“Dammit Joe, why didn’t you call me?”
My angry whisper bounced off the walls of the otherwise empty car. The two of us had been so close. When had we drifted so far apart that he wouldn’t feel safe in confiding in me?
I felt like I had failed him.
When I reached the school, I double parked but was unconcerned about that fact. The police were already at the school. There were two police cruisers, one with lights flashing.
I ran out of my car, leaving everything behind.
I found my parents a few minutes later, being interviewed by the cops.
They updated me on what was going on. Joe had skipped class early that morning and no one had seen him since. A small bag containing a suspicious substance had been located in his locker shortly after. The school was obliged to report this to the police and so they did.
I listened to all of this in shock and disbelief.
What the hell was my brother into?
I could only hope that he hadn’t just thrown his life down the drain.
“Where are you, little brother?” I whispered to myself.
Chapter Fifteen: Wyatt
The seat next to me in biology lab was empty.
I felt Hailey’s absence as if a piece of me was quite literally missing.
At first I thought she might just be late but we were already thirty minutes into the class and she was still a no show.
I pulled my phone out of my bag and sent her quick text covertly.
Hey, where are you?
Even though I didn’t expect her to answer - at least not right away – I placed the phone face down next to my text book.
Yesterday had been great between Hailey and I. A turning point in the dynamic between us I thought.
I had been scared that she would disappear on me – or worse give me the “we can’t be anything more than classmates” speech - like the first two times we had been intimate. After I came, I had actually tried to mentally prepare myself to handle it.
Hailey surprised me though. She had stayed in my arms afterwards. She stayed until we could no longer linger at the very real risk that we might get caught butt naked in the college classroom.
I had walked her to her car afterward. She had even let me to hold her hand and we had shared a lingering kiss before each driving away.
Her eyes had been soft and welcoming with no regret in them and I allowed myself to hope that the romp in the lab had been a changing tide in our relationship.
I meant what I had said to her. I did try to respect her wish for me to keep my distance from her. As much as I wanted her, always watching her turn away from me was killing me and I didn’t know how many more times I could witness it without going totally insane.
However, when she had taken comfort in my arms, I hadn’t been able to curb the urge to feel her lips on mine again. I expected to get slapped and told off. Now I was glad I took the risk in kissing her.
Even after we had left each other’s company in the lab, she had called me late in the night.
I had just stepped out of the shower when I heard my cell phone ring.
I adjusted the towel around my hips – the only thing I wore – as I crossed from the bathroom to the bedroom. I picked up the device from where in had been thrown carelessly on the bed. My heart picked up when I noticed Hailey’s number on the screen.
I swiped to answer and sat on the edge of the mattress.
“Hi, sweetheart,” I greeted.