492 A Sit Down (1/2)

Sunday morning, Mrs. Atkins cooked her usual big breakfast selection. It was hard to enjoy with the lump in my throat so I mostly just poked and prodded until Dr. Moore showed up. With his help, I came up with a list of things I wanted to ask and get off my chest. I nervously stared at my list until the doorbell rang at 10am.

”I'll get it.” Mr. Atkins stood up. He glanced at me. ”Do you want to do this in the living room or the kitchen?”

”Here.” I patted the table. I would like to keep a distance between us and I really think the table will help with that.

The already crowded room was a tight fit as Mr. Atkins returned with Mr. Duncan and Jeremy Patterson.

Mrs. Atkins frowned at Jeremy as he awkwardly stood in the doorway. ”Jeremy. I'm Mary, Wayne's wife.”

Jeremy nodded slowly, looking less intimidating without his sunglasses. He looked unsure of himself.

Seeing that he couldn't come up with anything to say, Mrs. Atkins gestured to Mr. Duncan. ”Why don't we go to the living room?” She glanced at the twins who stood in the corner. ”You two come as well.”

”Aw, Mom.” Dave groaned.

”So unlucky.” Kyle sighed.

The four left, making some room. Seeing me and Noah refusing to get up from our seats, Mr. Atkins sat down in his seat as well and gestured for Jeremy to sit across from me. ”Have a seat Jeremy.”

”Thank you.” He took a seat. He looked at me briefly before looking at Dr. Moore in Mrs. Atkins seat. ”And who are you?”

”Elijah Moore. A child psychologist. I've been working with Jake and the Atkins family for a couple of months now.” He said, sounding very professional.

Jeremy frowned. ”And why are you here right now?”

”For moral support.” Noah huffed.

Zeke, who sat between Noah and Dr. Moore, gave him a disapproving look. ”Lose the attitude. No need to be hostile.” He glanced at Jeremy. ”For either of you.”

Jeremy sat up straight, eyes narrowing in on Zeke. Zeke continued. ”I'm Zeke. This is Noah. The twins are David and Kyle.” Zeke said politely. ”It's nice to properly meet you.”

Jeremy's shoulders tensed and he looked as stiff as a statue. He made eye contact with me and had the decency to look a little embarrassed. ”The first time, I-I didn't mean to grab you like that.”

”Oh?” Noah sneered. ”Were you planning to do worse? Normal people don't just grab others. It's even worse for Jake since he has a fear of being touched.”

”Noah.” Mr. Atkins chided. ”If you have nothing nice to say, then don't say anything at all.”

”Guess I'll have to be silent for his whole visit, huh?”

I poked him in the ribs.