Angst
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“Chrissy!” Tyler exclaims, letting her overnight bag drop to the floor and trotting over to embrace her sister, “Oh my God!”
Christen clings to her, the tears coming immediately. She’s been able to keep it together for a little while but now seeing her sister has just made her fall apart all over again. She’s ugly crying, the tension and grief and anxiety she’s been living with these past hours are spilling over. Tyler is guiding her back to the couch, the couch her and Tobin would spend hours on, cuddling, watching TV, working on Re-Inc. projects. Being intimate.
She resists, shaking her head, “No,” she says forcefully, her voice thick and raw, pulling Tyler towards the kitchen table, “I can’t sit there anymore,” she sobs, breaking free of her sister’s grasp, bringing her hands to hold the side of her head. She spreads her arms out wide, “First Mom and now this?” she cries out loudy, “Ty, how I can deal with this? I can’t take this,” she shakes her head, “I can’t lose Tobin,” she sobs, “I can’t,”
Tyler wraps Christen up in a hard hug again, “I know,” she states, “you’re so strong,” she says forcefully, “you have to be strong for her.”
Becky comes to stand beside them, “She could be out there,” she says quietly, “safe, maybe hiding,” she places her hand on the back of Christen’s head, “You need to be strong for her right now,” she reminds her, “we don’t know for certain.”
Tyler looks over at Becky with a questioning look.
“There’s a chance it might not be Tobin they pulled from the car,” she explains.
Tyler’s eyes grow big, “Really?” She was on a plane and Christen hadn’t let anyone know of this development, not wanting to give anyone false hope if it turned out badly.
Becky nods, throwing a glance over to Kling who is on her phone. “The Thorns and Royals are out looking for her with the police,”
Christen is trying to compose herself yet again, she’s wiping her eyes, looking around for a Kleenex. She pulls out a few tissues, wiping the snot from her upper lip and blowing her nose as her chest heaves. A headache is coming strong, her eyes are burning and her throat feels raw. She lets herself sink onto a kitchen chair, holding her head in her hands.
Tyler sits down next to her, scooting her chair close so she can wrap an arm around Christen’s shoulders, “What do you need right now?” she asks her, their heads close together.
“Tobin,” Christen cries pitifully against her sister’s shoulder.
“Okay, well, we can’t do that, just yet,” Tyler responds kindly as she looks her over, her mouth scrunched up as she evaluates her sister as she calms down. She sets the box of Kleenex in front of her and rubs her back as she Christen wipes at her face. After Christen wipes away her tears and begins to breathe normally, Tyler stands up, letting her hand linger on Christen’s shoulder for a moment. “You need to eat,” she announces.
Becky and Kling share a look, they’ve tried multiple times in these hours to get her to eat something, anything.
Tyler moves to the kitchen, opening the refrigerator to survey the items available. Kling approaches her and offers to make a smoothie thinking something on the light side would be good and maybe Christen would be more agreeable to drink something rather than eat it and soon the two are preparing one for each of them. They could all use something in their bellies.
Becky joins Christen at the table, sitting down across from her and gives her sad half smile. She stretches her hand out across the table and Christen takes hold of it. “I’m so sorry this is happening,” Becky says somberly, “I can’t even imagine how you must feel right now,”
Christen gives her a sorrowful look, “I feel like part of me is missing,” she replies and then sighs.
Becky nods and squeezes her hand, thinking that’s exactly how she would feel if she were in Christen’s shoes right now and her boyfriend Zola was missing.
A few minutes later, they both withdraw their hands as Kling comes over and sets a glass in front of each of them. They both of them eye the not so eye pleasing coral colored contents suspiciously and when they make eye contact and they both laugh out loud.
“Hey!” Kling frowns at their reaction, but the corners of her mouth are upturned, “It’s delicious,” she defends proudly, “I guarantee it!”
“This looks like you obliterated a salmon,” Christen observes with a frown, eying it with trepidation. She sniffs it cautiously.
“Ew,” Becky shivers, sticking her tongue out. It’s juvenile but she thinks they need a break of some sort from this awful cloud of dread they’ve been under tonight. Tyler comes over, her forehead furrowed as she suspiciously sniffs the concoction in her glass and shakes her head. That makes Becky and Christen giggle.
“I know exactly what’s in this and I’m not sure how this will taste,” Tyler declares as she eyes the contents in her glass.
Kling sits down with her glass and eyes them all, “Just try it,” she says, “trust me.” They all take a sip at the same time, eyes darting at one another. It’s quiet.
Finally, Becky looks at all of them and then directly at Kling. “This is…” she considers with another sip, “actually quite good.”
Christen nods, “But please, don’t tell us what’s in it,”
Tyler starts to laugh, making them all join in.
“Doubters,” Kling smirks at them through her laughs.
It was just what they needed- a release from the hours of tension.
Then Christen’s phone rings, indicating a call and all laughter dries up immediately. Becky leaps from her chair and springs the few feet to the couch to retrieve it. She hands it quickly to Christen who sees it’s an unknown number. Her stomach tightens up.
Tension fills the air around the four as Becky, Tyler and Kling watch as Christen swipes to answer the call.
“Hello?” she answers. “Yes, this is Christen.” She listens for a moment, nodding. “Uh huh,” she nods, listening again, “uh huh.” She listens some more and then straightens. “What does that mean?” A look of shock registers in her face and fresh tears spring from her eyes. “Yes, I understand,” she says, her voice trembling, “thank you.” She listens again.
“We’ll talk in the morning,” she’s nodding again, “thank you for calling.” She sets her phone down and he expectant faces around her. “That was Detective Moore,” she explains, her voice shaky, “the coroner stated the body they found in the car is only five foot one at the max. Also, the body doesn’t show signs of previous broken bones like Tobin had. They will do a dental comparison tomorrow morning,” she says, a glimmer of hope in her eyes appearing, “but the coroner is very confident it’s not Tobin.”
Christen heaves a sigh of relief as she places her phone on the table. Then freezes as a fresh round of overwhelming concern grips her.
Where. Is. Tobin?
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