to her.
“I can’t believe you two would betray me like that,” she whispered.
Aaron stepped forward for the first time. “I know it’s hard to understand. But it needed to be done.”
Her eyes snapped at him. “You knew it, too?” I noticed the moment my betrayal dawned on her. Her shoulders dropped, the first tear rolled down her cheeks, and she turned to me in despair. Her big, brown once vivid eyes were full of affliction as she whispered, “ Ethan? ” She shook her head and thrust her free hand on her head, squeezing her eyes. “I can’t believe this.”
Haley stepped closer and gulped. “Mia? What’s going on?”
Mia raised her shaky left hand, showing the red origami squeezed between her thumb and index finger. “My brother didn’t die.”
“ What ?”
“Zach is still alive.” Her legs finally faltered and she fell on her side, hitting her head on a chair. She held her head and fought to stay conscious. I raced to her side, shouting her name, as she repeated like a mantra, “Zach is still alive. Zach is still alive. Zach—”