Susan sat on the edge of my bed, legs crossed, chewing on the end of her hoodie string like she didn’t just say something completely soul-crushing.
“Listen, Debby,” she started gently, like I was fragile glass, “I know you’re heartbroken, and I really want to help… but like, we really need to forget him.”
I blinked at her, my chest tightening. “Forget Kyle?”
Susan gave me that wide-eyed look like I’d missed the obvious. “He’s a felon, Debby.”
A deep, tired sigh escaped from my chest. It felt like all the weight I’d been carrying suddenly pressed harder. I looked at her. “Are you sure?”
Susan nodded too fast. “Um, he’s arrested. Isn’t that proof enough?”
I bit my lip and looked down at my hands. “Well…”
“Well what?” Susan asked, scooting closer.
I didn’t answer.
Because I didn’t know how to explain it. I never asked. I just believed him.
I wanted to believe him.
“Look,” Susan said, her voice softening, “let’s get out of the house. Go to the arcade, get your mind off everything. Because honestly? I don’t think he’s coming back.”
I didn’t want to hear that. But a part of me… already believed it.
If he was coming back, wouldn’t he have called by now? Or texted? Something?
But there was nothing.
No message. No goodbye. Just silence. It was like the earth swallowed him. Like the feds or the secret people or whatever force he was tangled up in had erased him from existence.
“Okay,” I whispered. “Let’s go.”
When we walked into the arcade, the chaos hit me all at once, but in a weird way, it was exactly what I needed.
I let a small smile slip as Susan yanked me toward the air hockey table. “Loser buys the slushies,” she grinned, already grabbing a paddle.
“You’re on,” I shot back, a smirk pulling at my lips.
For a while, I actually forgot everything. We played air hockey, then shot basketballs, and laughed so hard at a glitchy zombie game that my ribs hurt. It was… good.
But then, the feeling hit me. That prickle. Like someone was watching. My skin tightened.
I froze, gripping the joystick of the racing game I was playing. “Susan…”
“What?” she said, still mashing buttons like her life depended on it.
“I feel like someone’s watching us.”
She paused and looked at me. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. It’s just… I feel it. Like eyes on me.”
Susan turned and scanned the arcade, then rolled her eyes. “Debby, you’re tripping. You’ve been through a lot. You’re just being paranoid.”
“Yeah…” I mumbled. “Maybe.”
“C’mon,” she said, slinging her arm around me. “Let’s go get ice cream. You need sugar.”
I laughed a little at that.
We left the arcade and crossed the street to the ice cream shop. The line was long, and the place smelled like sprinkles and waffle cones. It should’ve made me feel safe.
But the feeling wouldn’t go away.
“I’ll be right back,” I told her. “I’ll just go to the restroom.”
Susan nodded. “I’ll order for you. Cookie dough?”
I nodded and ducked into the bathroom.
I splashed cold water on my face. Stared at my reflection. My eyes looked tired. Like I hadn’t slept in days. My lips were dry. My heart? Still broken.
I missed Kyle. I hated how much I missed him. I took a deep breath and stepped out of the restroom…and froze.
He was right there.
Kyle.