ISFNE Chapter 10

Simon POV

I walked into the apartment and was greeted by Grant, Kyle, and Chloe all watching Netflix on the couch, or in Kyle and Chloe's case, each other.

"Where's Kate?" I asked setting down my bag and grabbing a root beer from the fridge before opting to sit on the chair instead of the couch.

"Phone call," Grant responded over his shoulder, "I think it's her sister's birthday or something? I don't know, she said it wouldn't take long."

I only shared the apartment with Grant and Kyle but most of the time it felt like it was shared with their girlfriends, Kate and Chloe respectively, as well. They were great people and we all had a grand time together. Kyle and Chloe had been going out for almost three years and Grant and Kate were coming up on two. I had been single during the entire period with the exception of a two-week relationship with a girl named Dani whom I'd quickly broken up with as I realized she was using me to get back at an ex. It didn't matter, the two couples were still very inclusive and I happily fifth-wheeled, though they were all determined to set me up on a date so I could rejoin their couple party antics, most of which I'd invented over the course of our college years. However, no matter how many times I went, turned down, or backed out of their dates I still ended up not being able to see a relationship with their choices. They were nowhere near giving up though.

"Where were you today? I thought you weren't doing anything?" Kyle inquired.

"Nowhere special, just checking in on the bookstore, worked a small shift, nothing noteworthy," I responded nonchalantly leaning back in the chair.

"Aren't we supposed to have dinner there soon? It was this coming Friday, right?" Grant asked.

I'd forgotten about the dinner, well, time to lie through my teeth. "Yeah, about that guys, we have to cancel. Something came up with Grams."

"She okay?" Kyle asked with a frown of concern.

"Oh, she's perfectly fine, just busy, we'll have to reschedule," I reassured. They shrugged it off and went back to watching their show. I breathed a inward sigh of relief.

I hadn't revealed Allison's presence to the group. It hadn't been purposeful at first. In the beginning, it had merely been so strange that I hadn't bothered, then it had been the idea that she wasn't going to stay in any sort of permanent way, so there was no point. But finally, I settled on not telling them because there would be too many questions to which I had no answer, at this point it felt best to keep her from the prying eyes of my friends.

"Hey, Simon," Kate said coming back into the living area, "I have a girl in one of my summer classes I really want to set you up with, are you doing anything next Friday, can I give you her number?" she said in one breath sitting down on the floor in front of Grant. Kate was always a bit enthusiastic.

I let out a sigh, "Sure, why not."

I decided to avoid the bookstore for the next week, unsure of how I was to proceed with Allison. I felt somewhat guilty about the fact that I'd cornered her into going to her appointment which had resulted in a panic attack. I didn't know what to do. It's not like I'd caused it but I felt responsible almost to the point where I wanted to beg her forgiveness. I avoided her instead, almost afraid of how she would react. What if I'd really screwed up? I shook my head and scoffed internally, why did I even care? And that was something I couldn't deny. Though I wanted to write her off as a stupid teenager who couldn't take care of herself and hate the way she'd been allowed to walk into a part of my life, I knew I would be wrong to do so. I did care. There was more to her than met the eye. I got the feeling she'd endured so much and yet the fact that she'd come out the other side so intact spoke volumes. Sure, she was still picking up the proverbial pieces of her life, but she was strong, though she hid it well. I just wanted to know why and how. What was her story? I would piece it together as best I could but if I was ever going to find out what I wanted to know investigating could not be my priority. Priority number one was to get her to stop calling me 'Mr. Timmons'. It made me feel about a million years old. But after that, or maybe in tandem with it, was getting her to trust me.

I shook my head, going back to my original train of thought, I would see her soon and I would apologize and maybe, just maybe, she would let me carry out a civil conversation with her.

I went out with Carly, the girl Kate had set me up with, and enjoyed her company well enough to ask her on a second date later in the week which she happily agreed to. We hit it off well and continued to do so on our second date.

Before I knew it another week had passed without me stopping by the bookstore. Instead, I spent time with Carly and the others at the apartment and working on my summer class homework. On one hand, I was spending quality time with my new girlfriend, on the other hand, I was still feeling guilty about the whole ordeal with Allison. I'd get there eventually. Besides, even without the cloud of guilt over my head I needed to visit Grams and pull my weight at the store.

Marissa POV

Max was in a tizzy. He was working overtime to try to track Faith down from the few things we had, most of which we'd already exhausted at this point. He was still trying to get airport surveillance but it was neigh impossible to access. Even if he did, it would take tons of time-consuming sifting to have a remote chance of spotting Faith. And probably an even slimmer chance of being able to find anything out based on where she flew. She could be truly anywhere, but it gave Max something to do with all his nervous energy. Meanwhile I was doing my best to keep him company, it was the only way I could help at all, though it drove me slightly insane; all it did was give me time alone with my thoughts.

It was such a mess, the whole damn thing. Eric and Faith's was the most tangled, twisted, star-crossed relationship I'd ever encountered and likely ever would. There was so much that had already passed between the two of them and so much that had preceded them. And though Faith had been victimized because of it, Eric was a victim in his own way having to act on the knowledge he held, even when it hurt the one he was protecting. Making himself forever the villain in her eyes so she wouldn't have the burden of things outside her control thrust on her shoulders. There was the whole standing history with Xavier, and the destruction Mina had caused, and of course the incident with Elizabeth…I sighed and began massaging my temples at the headache I was inducing by going down that rabbit hole. How the heck Eric planned to explain any and all of that to Faith eventually was a mystery to me. He couldn't keep her in the dark forever.