Page 29 of Petals of Blue: Part Two
I have to take a deep breath before I respond. "Jared,your dislike of Levi is getting really fucking old." Well, shit, that came out far harsher than I intended. Now I've opened the door for a sassy reply.
To my utter shock, Jared snaps his mouth shut and glances down at his lap. "You're right."
"Fucking excuse me?!" Declan gasps, whipping around in the front seat to look at Jared. His wide eyes and gaping mouth lighten my mood a little, but there's also the trepidation that he's going to set Jared off.
Last night was heavy. We're all on edge and feeling emotional. Bethany had a lot to say about Blue's past, and none of it was good. Even her worry about Blue in recent years made me need to stop and think about what I've noticed. She clearly has triggers, yet I have no idea how Blue has tried to heal from her trauma.
Declan bringing the humor today is only a little shocking. Especially after I watched him struggle at the kitchen table with a drink in his hand a short few hours ago.
Without thinking too much about it, I can acknowledge that Felix, my best friend, was able to help my little brother better than I could have in the moment.
"He's right," Jared states while glaring at Declan. "Are we picking Levi up, or is he meeting us there?"
Felix, our driver, as usual, reaches over and grips Declan's thigh just as my brother opens his mouth to most likely sass Jared again. Grumbling to himself, Declan turns back around to watch as we leave the streets of Chicago behind.
We have a long day ahead of us, but Jared will be happy to hear that Levi is not riding with us. "Levi andKevin are meeting us at the first place and following us to the next ones."
Jared narrows his eyes at me. "Don't put that out in the world, man. Let's hope we find her at the first one."
I nod, agreeing with him, but we also need to be realistic. There are only so many gardens and arboretums we can check before we start thinking about the entire state of Illinois and beyond. It's day four, and there's still the possibility that whoever sent that clue to Violet was trying to throw us off.
My brain tries to yank me down the path of what-ifs, but Felix drags me out of my thoughts. "Let's talk strategy."
We did this yesterday but I understand why Felix wants to hammer home what our plan is. With each stop we make in search of Blue, there is potential for danger.
"If you split from the group, don't go alone and do not leave anyone alone. Got it?" Felix is tense and rightfully so. Even when we all agree, he still does not relax. "Check your phones, make sure you have at least eighty percent battery. Then double-check your locations are turned on for every available app that offers it."
I do as he says, even though I checked all of that an hour ago. Once I've finished, I fire off a text to Violet. She was a sobbing mess when Jared's parents made her leave our house. Bethany and Violet clung to each other for at least twenty minutes before Derrick stepped in and asked if Beth wanted to go stay with them too.
The relief I felt when she agreed to pack a bag andhave a sleepover with Violet was immense. More protection for the women is always best.
Violet doesn't read my message, so I'm hoping she and Bethany are still asleep. Shit, now my worry extends to Janine and Dakota. I make a mental note to ask Violet if they're doing okay.
I know Jared's sister, Nichole, will be headed over to her parent's house tonight so that's good. She's older than us, but we need to keep each other safe. Derrick and Clara's house is becoming a shelter.
We should all have a group chat at this rate. Blue has so many wonderful people in her life that it's hard to keep track of them all when we aren't used to it.
It's a beautiful thing knowing that Violet has so many people around to support her when we can't. She's sensitive in a way we aren't used to. Although after hearing Beth explain Blue's past, I can't help but wonder why Blue never felt safe enough with us in high school to show all of her vulnerabilities.
Thinking back on it, I don't think I saw Blue cry more than a handful of times. She was always quick to just live in the moment with us, and like the young idiots we were, we soaked up her amazing energy and kept on moving. Did we ever give back? If she didn't feel safe to break with us, whatdidshe feel?
Does her mistrust of us go beyond senior year? What did we really offer Erica Bennett? And what can we offer Blue Bennet now?
Twenty-Three
JARED
The sound of Declan throwing up for the second time today is making me absolutely ill. I've had to swallow a few gags each time he's done this, and it's becoming almost impossible not to hurl with him.
Declan's always been a puker, and I still haven't gotten used to it. If he's stressed, he pukes. Finals weeks in college were absolutely atrocious. Thank fuck for Felix because if I had to rub his fucking back today, I wouldn't be much better.
"Jesus," Roman groans and turns his back on his brother.
Levi looks absolutely horrified and guesses, "Is he hungover or something?" Kevin scowls at his husband and shakes his head. "What? It's a fair question," Levi defends.
"No, he's not hungover," I answer, looking up at the sky. Swallowing again, I start walking away. "He's stressed and worried."
Roman stalks off back to the car after explaining, "I'll go get him a water and some Goldfish."
