He slowly turned, knowing who it was, not wanting to show his face. But he did. It looked even worse up close.
The girl gathered her courage and gave him a small smile. “Hi.”
He didn’t say anything back, just raised his brow in distrust.
She looked down at her feet, his black eye too much for her to take. She felt drawn to him, pained for him in ways she didn’t really understand. As if all of this was somehow her fault. It wasn’t, but that was guilt for you.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
He cleared his throat. “For what?”
She squinted at his eye. “For what happened to you. Your eye.”
He didn’t look too impressed. “Is that it?”
“Yes. I mean, no.”
He observed her carefully and she squirmed under his microscope.
“I wish we could have stayed friends,” she said honestly.
Camden nearly laughed. “You still crack me up, Ellie Watt.”
She didn’t dare join in. “I mean it.”
He shook his head, utterly amused. “You can mean it all you want. It’s too late. Look, it’s our last year here. Let’s just keep going our separate ways. When this is all over, you’ll go one way and I’ll go the other.”
His rejection stung but she’d kind of expected it. “Where will you go?”
“I’ll go west,” he said. He cocked his head, looking ready to say something else. But he didn’t. He just turned around and walked away.
“Take care of yourself!” she called out after him, catching the attention of kids loitering in the hall.
“You take care of yourself,” he said over his shoulder. Then he turned the corner and was gone.
They’d never utter another word to each other until they were twenty-six years old.
Now
Saturday morning was grey and surprisingly chilly. Normally the high desert didn’t get this cold until the heart of December and January, but I found myself layering on the sweaters and keeping the fireplace going.
Camden looked terrible. I only saw him briefly at breakfast where I tried not to look at his bruised and battered face. It felt weird not being able to talk to him normally, even over our plans which were totally abnormal, but I continued to give him space. He hated pity and I didn’t want to give him any.
Just after noon, he came upstairs from his shop, done with his clients for the day. I’d cracked open a couple of cans of chili, wanting something hearty and warm.
“You hungry?’ I asked him, stirring the pot.
I heard him pause. I looked over my shoulder at him. He was standing there and watching me with a small smile. Then it was gone.
“Yeah, starved,” he said and started bringing bowls out of the cupboards, the same cupboards his father slammed him against last night. I didn’t dare broach the subject.
He was bringing spoons out of the drawer when we heard the bell ring from the shop below.
I looked at him. “I thought you were done for the day.”
“I am,” he said, looking confused. “Maybe Chet’s dropping off his deposit or something.”
He put the forks on the table and ran down the stairs. I heard him open the door to this office and close it. I scooped out the chili from the pot and placed it into the bowls and put them on the table. I hoped whoever it was wouldn’t take up too much of his time. His food would go cold.
And more than that, I just wanted to be around him, to make sure he was alright.
After about five minutes, Camden still hadn’t come back up. Then I heard the door to the shop open and close. Curious, I scooted myself down the hall and into his bedroom, peeping out the window.
Camden was leaving the house with two men. Something about the men made my heart skip more than a few beats. I could only see the backs of them, but the men were shorter than Camden, one stocky and the other thin as a reed. Both were wearing well-fitted suits, beige and grey. Both had dark hair and both walked with swagger that was designed to look cool and casual. But I knew those men were anything but.
I had no idea where they were going or why Camden went off with them, but it wasn’t a good sign at all. I knew I shouldn’t leave the house and head into town since Ellie Watt was supposed to be long gone, but I had to follow them. I had to know.
I grabbed my jacket from the couch and ran down the stairs. I went through his office, looking around to see if there was a scuffle or something was amiss. It looked fine, so I checked the safe just in case. All the money was there.
I walked into the tattoo shop. The lights were all off and the sign was still set to closed. Everything looked as it normally did. Except the counter near the register. A folded piece of paper rested there, forgotten and alone. It moved lightly with the draft that sneaked through the thin windows.
I picked it up and straightened it out.
It was a photocopy of a photograph. I recognized the face staring back.