Page 71 of #Lovestrong

Declan

My new favorite food is chicken and waffles. I don't think I've been this stuffed in my entire life. The Show Boat Diner takes comfort food to a whole other level. Literally, I feel like I could now sleep for a month, so ready for a food coma.

Lena was quiet through most of dinner, letting her father and I chat about everything from sports to politics. She held my hand and leaned her head against my shoulder but tensed up every time someone stopped by the table to say hello. Lakeview is a small town, but Decleburg is literally like a blip on the radar. Blink and it’ll go unnoticed. Everyone, and I mean everyone, goes to this diner and knows each other.

I can see why after the shooting Lena was so desperate to escape. This is the kind of town where gossip is holy rite and news can travel as fast as lightening across the sky. I'm glad we're visiting, but I couldn't live in a place like this.

"Hey! Wait," a voice yells from behind us just as we reach the car.

The three of us spin around and Lena starts cursing under her breath, taking me by surprise. "Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Damn it."

"Baby, what's wrong," I ask as a blonde woman a little taller than Lena stops in front of the car.

"I heard you were back in town," she says, staring at Lena with an expression I can't place.

Lena's father steps closer to the woman. "What do you want, Charlotte?"

"I want to talk to Lena for a second, John."

"No. She didn't come home for this. I haven't had my daughter back and this close to normal in over a year. Let her be." His face is stoic and turning red.

I pull Lena close to me, and while she lets me, her body is so tense it's like hugging a rock.

"And my son's been dead for a year. She can spare me a moment." The woman looks out the side of her eyes, a venom I don't like creeping into her voice. Slowly, she turns her head to look back at Lena. "You went to everyone else's funeral but his. You'd known him since you were little."

Lena finally looks up and meets the woman's eyes, squaring her shoulders as she moves away from me. "Yes. I'm sorry you lost your son. I'm sorry he did what he did. But after that, I wasn't paying my respects to someone who didn't deserve them."

"Didn't deserve them," the woman spats in a shrill voice, tears forming in her eyes. "He had problems. He wasn't a bad person."

Lena visibly swallows and takes a deep breath. "I never said he was a bad person. But he did a terrible thing, and twenty-one other people lost their lives because of his actions. You buried your son. I buried four of my best friends, and twenty-one other parents all buried their children. I don't owe you anything. And neither do any of the other kids or parents who suffered because of his actions."

Mr. Harrison steps forward as the woman starts shouting and takes her arm. He's not rough, just forceful enough that after a moment, she stops pushing toward Lena and quiets herself. Lena stands with her back to them, leaning her side against the truck. I walk around her and reach out to tilt her head up until she looks at me.

"Do I want to know?"

Lena reaches out and grips the front of my shirt in both her hands, licking her lips as she shakes her head. "Her son was the one who shot up the cafeteria. Peter. Peter was her son."

Tears slowly slide down Lena’s cheeks, and I put my arms around her and bring my lips to her ear. "It was never your fault, baby. You know that."

She nods her head and just rests against me. I close my eyes and hold her until Mr. Harrison touches my shoulder. "Let's get home before I lose my temper on someone for their stupidity."

He pulls Lena's door open and she slides in, pushing the center console up to make a bench in the front. I climb in next to her and she slides closer to me. Mr. Harrison gets in and starts the truck just as two sheriffs’ cars pull into the lot. He doesn't hesitate as he shifts into drive and pulls back onto the main road.

I think I'm finally starting to really understand why Lena is so messed up over what happened.