UNBREAKABLE

Chapter 6

"WHERE THE HELL IS he?"

Avery asked the moment she opened the back of the limo. Her brows raised, not finding Art inside. I moved forward and peeked my head inside to see for myself, as if not believing what she said.

Balloons were hanging inside. A bouquet of gardenias with a box of chocolates was placed under it. Avery looked at me and smirked. "At least he prepared something."

She shrugged her shoulders and started checking out the box of chocolates. "This is yours. I wonder where mine is? He always gives us both."

I bit my lip and looked away. Though I appreciated all the goodies waiting inside, I felt disappointed that Art wasn't where he had promised me. I've been thinking about us spending time together since the moment he left after breakfast yesterday.

"Should we wait?" I asked Avery.

Avery looked me in the eye. "Look on the bright side. You waited for years; a few minutes shouldn't matter."

I took a deep breath and smiled. "I know."

After waiting thirty minutes and watching Avery uncover everything, her eyes could see inside the limo; we decided it was time to look for Art. I tried texting him, but all my messages remained unread. Avery called him several times, but all went to voicemail.

"Don't you think we should go back inside and look for him?" I asked.

Avery sighed aloud and immediately got out of the car. Her face had he better got a good reason for not being here written all over.

Without another word, we stepped toward the dance hall entrance. We were on a mission. I couldn't imagine a few more minutes of not seeing Art. Besides, the three of us still have a curfew. Though we were to stay together for the night, our mothers were expecting us to be in one of our houses at a particular time.

As we entered the dance hall, I could feel Avery's irritation. Like her, I felt disappointed upon seeing only a few students and some cleaning staff removing the hall's decor. We didn't need to go around to know that Art wasn't inside.

Where is he? My lingering disappointment was turning into frustration. I wondered if he was looking for us too.

"He isn't here." Avery pouted. "What the hell?"

"Maybe we should ask around," I answered.

We walked out of the hall with no direction in mind. To avoid making Avery antsier, I decided to keep my thoughts to myself. I couldn't tell her how my frustration was now turning into fear. What if something happened to Art? Or worst, what if he changed his mind?

Nobody was outside the dance hall. Avery and I had been waiting for almost twenty minutes outside the entrance. Finally, I thought Art had changed his mind and didn't have the guts to face me. So I kept quiet as Avery kept texting and calling him. But to no avail; all messages remained unread, and all calls got transferred to voicemail.

I cleared my throat. "Ave, maybe he changed his mind." My voice croaked. "We should go."

Avery looked at me, still holding her phone as Art's voicemail greeting played on the speaker. "If you think we are leaving here without seeing or talking to him, you're mistaken, Shells!" She placed the phone inside her clutch and took my hand. "There's still one place we haven't checked."

I tried pulling my hand. "Where are we going?" I asked. Her grip tightened.

"I swear... so help me." Avery was trembling.

When I glimpsed into the bathroom, I felt my heart stop. Avery was unstoppable. She opened the girls' bathroom door and pushed the cubicle doors fast.

"Good!" She glanced at me and smiled after confirming no one was inside. For some reason, I felt relieved. Then, Avery stopped in front of the mirror and let go of my hand.

No word was said between us. We just looked at each other's eyes in the mirror.

"Ave, we should go." I took a deep breath. "If he isn't in the limo by the time we reach the parking lot, we're going."

Avery nodded and squeezed my hand. "Don't worry about my crazy mind. Okay?"

I nodded and led the way outside the bathroom. Just as we were passing the boys' bathroom, we heard voices.

"What a lucky dude!"

"Yeah, I'll be glad to have the experience."

"What Paisley wants, Paisley gets!"

Avery and I looked at each other, and we stopped. A group of boys from Art's IT club came out. They were speechless upon seeing us. In a flash, Avery poked one of the boys in the chest. "Is Art inside?"

When no one answered, she immediately walked towards the boys' bathroom. I could feel my chest beating loudly and fast as I followed her. Once the door opened, Avery stopped. She looked at me and waved for me to stop too. But I didn't follow her command. Instead, I went inside, and I felt my whole body trembling.

Art was leaning against the bathroom wall while his hand was on Paisley's wrist. He was facing the door looking at me as Paisley's other hand was around his neck and her lips on his neck. I fisted my hands and bit my lip to stop my tears from falling.

"Shells, it's not what it looks like." He removed Paisley's hand from his neck and pushed her away. "Paisley, tell them the truth."

"Stop!" Avery stood in front of me. "Stop right there, Art!"

"Ave... It's not what you're thinking." He looked me in the eye. "Please, believe me, Shells."

I held Avery's hand without removing my vision from Art. "It's fine." My chin was trembling. "We just came to tell you; Avery and I are leaving. We're in a hurry, and we couldn't give you a ride."

I dragged Avery out of the bathroom fast. Even without looking back, I could hear Art's footsteps running after us.

"Shells! Ave! Please hear me out!"

I stopped and turned around. "There's no need for you to explain. There's no reason for us to hear your explanation. It's your life, Art. So don't worry about us. I'm begging you, please don't follow us."

Avery squeezed my hand, and we walked toward the limo. "Don't look back, Shells. You did well. I'm here. Everything will be fine."

Once I sat inside the limo, my tears fell, and my shoulders shook. Before Avery got inside, I watched as she pulled out the balloons, gardenias, and chocolates. She walked toward where Art was standing and threw everything in front of him. She pulled me into a tight hug when she sat beside me.

On the drive home, we cried silently together. Then, before we could reach my house, the driver's phone and mine rang simultaneously.

"Mom?"

"Your grandma died. Avery's mom is now instructing the driver to take you to Logan instead. I have your luggage. We will meet you at the airport. Our flight to Manila is in an hour. See you at the airport, sweetie."

***