631 V2 ch103 (1/2)

Wednesday came and went, but my bad mood was here to stay. Thursday we took another Spanish quiz and then headed home for lunch. Surprisingly, Jeremy was already there. He sat at the kitchen table with Mom and Dad, talking about the twins.

”Hey, Jake.” He greeted smiling. ”I came early. Figured we could do a group lunch, and then I'll be responsible for dinner. I know a good spot we can go to after the softball game.”

”Okay...” I shrugged. ”I'm going to go put my backpack away.”

”Same!” Noah said and we both headed for the stairs.

In our room, I let out a sigh.

”What's going on with you?” Noah poked me. ”You've been moody since Tuesday night. I thought it was about you not being able to play, but I'm starting to think it has something to do with Jeremy.”

I shrugged. ”Kind of. It's just...” I paused. ”I'll just bring it up to Dr. Moore. Don't worry about it.”

Noah crosses his arms in front of his chest. ”I won't worry about 'it', but I am worried about you. Did Jeremy do something?” He stood up a little straighter.

My lips twitched. This is what made Jeremy upset last week. How protective the Atkins are of me. ”Nah. It's not something he did, per se. It's just me...being me.”

Noah put his hand on my shoulder. ”There's nothing wrong with you being you. Come on, let's go. I'm getting hungry.”

We went downstairs together and joined everyone. Mom had picked out a restaurant to eat at near the beach. Jeremy was going to drive separately, but Mom convinced him to just ride with us.

It was a little awkward at first due to me being weird, but that came to a stop as we reached the restaurant. It's hard to be in a bad mood when everyone else was being cheerful. We laughed as Mom told us about the twins temper on their college visit. Apparently there were a lot of looks and comments on Dave's slightly pink hair. It wasn't so noticeable with a hat on, but still visible.

Lunch lasted for over an hour, but it felt quick. I was worried about acting weird with Jeremy, but my thoughts took a backseat as everyone was having a good time. It wasn't until we got home that I started thinking about Jeremy and his family. Noah spoke the most so I don't think anyone could tell that something was going through my head.

That changed when it was time for my appointment with Dr. Moore. Jeremy and I left the house together and drove in silence to his office.

I glanced at him and noticed that he didn't look so good. I opened my mouth to say something, but couldn't find the words. I closed my mouth and looked out the window until he parked.

I hobbled out of the car while Jeremy got out smoothly. He wiped his hands on his pants before we headed inside. I saw him repeat the movement as we waited in the lobby.

I took a seat on the couch, propping up the boot leg. ”It's going good. The best I've ever had.”

”Good to hear.” He looked at Jeremy. ”Good to see you again, Mr. Patterson. I was surprised when Jake called to make an appointment with you.”

”We're not going to talk about me.” Jeremy said stiffly as he sat down on the other end of the couch.

Dr. Moore wasn't surprised by his attitude. Or at least, he didn't show it. He kept a neutral smile on his face as he looked back to me. ”Is there a set goal you have in mind for today's session? Or do you just want to talk?”

I shrugged. ”Sort of, but not really. Jeremy was...” I looked at him for help.

Jeremy pursed his lips. ”We were going to talk about Jake. Lately, I've been uncomfortable with the looks that the Atkins family gives me whenever we have alone time. It's like I can't be trusted.”

”Ah.” Dr. Moore pushed his glasses up. ”This isn't just for you. I'm sure Jake has explained a little?”

Jeremy gave a nod. ”He has issues. I get that. I get it better than any of them so why...”