Once Upon A Twisted Fate

Nine. - Upside Down

“Which one of you is telling the truth?” Paul demanded.

                I turned my head to Dillan, not knowing what to think anymore. It used to seem like a good idea to keep everything to myself and not let my family in on any extent. Now, it backfired on me. Maybe I should have at least talked to Ashton about it. We’ve never spoken about the incident since it happened. He could’ve helped me fill in the spaces in my mental picture of that night. It was too late for regrets now.

                “Paul, come on, the girl was in a restroom. How could she have known anything?” Dillan said, sounding irritated, like it was the most obvious thing in the entire world.

                “But I could’ve sworn—”

                “You didn’t see anything,” Dillan cut me off, “So stop making false statements. You’re giving Paul a hard time.”

                That shut me up. He was right, I didn’t.

                Paul looked flabbergasted for a second, then cleared his throat and moved on to the next question. “What happened to the chair?”

                “I—I don’t know,” I admitted. All I saw when I came out of the restroom was the chair not arranged neatly under the table, where it supposed to.

                “I told you I knocked on it by accident. My cheek was proof.”

                Paul was sweating now, his eyes were going left and right in a fast pace behind his notepad. Finally, after what felt like hours, Paul looked up at us and said, “That would mean no charges will be intact.”

                “Absolutely,” Dillan said, crossing his arms. “There’s no need to sue something that never happened. Can I go now?” He stood up and left the room without waiting for Paul’s answer.

                “So, I’m free of any charges?” I asked Paul, feeling as startled at Dillan’s words as he was, but my feelings were mixed with relief and joy as well. Something Paul could never feel at the moment.

                “Apparently,” he said.

                “Great,” I grinned and left the room, joining the rest at the dining area.

                The second I stepped outside, everyone’s eyes were fixated on me, including the waiters and waitresses. I paced back to my seat looking at the ground, avoiding eye contact. Kayla was the first to question me. Although it was more of a verification. “Dillan said the scary dude just now asked about his swollen cheek.”

                Scary dude, Paul? I smiled a little at that. He only had that outlook, but his personality didn’t portray “scary” one bit. “He did,” I said.

                “What does it have to do with you?” Kayla asked. That time Alex, Grace and Mr. Gardner were all looking at me. As I was opening my mouth, Dillan helped me answer, “Because she was there with me. My dad just wanted to know whether I really hit a chair, or if it had anything to do with Eryn.”

                That was the first time he said my name. For some reason, my stomach flopped at that. It could just be my feeling hungry though, even though it didn't feel like hunger. But I preferred that thought. And the fact that Mr. Wetherill seemed to ask another person talking to his son for him sounded strange to me. It struck me as the two never communicate to each other. But they must have. They’re blood tied; father and son. Later, I was about to find out.