Free Circumstellar by J.W. Lolite

bit guilty about blowing him off for some wild goose chase, but that didn’t give him the right to eat my food.
    “Not a chance. I’d do a lot for you, but there’s no way in hell I’m going to let you gobble up my feast,” I counted, poking him in the chest with my finger. He tried to look offended, but my poking soon got to him, and he started laughing. Grabbing my hand to stop me, his eyes gleamed with mirth.
    “What was that about? Have you been watching those shows with the sassy women?” he asked. I couldn’t think of a comeback as I became aware that he made no attempt to release my hand. His grip was firm, but I knew he wouldn’t try to hold me if I took my hand back. Not that I’d want to. It was so warm and comforting.
    “So, you are coming?”
    I quickly turned my attention to Lesia. Her eyes were acutely focused on mine. She didn’t sound or look angry, but there was a keen edge to her eyes that made me think she was determined to look anywhere but at our hands. Not wanting to create a tense atmosphere, I pulled my hand from Ty’s and gave her a light smile.
    “You bet. I wouldn’t miss this night for anything,” I stated in earnest. “Besides, I’ve got some wild stories to tell you guys.” At that, both my companions perked up, giving me their undivided attention.
    “Just what kind of stories?”
    “You’re going to tell us where you went yesterday?”
    Ignoring Ty’s inquiry, I looked at Lesia’s now excited face.  “Of course, I told you I would. It’s a pretty long story, so it’ll have to wait until after dinner. I’d tell you after school, but I just need to go home and uh,” interrogate my aunt , “get a few things.”
    “Wait, wait, wait,” Ty interjected, his brows furrowing in anger. “You told me you were going home yesterday. Is that not what happened? And how come Lesia knows about it?” Ty demanded to know, his voice raising. “Didn’t think you could trust me, is that it ?” He clenched onto the edge of the lunch table, his forceful grip pressing into the wood.
    “No, that’s not it!” I cried in alarm, trying to ignore the increasing number of stares we were attracting. “I had something important I needed to do . . . by myself,” I quickly added when he opened his mouth to protest. “I didn’t tell Lesia, either. She kind of figured it out.” I looked to Lesia for help, which she, in all her merciful glory, gave.
    “Calm down, Ty,” she said, her voice pacifying. “I knew she was up to something, so I made her tell me after you left.” I stayed silent, not wanting to draw attention back to myself.
    Ty brought his hands up to cover his face and took in a few deep breaths. He muttered something to himself before standing up. “I’m sorry, guys. Ingrid. I just need to get some air.” He sped out of the lunchroom amid hushed comments and open stares. I watched after him with deep longing, worried about the state of our friendship. What was going on? This wasn’t like Ty at all. I had expected him to be a little annoyed with me after finding out I lied to him, but to take it so personally? I was at a loss.
    “What the hell was that about?” I murmured my thoughts out loud, eyeing the edge of the table Ty manhandled in his rage. The wood had been pressed into making an almost perfect indentation of his hand. Running my hand around the side, I discovered that even the metal lining was bent.
    “I have no idea,” came Lesia’s gentle reply. She watched me study the table’s injury with the same lost look on her face. Where had normalcy gone?
     
    One might call it single-mindedness: another, determination. Whatever it was called, no one could deny that when Ingrid Fairheit had an objective in mind, she didn’t rest until it was fulfilled, and I assure you, I didn’t waste any time in heading home after the final bell rang. There was little point in hanging around anyway; Ty pretty much avoided Lesia and me for the rest of the day. I was a