Brandon hesitated, his eyes darting to mine. I made a point of keeping my gaze firmly on my plate. After an eternity of silence that seemed almost deliberate, he grumbled, "In a few days."

Halfway through dinner, Brandon's phone rang, showing Jayden's name. He did nothing, but the calls kept coming, insistence in every ring. I could feel the deliberately constructed cool falling apart.

He reached for the phone and stepped aside. I couldn't make out the words, but the severity of his silence when he came back (his shaking hand while placing the phone down) told me that something terrible had happened. He sat back pale and pushed his...