Lost In You

The caff was packed and I was jostled around as I made my way over to my usual table. Ray sat and I sat beside him. Bob was already there. I spotted Gerard in the far corner with no food as usual which today I was thankful for. I stood up from my spot without a word and made my way over to Gerard. It had occurred to me that he might get run over once the laxatives took effect on the consumers. I was so shaken from seeing Hayden after a year, I had to find him and who else would know but Gerard.

"Hey Gee." I greeted him half heartedly.

"Hey." he usually gave his old one word answers like he used to.

"Listen, did you see Hayden at all today?" I asked curiously. Gerard looked up from his sketchbook. He didn't hide it from me, only me, sometimes he would show me his work and I would comment on it... on his good days. On bad days I wouldn't see him at all. I don't know what changed Gerard so much but it certainly began after we broke up and after Hayden disappeared.

"No?" he answered after a moment. "Why?"

"I saw him today in the hall and then he just disappeared." I told him truthfully.

"Oh?" I nodded.

"By the way, we did a little something to the food here and you might want to come sit with us unless you want to get trampled." I didn't mean to make it a joke. I wasn't in the joking mood, I was too stressed.

"Kay." he stood up without another word and went to sit with The Crew. I sat beside him and watched Gerard's image transform from a bunch of random lines into a shape and then he added detail. I realized he was drawing a panther of some sort or some big cat. It stared at me from the paper with its teeth barred.

"Its been ten minutes..." Bob commented looking at his cell phone.

"Soon." Ray reminded him. Gerard was just beginning to add spots to the cat when someone on the other side of the room jumped up and ran out. Bob and Ray watched in amusement but I just wasn't in the right mood to enjoy the destruction. Over the next few minutes, people were jumping up and running out of the caff with surprise painted on their faces. I couldn't help but smirk when nearly the entire room was cleared out. We were going to look suspicious if we didn't follow too so Bob and Ray ran out. I nudged Gerard who stopped drawing to watch. I jumped up and booked it out of the room with Gerard running behind me. I don't think I had ever seen him run before. We caught up to Bob and Ray who were watching the anarchy outside the bathrooms. People were screaming and banging on the doors while people inside ran out covering their mouths in disgust and their pants around their ankles. Bob and Ray watched horrified as some guy puked in the hall not far from us.

"Lets get out of here." I said to them and the four of us walked out of the building since the place was beginning to stink really bad.