23.3 Get You Outta My Head

Friday night’s shenanigans haunted Kaiden into the week. What a disaster! Josh was so excited to have fun and make new friends and ended up in dangerous cross fire. He and Kaiden were friendly but did not know each other that well. Breanne made it clear she didn’t care for him. Phoenix seemed mildly acquainted with him as well. The poor guy had no idea what he had done.

Seeing Breanne again was a little bit weird, but not unpleasant. Sometimes, he missed her. They had been friends since infancy. He always enjoyed when Eliza brought her over and thought she was so funny when she went on and on about bad people. Even as a teen, before she became obsessed with his Pruett gametes, things were good. Their little dating experiment was a wash, but he couldn’t forget about her; they had too much history. Learning the Pancakes family moved suddenly caused something inside to shift, and he was restless all weekend. They had unfinished business, and he needed closure.

He had something he needed to say, but what if attempting to talk was like poking a bear? She was so unpredictable, and talking to her was like navigating a minefield; he never did get the hang of it. It was a miracle he could even dial her number after the last near fatal explosion. He was wounded badly but had healed, mostly. Hopefully she had too.

The phone rang, and Kaiden’s stomach tightened. Hopefully she screened her calls.

It rang again. Most people answered on the second ring. Maybe she was in the bathroom. Or, maybe she was out for the evening. Good on her if she found someone new to torture hang out with.

The third ring teased him. She was definitely screening calls. He wasn’t one to leave voicemails, but maybe he’d leave one this time. Or, maybe just hang up and send her a text.

Her voice interrupted the fourth ring. “…Hey.”

“You’re there. How’s it going?”

Her sigh sounded like a wave flowing onto the beach. “What do you want, Kaiden?” She sounded tired but not sleepy. Like, worn out.

He almost wished she would yell at him or something. Despair, or whatever mood she was in, was not a good look. “Mom told me you guys moved. Just thought I’d check on you.”

The silence on the line said so many things. “That’s not your job anymore.”

She sounded so glum! Maybe she didn’t adjust well to the new neighborhood. No, it had to be more than that. She was usually so good at making everything appear to be fine. “I don’t need a title to be friendly.”

“Kaiden … Why are you calling me?”

“I just … Look, Friday night was weird, and I know it wasn’t any of our faults, but I’m sorry. I know you’ll say I shouldn’t apologize for him, but I just …” He sighed in resignation. Everything sounded so much better in his head.

To his surprise, a faint chuckle filled his ear.

His stomach relaxed. “Are you ok? I mean … Are you ok?”

“I’m fine, Kaiden.”

He sighed. If only Google could translate what fine meant. “Ok. Well, all I really wanted to say was I know we … I’m still here for you. As a friend. If you want, of course. I, uhh, I miss that sometimes.”

The seconds that passed felt like hours.

“…Breanne?”

“Yeah. I heard you.”

This sucked so bad. He wasn’t even sure what he expected from the conversation. Clearly, she was not over the break-up, and pushing her to talk would make it worse. He said what he needed to say and threw out the olive branch. The fate of their friendship now rested in her hands.

“Ok. Well, you know how to find me. Take care of yourself, ok?”

“Yeah. Ok.”