“You just think everyone is stupid.”
“I do not.”
I gave him a look and snatched the laptop off him. “Just let me write what I need to write, okay?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Nathaniel waved a dismissive hand.
I finished up the email, and once it received Nathaniel’s approval, I sent it and leaned back in my chair with a long sigh.
“You will let me know when he responds, right?”
“The very second,” he assured me.
“I hope he doesn’t take too long.”
“I’m sure he’s not overflowing with emails,” Nathaniel mused.
I nodded.
“What are you going to do? If you find her?”
I hadn’t really thought about it. Of course, my intention was to help her. If she really was haunted by delusions and hallucinations, she needed help beyond what the cult could provide. But facing her again, after years of hating her and trying to forget…I hadn’t really figured out how to do such a thing.
“I guess…I’d try and find out why everything happened the way it did,” I whispered.
Nathaniel nodded. “And what happened? I know you mentioned an…exorcism?”
My throat dried up, making each swallow excruciatingly painful. “It’s a long story.”
“We still have…” Nathaniel lifted his wrist to read his watch. “…thirty minutes.”
I chuckled bitterly. “We’re not even friends.”
“We could be.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“I’m not a good friend,” I said.
“Why do you think that?”
“Because I’ve only ever had one friend and I…”
Nathaniel waited, patiently, his eyes never leaving mine.
“...I fucked up,” I finished.
“How?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“I don’t think you are a bad friend, Augustus,” he said gently, “I just think you are scared of opening up.”
“I’m not.”
“Prove it,” he challenged.
