“And fixes them,” I quickly add. “And everything else. This guy can fix anything.”
“That’s awesome.” Jack smiles.
But Silas just looks down at his beer in his hand, and I see his chest rise and fall with a sigh.
I furrow my brow as I watch him, not quite sure what’s going on.
“So, hey,” Jack says, nudging my arm. “Remember that data structures test I swore I bombed? I got a fucking ninety.”
“No way,” I laugh.
Kristian shoots him a glare. “No you fucking didn’t,” he says.
Jack scoffs. “Yeah, I fucking did.”
As they settle into a bicker-war over grading curves and prof favouritism, I keep my eye on Silas.
He’s gone quiet, just standing next to me with his beer in his hand, and his eyes slowly drifting around the room. I can see him fading away as he shuts down… and I don’t know why.
I always know why.
Just as I’m about to nudge him and quietly ask him what’s up, a few people I don’t recognize stumble into the kitchen. They’re loud, drunk, and already obnoxious as they talk over each other while refilling drinks and bumping into counters. One guy stumbles backwards and bumps into Silas, sloshing beer down his arm.
“Sorry, man,” the guy says quickly, glancing over his shoulder at Silas before turning back to his group, telling an animated story with his arms, sending beer flying everywhere.
Silas glances at me quickly, pulling in a breath through his nose and shaking his beer-soaked arm.
“Oh, Levi,” Kristian says, pulling my attention to him. “We’re getting a pickup hockey game going tomorrow. You guys want in?”
The guy behind us bumps into Silas again, and I feel him stiffen next to me.
“Silas, we can lend you some gear,” Jack adds.
Before I can even open my mouth to say no, that we already have plans, Silas turns on the guy behind him. He shoves him hard, sending him stumbling into the counter and spilling his beer over himself and the floor.
“Fuck off,” Silas snaps.
I quickly reach out and grab him, feeling the anger rolling off him as the guy pushes up and glares at us. He moves to get in Silas’s face, but one of the girls with him steps between them and places a hand on his chest.
“Babe, no,” she says, then glances over her shoulder at Silas and me, shooting us dirty looks.
Before anything else can start, I step in front of Silas so he meets my eyes. “Outside,” I say.
His gaze darts over my shoulder, but I’m already pushing him through the kitchen door and out of the apartment into the hallway.
What the fuck…
I shut the door behind us, and Silas pulls off his hat, running a hand through his hair before settling the hat back on his head.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
He sighs and looks up at me, and the sadness in his eyes has my anger quickly fading.
“I don’t belong here, Levi.”
I release a long, slow sigh as that sadness seeps into me as well.
To everyone inside, it probably looks like he overreacted for no reason and was being an asshole. But I know that’s not true. I know that wasn’t nothing… it was everything all at once.
