Confounded: Part II - 8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8 --==Kit’s POV==--

The following morning, I woke up to dad and Tay in a funk; apparently they’d found Tom gone. As soon as I came in, Taylan’s head shot up.

“Where’s Tom?”
I frowned.

“I have no idea; I thought he’d be here.”

“When I got up, I looked in on you guys and he was gone," Dad said, "you really have no idea? Did anything happen?”
I shook my head.

“No? Sorry, I have no idea where he is.”

Just then, the missing cousin stepped into the kitchen, coming from outside, clearly breathing hard. He was sweating.

“Tom! Where the hell have you been?” Taylan immediately said, a little too bitingly.
Tom took an involuntary step back when Taylan stalked toward him.

“Huh? I went for a run.”
He ran? I didn’t know that. I offered last night, if he wanted to join me. Dick!
“What’s going on?”

“What’s going on? You had us worried there, pal,” Dad replied, the beginnings of a smile on his lips, “I woke up and checked in on you guys, finding you gone.”

“Oh. Right. Sorry. I went for a run, that’s all. I figured I’d better pick up my routine again.”
His routine? What routine?

“I see,” dad replied, shaking his head. “You should have said something, or left a note. I didn’t know you jogged.”

“Neither did I,” I put in, not entirely able to keep an accusing tone from my voice.

Why didn’t he say something? I could have gone with him. He didn’t know the layout of the streets around here and he knew I ran.

“Sorry. I didn’t know I had to report every minute of my day.”

“It’s okay,” Taylan replied, relaxing. “We just didn’t know, that’s all. No harm done.”

“I’ll go with him, next time,” I said.
Both dad and Taylan nodded. Tom didn't like that suggestion.

“No thanks. I prefer to run alone.”
He avoided my eyes when I frowned at him.

“We’d prefer if Kit went with you,” dad said, “he knows the way around here.”

“Fine. Whatever. Can I go take a shower now?”
He didn’t wait for anyone to answer and disappeared. Okay, that was rude.

“I asked him, last night…” I began.

“Yes, you did,” dad answered, “it’s not your fault, son. He should’ve told us. This is new for all of us; we just have to get used to his being here.”

“Why is he here, exactly?” I asked, curious. “This is because he did something bad, isn’t it?”

The quick glance dad and Taylan shared told me enough to know I had hit it dead center. Dad nodded to Tay.

“Tom and Roman had a falling out. A bad one, and it got physical. The bottom line is that Roman doesn’t trust him anymore.”

“What; did he steal stuff or something?”
Tay shook his head.

“No, he’s been hanging with the wrong crowd. There was some drugs involved, weed and uppers, downers. He snuck out at night and stayed away for days, skipped school; became very abrasive toward his parents, and his brother especially. It’s been going on for months. Roman began to basically watch him 24/7. About a week ago, he caught him sneaking out again and…well, let’s just say my brother is not too proud of what he did.”

“Wow.”
I couldn’t imagine uncle Roman ever laying a finger on anyone, which was what I thought was implied there. He didn’t seem capable of it. Taylan glanced at dad again.

“Yeah, exactly, so that’s why we need to watch him. This crowd he’s been hanging with; it’s mostly bikers. Tough guys, dangerous…”

“Okay, I get the picture.”

“That’s not all...”

“Oh great; there’s more?”

“Yes; and it’s not good. Something happened. Roman doesn’t know what it is. He thinks Jay might know, because Tom beat him to an inch of his life a few months ago; but Jay’s not talking either because he’s scared silly for what Tom might do to him. Roman says that whatever it is, it’s caused Tom to…well, he says it’s like he’s gone dead, inside. Non-responsive to any sort of emotion.”

Holy sh…Tom went after Jay? Jay, his elder brother who was twice his width and three years his senior?

“We hope that he might start to talk about whatever it is. They tried sending him to therapy. Several times. One said he’s protecting himself from something so unimaginably sad, he closed himself off emotionally .”
Oookay…
“So…that’s why we need to watch him closely. That’s why we need you to also try to get along, Kit…”

“Alright, okay…I’ll try to talk to him.”
When dad sent me a stern look, I sighed.
“I will! It’ll take time; don’t expect us to have a heart-to-heart by tonight.”

“We don’t expect that. But he needs to know we’re here for him and that includes you.”

“Doesn’t mean I’ll take his abuse, though.”

“Kit…”

“No. Sorry, but I won’t. You can’t ask that of me. I’ll try, but if the guy goes mental on me, it’s gonna get messy. Tried it once and he got the best of me. Not gonna happen again.”
Tay sighed deeply, glancing at dad who, for once in this whole thing, seemed to be on my side. Finally.

“Fine. And, as promised, I’ll take him off your hands as much as possible. So you can go with your dad, tomorrow.”
I sent him a grin.

“Cool. I’d like that.”

If only Tom would work with us. But I’d bet a million bucks that he wouldn’t. And guess what…

He didn’t.