Logan

134. I Fucked Up

*Alex's POV*

Everett barely said five words to me after explaining exactly what happened the night after Natalie running off. I was mad, but Everett was another level. There was something else, a quietness in him trying to regain control.

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*Everett's POV*

Alex seemed completely unphased when I told him what really happened between Natalie and I that day. All he asked is that if I was staying the night, then started cooking. Ophelia left the house to go talk to Canyon, and Natalie hadn't come out of her room. I knocked when Alex told me to, and I heard nothing.

"Natalie sweetie, are you coming down for din-" I opened the door to feel the chill of the wind on my skin. Natalie was nowhere near, not in the bedroom, not in the master bedroom.

"Why are you pacing around?" Alex yelled, "if she doesn't want to eat she doesn't have to."

I checked her room again, closing the window all the way and looking for clues. A few pieces were missing out of the closet, hangers, a book or two missing from the shelf dedicated to books she wanted to read. Her journal and pencil pouch were missing too. I'd never seen her without them.

Wherever she was going, it wasn't for long. But, that didn't stop my breath quickening in my chest. That's twice in the span of a week. Is this the way she was grieving? Flight? It had to be a combination of her breakup with Wren, and Alex's actions, but where did she go?

"She's not here," I said. Alex just shrugged, picking up his spatula and stirring eggs around.

"Do you give a shit about your sister, Alex, or is this just an act?"

He set the spatula down and turned to me, "Don't act like you're some kind of expert on my sister when we have been together less than a month."

Wow, that stung. He had to know it did by the way he looked away. I cleared my throat, "Two weeks ago you wouldn't have been this casual about your sister going through something."

"Two weeks ago my best friend wasn't dead," he scoffed, "Listen, my sister has always done what she's wanted, consequences be damned. I stopped worrying about her every move after a while or I would never get anything done. She's not a fighter, Ev. She runs or she freezes up. With my dad, she froze. Natalie doesn't confront things head on, and her grief is no different." He looked at me then back at the stove, "Besides, I have no reason not to believe she isn't with Frankie, or Aeron, or whatever other boyfriend she has on her recent call list."

But I knew.

Alex should be worried.

I put my glass of juice down, "I'm going out. I'll be back, I'm just running to the gas station."

I couldn't talk to him while he was like this, this was something I'd never seen from him. He told me to get more wine as I closed the door and when I came back it was just silence. Dinner was delicious, but I couldn't think to enjoy it as much as I wanted.

"So you're not going to talk to me?" Alex asked, wrapping his arms around me at bedtime.

"I have nothing to say," I said, turning over and shutting the lamp off. I texted my buddy before I went to sleep, he was still a deputy at the police station, Deputy Patrick Morgan. Patrick was a good guy, but he knew nothing of my situation before coming here.

E: Alex's sister disappeared today.

P: Again? is she okay?

E: I don't know, she won't answer our calls.

P: shit

E: I don't know what I'm going to do. If she doesn't touch base by tomorrow I'm going to look for her.

P: I'll keep a look out

E: Thanks dude

P: no problem. Thanks for letting me know. you and Alex okay?

E: I don't know. I really like him, Pat.

P: it'll work out

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My heart jumped in my chest when I got a call at 6am. Patrick. I sat up and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me.

"Hey, it's definitely not what you want to hear, but we found a body. Jane Doe, looks like a car accident. We won't know for sure until we can look at DNA or dental records, but I called because-"

"She matches Natalie's description." I finished, "Shit, well... let me know what you find out and I'm going to call around to her friends."

"Will do."

He hung up and I washed my face, trying Natalie's phone again. I thought about calling her other friends, but I didn't have numbers or anything. I sent a couple of messages through whatever social medias some of them added me on. I realized I hadn't really developed too many friendships with people here. That needed to change.

Alex opened the door and his eyes were red, the bags on his eyes puffy.

"Hey, you were crying," I reached out for him and he shrugged, leaning into my embrace.

"It has to come out sometime, I can't hold in things like you."

That hurt.

I tried to disguise my wince with a touch to my face, "Listen, I express my feelings just like everyone else Alex."

He nodded, brushing his teeth, "Sorry."

I waited another moment, "Alex, I need to talk to you."

He spit and looked at me in the mirror, "Listen, if this is about my sister again," he sighed.

"I might have some bad news, but I need you to call her."

"Everett!" He snapped, "Let it go!"

"Alex," My patience was slipping, "I have reason to believe she's not fine, so if you can put your anger at me away for five seconds please, just call your sister. Please."

Alex huffed, "I'm so tired of this," he opened his phone and called her again, it went to voicemail. He hung up and tried again, voicemail. "Everett she doesn't want to talk to me right now. I fucked up."

"No, you're repetitively messing up. You're disregarding your sister's feelings, and you're disregarding mine. I can't even talk to you for five minutes without you getting upset with me, or making comments about how I process my own emotions, like I don't have feelings. I do have feelings."

I walked away, back into the bedroom and put my pants back on. "I know it's only been a month, and I have a lot of learning to do about this family I care so much for. I'm worried about your sister, my buddy Patrick called me about a body they found." I sighed, "It fits Natalie's description."

"Everett, I'm sorry. I am just... I'm processing." He stood there for a moment, taking in everything I was saying, "I'm going to throw up." He raced back into the bathroom and I sat on the bed.

I thought about what I was going to say to McTavish as his contact came up as an incoming call.

"McTavish, there's something going on."