The Damage Was Done

Chapter 26

I haven't seen Louise all day which means she didn't come. I sit around the table with the group while  they talk about random stuff like usual, "do you think somethings wrong with Louise?" I ask which brings everyone out of their conversations.

"What do you mean?" Ashton asks looking at me "she just seems off, you know" I say and look at cleo and Jacob they've known her for ages "she gets like this sometimes, she goes radio silence and misses school" Cleo replies "she's done it occasionally, ever since last year" Jake adds on and gives me a sympathetic smile

"You get used to it, all you've gotta do is keep checking on her" Cleo says, pulling out her phone, typing a message and sending it. "Has she talked to you today?" She whispers to Jake who shakes his head and pulls out his phone doing the same as Cleo.

They sat there for a couple minutes conversing quietly when my phone rings, I pulled it out and answered.

"Hey mum" I say but she doesn't answer for a couple seconds "hey um," she starts to stay but stops "mum what's going on your starting to worry me?" I ask and everyone's watching me now

"After school, go to abbys" she says and I sit there thinking "Abbys?" I questioned and now Cleo was getting closer to me "you and your friends" she says "Cleo, Jake, Grey and Ash" she adds on.

I look around the table "what why?" I question, there's only one thing I can think of and it's that something happened to Louise, "I can't tell you over the phone" she says and I nod but stop remembering she can't see me "ok" I say before hanging up.

I look around the table, "what's going on" Ashton asks but I don't fully register it. The only thought in my mind is what's happened to Louise "why do you have to go to Abbys?" Cleo questions sounding worried, I look at her "all of us have to" I say and cleo looks to Jacob "why" he asks he sounds as worried as I feel "she wouldn't say" I say getting up and walking to my car.

They all follow behind me Ashton and Grey getting in my car and cleo and Jacob in hers, and we start driving there, I couldn't wait until after school to find out what's going on, now that I think of it I don't remember Ryder being at school and he's only missed school once this year.

When we get there I see a police car in the driveway, getting out of the car I run to the door a i knock rapidly not waiting for an answer before I open it, I go to the kitchen to see Ryder and Abby with tear stained faces.

"What happened, where is she?" I ask looking at them it looks like they haven't slept, Ryder makes his way towards me before stopping "she's gone" he says and I swear my heart stops beating, what does he mean gone? I saw her last night, she was fine.

"What do you mean gone?" I heard Ashton ask from behind me, I didn't even realise that they came in, "gone, can mean a whole lot of things" Ashton added and I looked back to Ryder for his answer.

"She ran away" he says, I let out a sigh of relief then froze when I processed what he just said "why?" Cleo asks, her voice a little shaky on the verge of tears, I look around the rest of the friend group to see them all holding back tears "we don't know" he says, then walking to the counter and coming back with something in his hands.

"She left these" he says, giving everyone one he hands me mind but I just stare at it, I knew something was wrong, I shouldn't of left her alone, I should've pushed for an answer, I knew that something was going on but I didn't do anything about it, I should've helped her.

"Take it" Ryder says breaking me out of my thoughts, and I do, when I do two police officers walk down the stairs and head to abby, "we need everyone to answer questions about Louise a couple days prior, so we can figure out why she left and where she might’ve of gone" I heard one of them say.