Sadie's body felt like a wet husk wrung dry from sitting up all night waiting. She had arrived at Ethan's close to midnight, having decided to come over once her dad went to bed. Despite Ethan's assurances that he'd be fine alone, she couldn't stand the thought of not being there for him, and she wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed next to him whether her insomnia let her sleep or not.
She had not expected to find the house empty. No sign of Ethan, Graham, or Ethan's car.
For once in a long while, she actually felt sleepy. She brewed a pot of coffee to stay awake while she waited for their return. When she heard the car pull into the driveway, she stood in the living room to greet them.
Graham came through the door alone, eyes puffy and red.
“Where's your dad?”
He staggered by her and into the hall without glancing her way. “Probably out looking for me.”
“Wait a minute.” She followed him down the hall. “It's after midnight. What were you doing out so late?”
“I'm going to bed.”
She slipped around him, stood in his path, and forced him to stop. “Did the two of you get in a fight?”
One corner of Graham's mouth curled up. “He never caught up to me.”
While Sadie wondered what that meant, Graham side-stepped her, went into his bedroom, and shut the door.
She didn't know quite what to do next except pour herself another cup of coffee and wait for Ethan.
Sitting at the kitchen table, she watched night turn to dawn through the window above the sink. Sunrises were old hat to an insomniac like her, but this was the first one she could remember being awake for on purpose. Somehow that gave the growing light a harsher grain, and it scrubbed at her weary eyes whenever she looked toward the window.
The slamming sound from the front of the house made Sadie jump. She spun toward the sound, heard the accompanying commotion of footsteps and laughter and realized someone had entered the house through the front door. Sadie made out two different laughs from two men. One of the laughs she vaguely recognized as Ethan's, but it possessed an edge she couldn't decipher.
Ethan's companion spoke through gusts of laughter. “That was probably the dumbest thing you ever did.”
Sadie didn't recognize this voice. She did not like the sound of it.
The two of them stepped into the kitchen before Sadie could announce her presence. They staggered to a halt and stared silently at her, both of them wearing stupid smiles that said enough.
“You're drunk?” Sadie asked.
The man with Ethan stood close to a foot taller and sported a chest nearly twice the width of Ethan's. His eyes had a crooked cast to them as if not aligned correctly on his face. “Well, duh.”
Sadie stared at Ethan, waiting for some explanation.
Ethan's own smile only half melted so that his expression looked as smug as it did amused. “What are you doing here?”
“I thought you might need me. What is going on?”
“I don't feel like going into it right now.”
“Have you seen Graham? He's a wreck. And you're out drinking?”
“Trust me, there's more to it.”
Ethan's snickering companion rolled his eyes. “Quit being such a buzz killer.”
Sadie glared at the man. “Who are you?”
“This is Lazaro. An old friend. Laz, this is Sadie.”
Lazaro bowed his head. “'Sup?”
Sadie grabbed Ethan by the arm and tugged him toward the hall. “We need to talk in private.”
Ethan yanked free. “Don't pull me.”
“I feel like I don't even know you right now.”
“Did you ever?”
He's drunk. He doesn't know what he's saying. He's been through hell and this is another symptom of grief, however ugly.
“Don't push me away. I'm not your enemy.”
“You weren't even supposed to come over tonight, remember?”
“Fine. When you're sober, call me. Hopefully by then you'll realize what an ass you've been.”
Lazaro's drunken chuckling followed her on the way out until the storm door smacked shut behind her.