The Wanderers Beginning: The Wanderers, Reborn, & Unforgiven (147 page)

             
He pulled back all too soon. He looked into my eyes and slid his hand behind my neck. My pulse started to quicken at his delicate touch. He pulled me closer and placed a tender kiss on my forehead. “I’ll see you Monday.”

             
“Monday,” I smiled. When he walked away I felt like he took a part of me with him.

             
Josie was beside. “You doing okay?”

             
“I’m a fighter, remember,” I said, trying to stop the tears from spilling over. Josie pulled me into her and rested my head on her shoulder.

             
“Yes, you are.”

             
The crowd slowly started to disperse and I caught a glimpse of Gabe standing by himself on the outside of everyone. His hands were clasped in front of him and his head was bowed. I turned to Josie. “I’ll be right back.”

             
I walked over to Gabe who still had his eyes closed. “I lost a few good men that night,” he said.

             
“I know,” I said, biting my lip to keep the tears at bay. When he finally looked at me I saw the tears that he himself was fighting. I took a step forward and slipped my arms around his waist. He hugged me back and let me comfort him.

             
“Ella?” Josie called, clearing her throat. I pulled away wiping away the few tears that managed to escape. “I only have about an hour left before I have to go back.”

             
“Right.” I turned to Gabe.

             
“You did a good thing here tonight. I am very proud of you. Never forget that.”

             
“Thank you,” I said, hugging him again. He squeezed me back like a father would a daughter and that was what I loved about Gabe. He kind of reminded me of my dad. He felt like home. I gave him a small smile before Josie and I retreated back to my room.

             
We spent the remainder of the time she had left lying on the bed and just talking. Before I knew it I was asleep and when I woke up in the morning Josie was gone and I was all alone. But I was okay. For the first time in a long time I felt at peace.

Chapter Twenty-two

There was a peaceful calm amongst the students during breakfast. I like to think last night helped bring some closure to those who needed to let go. Dixon had let me know a lot of the students thought how awesome it was that I had thought of the memorial and were thankful they got a chance to say their proper goodbyes.

              The cafeteria was filled with smiles and excited students, happy that they were finally going home for the summer. That was the first breakfast I wasn’t tempted to run out of the room. I enjoyed what time I had left with my friends and spent most of the morning exchanging addresses to keep in touch while they were away.

             
Despite our punishment, Aidan was being pretty lenient with us. He let us have the weekend to settle in and get adjusted to our new schedules. He even said we could go out in the town, but with one speculation. Gabe and he had to be with, which wasn’t so bad now that we all were able to coincide civilly, well for the time being at least – that could change at any moment.

             
Cameron said she didn’t care where she went just as long as we got off campus. When her dad caught wind of her leaving school and jetting off to Ireland, he basically could have cared less. He hadn’t even noticed she was gone even though the school had called him to inform him. He didn’t even bother to call to see if she was alright. When she called him to say she had to spend the summer at school his only response was, “How much is this going to cost me?”

             
She never mentioned her mom and I didn’t push to ask. From what I learned, Cameron’s parents weren’t the parenting kind. She said her father told her, her mom only wanted to have a kid because she thought it would make a good accessory. In a way I felt sorry for Cameron, but she didn’t seem to mind and despite the not so loving childhood I’d say she turned out pretty damn well.

             
After I said goodbye to all my friends that were departing for the summer, I moved back in to the student dorms. Unfortunately I couldn’t have my old room back because it was still being occupied by Mackenzie. Aidan set me up in a new room across the hall. Cameron offered to let me stay with her, but when school started back up I would have to relocate again after she got a new roommate and frankly I didn’t want to deal with moving…again. I was thankful for the room I got because on this side I wouldn’t have the sun shining through my window bright and early in the morning.

             
I was a little sad to leave my room in guest housing. The room was so much bigger and had better accommodations, but at least I still had my own room. I settled into my new room and then showered. When I was done I met everyone downstairs. I knew Cameron was itching to go shopping and Aidan told us he had no problem with us doing a little light shopping while we were there. He said he needed to get some supplies anyways. Aidan was going to learn the hard way that to girls there was no such thing as
‘light shopping’
.

             
Zane joined us for the trip into town. Aidan invited Mackenzie to come along, but she said she rather shave with a dull razor than spend the afternoon with us. I was willing to supply her with the razor.

             
Dean decided to spend his time at the local tavern instead of enduring what he called a
‘tedious’
day of shopping. Instead of torturing Gabe with another one off our shopping exploits, Zane volunteered to stay with us while Gabe went and kept an eye on Dean at the tavern. Gabe knew all too well the McCallisters had a history of getting into trouble at bars.

             
Cameron was in her glory once we hit the shops. She didn’t hesitate to charge everything and anything she could. I didn’t know where she was going to put everything. I think she just bought stuff because she could and to piss off her dad. The one thing he actually did pay attention to and cared about was money. Cameron told me once her dad’s idea of a social call was to yell at her for how much money she was spending. “It’s not like we don’t have it,” Cameron said.

             
I watched Cameron smile as the card slid through the machine over and over again. I only bought a few items, but for the first time in a long time I bought some nicer shirts besides my normal t-shirt and jeans. I also got a few new lip-glosses and a new pair of sunglasses. When I thought we were finally done, we passed a dress shop, and Cameron pulled me inside. She said she wanted to look for a dress for the Fall Ball while she had the chance.

             
She tried to get me to try some dresses on with her but I was too tired. I told her I would just help her pick out some nice ones for her and wait while she tried them on. Zane and I found seats just outside the dressing room. I practically fell down on the chair. I didn’t think it would be possible to be shopped out, but for the first time I think I was.

             
I looked over at Zane who sat quietly in the chair. He was silent the entire trip and didn’t once complain about being stuck with two girls who dragged him from store to store. He even offered to help carry some of our bags. I assumed combat moves weren’t the only thing Gabe taught him.

             
While we waited for Cameron to come out of the dressing room I turned to Zane and asked, “So how did you get stuck here for the summer?”

             
“In order to get my license as a guardian I have to do a semester worth of one on one training.” 

             
“So you chose to stay here for the summer?”

             
“Yeah, this way there’s less distractions and I can focus more on school work in the fall.”

             
“Makes sense,” I said. “You know, you really don’t have to stay here with us. I’m sure this isn’t fun for you.”

             
“I don’t mind, besides it’s good practice for the future,” he smiled, showing off his dimples.

             
“Okay, so what do you think?” Cameron asked, coming out of the dressing room.

             
She was wearing a green, mermaid style dress that looked so tight I was wondering if she could actually breathe in that thing. “You plan on doing aquatics?” I asked and Zane laughed.

             
“You could have just said no,” she frowned.

             
“Well if I knew you wanted to try out for ‘The Little Mermaid’ on ice,” I replied, getting another laugh from Zane, who then tried to cover it with a cough. Cameron pouted and stomped back into the dressing room.

             
“I think you hurt her feelings,” Zane said, trying to keep the smile from his face.

             
“Trust me. I’m doing her a favor.”

             
After about the tenth dress and many insults later, Cameron finally found the perfect dress. It was a plum colored strapless dress that just grazed the floor. The top was heart shaped and gathered in the middle with a diamond broach right in the center. The material clung to her just right, accentuating her body, but not too much that it was tight or clingy. It was perfect. All she needed was the perfect pair of shoes and a few accessories and she was good to go.

             
We finished just in time to meet the boys for dinner. After dinner we went and saw a movie. Cameron and I were outnumbered so we had to settle for the latest Alien flick. By the time the movie was over I was exhausted. I crashed the moment I laid on my bed.

             
When I finally woke up, it was sometime around noon. I stretched my arms high above my head. For the first time in a long time I had a good night’s rest. I ventured down to the cafeteria to get some food. Sleeping through breakfast I decided to make up for lost time by piling my plate high. I found Aidan sitting at a table in the corner alone and I thought I’d say hello. “Good morning,” I said, in what I hoped was a cheerful voice.

             
“More like good afternoon,” Aidan said smiling. “Planning on having someone join you?” he gestured to my plate.

             
“Oh, um, I missed breakfast,” I said bashfully, suddenly embarrassed about the massive amount of food on my plate. He laughed kindheartedly and pulled out a chair for me to have a seat. I joined him and tried not to look like a pig as I scarfed down my food. “So, could you give me a little hint as to what we’re in for as far as the manual labor we’ll have to do?” I asked in between bites.

             
He just smiled and sipped his coffee while flipping through his paperwork.

             
“So nothing. You’re just going to leave me hanging?”

             
“It wouldn’t be much of a punishment if you knew what was to be expected.”

             
I sighed and went back to my brunch. We sat silently for the next few minutes. The quiet made my mind wander to Roman and what he was doing and if he made his decision. Not wanting to drive myself nuts I turned back to Aidan. “I wanted to say thank you for letting us get off campus for the day.”

             
“I thought you guys needed a break. You’ll definitely be begging for one by the end of summer,” he said, smiling behind his coffee cup again.

             
I groaned to myself and finished eating. “Thanks for the company. I’m gonna head back to my room and enjoy my downtime while I still have it.”

             
“Good idea,” he chuckled. I tried my hardest not to narrow my eyes at him.

             
I spent the rest of the day in my room putting my stuff away and getting settled. Then I lay on my bed and tried to relax. My mind wandered and soon I was wondering what to expect for when Roman returned. I had no idea, but I was sure it wouldn’t be pleasant. After ten minutes of staring at the ceiling I was bored. Apparently I wasn’t one who could do leisurely downtime. I got up off the bed and looked around the room. Since I would be the only one there for the summer I decided to do some rearranging. I thought it would be a good distraction and keep my mind off of Roman.

             
I spent the next two hours moving furniture around and organizing my stuff. When I was done, I stared at the pile of dirty clothes in the corner and thought it would be wise to do some laundry. I stuffed all the clothes into bags and was just about to head downstairs when there was a knock on the door. When I opened the door I was startled to find Roman standing on the other side. “H-hi,” I stuttered.

             
“Hey,” he said.

             
“I didn’t think you’d be back until tomorrow?” I said, remembering counting down the minutes until his return.

             
“I caught an earlier flight. I wanted to get a good night’s rest so I was prepared for tomorrow.”

             
I nodded, understanding. Not knowing what else to say I asked, “So how was your trip?”

             
“Good,” he replied, agitated. I could tell he was upset that that was what I decided to ask about. I braced myself for bad news. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. His face calmed and he asked, “Can we talk?”

             
“Yeah, I was about to do laundry if you want to join me?” I pointed to pile of bags behind me.

             
“If you’re busy I can wait.”

             
“No. I insist. Besides, it’s kind of creepy down there by yourself.” He gave me a small smile and agreed to join me. “Let me just grab my stuff real quick and then we can go.” I grabbed the first two bags and when I turned to grab the soap I saw that Roman was hovering in the doorway. “You can come in?”

             
“I’m good here,” he said, making it clear he wasn’t going to budge. I grabbed the soap and two large duffel bags of dirty clothes and headed out the door. Roman offered to carry the bags for me and I gave him a thankful smile. We walked silently down to the laundry room which was located at the far end of the basement. Even though it was only a few flights of stairs and a turn here and there; the walk seemed like an eternity in the silence.

             
When we reached the laundry room, he tossed my bags on the washer and then leaned up against it. I was hoping he would say something first, afraid I’d open my big mouth and say something stupid or start pathetically begging him to take me back. “So, what did you do this weekend?” I was a little surprised by his opener, but in his defense I said the same thing when I saw him.

             
“Aidan, I mean Mr. Callahan,” I quickly corrected remembering his dislike for him. “Let us go off campus for the day. Cameron and I shopped while the boys, well I should say Dean, went to the bar. Gabe tagged along to keep an eye on him.”

             
“That was nice of him,” he said. I wasn’t sure if he was referring to Aidan or Gabe, but I didn’t care. He was talking to me and not yelling.

             
Roman was blocking the only working washer and I paused in front of him biting my lip. He just looked at me. I could see sadness in his eyes, and I knew he had made his decision and I wasn’t going to like it. Instead of losing my nerve I gestured to the washer behind him, but he didn’t move. “You know it’s kind of hard to do wash when you block the only working washer,” I said, trying sarcasm to ease my nerves.