Chapter three

3.
“Hey, Shane!” James said, towering over me, especially since I was still sitting. “What's up?”
I tried to act cool. “Uh, just hanging out, you know... I wanted to get out of the house.”
“Yeah, I get you. That's cool. Do you know Mike?” He jerked his head toward his friend, and I nodded, adding a smile for good measure.
“Yeah, we've met a few times, I think.”
He nodded. “'Sup, Shane.”
His voice surprised me- it was much deeper than I was expecting, sounding like it belonged to the body of a grown man, not this 16 or 17 year old high school student. Then, also to my surprise, they sat down on the swings, one on either side of me. What did they want? Swinging in silence only lasted for a minute. James was a very social person, and always talked. A lot.
“So Shane, why aren't you on the track team this year? We could sure use your help. Lots of freshmen coming in, too many upperclassmen dropping out. We need somebody who knows the drills. Plus it was kind of cool seeing you around all the time.”
I promised myself I wouldn't mess this conversation up. I tried to just be myself, like I was around R all the time, like so many people had told me when they found out that I was shy.
“Oh... well, I was going to join the team, but I backed out right before the sign-up deadline. I don't know exactly why, I'm just not very motivated like I was last year.”
He grinned. “Going soft? Afraid to rough it up with the MEN?” He was teasing me, puffing up his chest like he was a real man. He wasn't that much older than me. I laughed.
“Nah, that's not it. I'm actually not really sure why I didn't join, anymore.”
We talked for a long time. I found out that Mike wasn't very talkative, like me, but he wasn't shy, he was just a man of few words. We laughed a lot, and when I was laughing, I found that I wasn't thinking about what I should say next, I was just having a good time. It was a feeling that I hadn't felt with anyone besides R in a very long time. It made me glad.
“Bye, see you tomorrow at school!” They called as the darkness grew around us and we all three realized we needed to find our ways home. When I walked home, I was in a daze once again.
I just hung out with James and Mike. I didn't worry that much about what I was saying. I mean, I did, but not as much as I usually do. And they talked to me first!
I was excited about this. It was good sign, a good thing. And my mom would be so happy with me! Or at least, that's what I thought when I opened the door to my home, yelling like I always did,
“Mom, Dad! I'm back!” And I'm hungry, I thought. What's for dinner?
I peered into the kitchen. It was empty. That's strange, I thought Mom would be cooking. I walked through the living room. Also empty. That's when I was started to get a little bit freaked out. Where were my parents?
I didn't see a note from them. If they had gone anywhere (on their own free will) they would have left a note! I considered calling my Aunt Jessie for help, when I heard muffled voices, coming from the computer room. Relief washed through me, until it was suffocated by fear. Were the voices in there my parents or... someone else? I had to go and see, no matter what. So I walked towards the door cautiously. Thankfully we had carpeting, and it muffled my footsteps. Being paranoid as I was, I leaned my ear until it was touching the door. The voices were still muffled, but less so. It sounded like... a man and a women, definitely... they were... arguing....
Bam! All of a sudden, I was thrown backwards in the air, the wind knocked out of me for a few minutes. I lay on the floor for a few minutes, panting. Again, I was thankful for the thick carpet, because it took a lot of pain out of my blow. Then, when I was blinking my eyes open, the shocked faces of both my mom and my dad appeared above me. I was so glad it was them, and not some strangers.
“Mom, Dad,” I said in a hoarse voice, “What are you doing?”
They helped me up to my feet, and soon we were settled on the couch. My parents expressions were far from happy. They were more a combination of relief and anger. Once we had determined the fact that they had swung open the door while I was listening at it, and that's what had knocked me down, they started getting down to business. Mom went first.
“What do you think you were DOING, young man? Just leaving like that. Your father and I practically went insane with worry!”
“I told you I was going for a walk...” I tried to tell her, but she was beyond listening to me.
“You have to learn responsibility, Shane. You should have left a note or something. Anything!” She went on for a little while longer, and then, without pausing to ask Dad if he wanted to input anything, asked me, “Now. What do you have to say for yourself?”
Taking a deep breath, I started explaining my story. “I needed some fresh air, so I told you I was going for a walk – I guess you didn't hear me – and then that's what I did. I took a walk. That's all!”
My parents exchanged a short glance, and then my dad started talking.
“We drove all around the neighborhood looking for you, Shane. Your mother had no idea where you had gone, she was probably in the back yard when you yelled to her where you were going. We were worried sick about you! Next time, you need to be more responsible, and make sure that someone knows where you'll be. Okay? Got it?”
I nodded vigorously. “Yeah, I promise. I just thought she heard me. I'm sorry.”
“Good.” My dad gave me a hug, and then walked towards the kitchen, muttering something about dinner. My mom wasn't quite satisfied, though. Now that the anger was all gone out of her face, I could tell she really had been worried for me, and it touched me, but I felt a twinge of guilt, too.
“Sorry, Mom.” I told her, and she nodded and gave me quick hug.
“Just one more question, Shane... where did you go? We drove around and around and never saw you once. I even called Rupert's house to see if you were there, but his mother said that he wasn't home, and she hadn't seen you.”
“Oh... I went to the small park, the one closest to our house, you know? I stayed there for a while with... some guys from school. James from the track team and his friend Micheal.”
She smiled a little bit, like I thought she would. “All right.” Then the smile widened. “You should invite them over sometime! I'd love to meet them!”
As I settled into bed that evening, I remembered the meeting after school that I had skipped. I still hadn't told me parents about that, and I wasn't planning to. Besides, there really wasn't any point to tell them. A faint voice in the back of my head told me that maybe I should tell them, but I didn't listen to it. I was tired, and my eyes closed. Soon I was far away from any thoughts of school and elections and parents and being shy. I slept peacefully, dreaming of who knows what, and the next morning I woke up with a clear conscience.