The End Is Only the Beginning

22. The Right Direction

'Sorry, I fell asleep. I'm busy at the moment-' I typed out, not even feeling guilty about the lie, 'but I'll let you know when I'm free. Talk soon'.

It was enough that my family wanted me to explain Friday night to them; I really couldn't be bothered to have to deal with Kasim as well.

I also decided to send Noelle a quick text message. There was no chance that she missed my sudden absence from the party on Friday and she was probably annoyed about it – in a typical, easy-to-get-out-of, Noelle way. I simply wrote: 'Hey! Hope you got home ok on Friday. Sorry for ditching unannounced, something came up. Let me know if I missed anything, and I'll see you later!'

After sending the text I took another spoonful of cereal, and barely a minute later Noelle replied with a vague: 'Yes, and no probs. Will update u later x'.

-

By the end of the day I hadn't heard anything else from Noelle, nor had I spoken to Kasim.

As I lay in bed that night I was dreading school the following day. Something about acknowledging the people, and the topics, that I had been avoiding over the weekend was putting me off. I wouldn't be able to avoid Kasim forever, and he obviously wanted answers about why I left the party with Aaron. And Eli, I still had to apologise to him for ditching him on our date.

"I know where you were on Friday night," Evan spoke up, peering over the railing of his bunk to stare down at me.

I rolled onto my back, purposely avoiding his gaze. "What?"

"I know where you were," Evan repeated. "Aaron showed me a picture of his car during the summer, and that was the same car that dropped you off yesterday." My younger brother flicked on the light which mainly lit up his bed.

"Mom doesn't know?"

Evan shook his head. "Neither does dad, or Em."

"Please don't tell them, Evan."

"I wasn't planning on," Evan said, which seemed very un-Evan-like. He shrugged before lying back down in his bed. "I like knowing things that mom and Emily don't, it makes me feel special," he added; now that seemed more like Evan.

"Thank you."

Evan peeked back over the railing, a grin on his lips. "I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing this for me." He continued to grin as he flicked his light back off. I watched his silhouette disappear behind the railing, and he didn't make another sound.

-

Monday arrived way too quickly, and I still wasn't ready to confront the conversations that I'd been trying to avoid all weekend.

"Ya know..." I started as Kasim appeared from out of nowhere, his hands in his pockets as he casually strolled over; he must've been waiting for me. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think that you were avoiding me," he spoke, slowing his pace to match my own speed.

Of course I have.

"Really? Why would you think that?" I faked confusion, attempting to remain calm as I walked to nowhere in particular.

"Erm," Kasim began. "Maybe because I asked you to call me whenever you had a free minute, and you never did," he suggested with a shrug. Apparently I'd be confronting these situations much sooner than I had hoped to.

"Oh shit, man. I totally forgot, and then I fell to sleep. Sorry," I continued to lie.

Without even looking at Kas I could feel his eyeroll. "Of course you did," he muttered under his breath. Kasim and I continued in silence for a few more seconds. "Fancy nipping to the library? I need books for an upcoming essay?"