Under My Skin

Chapter 32-Time For A Road Trip

Luca's POV

It's been a month since I have been at school and I hate it to be honest. All the people here are stuck up. I miss my girl. It sucks how things ended. I miss her touch, her smell, her body....God I just want to be near her. She feels like a distant memory and I just despise the whole situation.

There have been a few snobby girls that I have seen check me out or attempt to flirt with me, but none of them are her. Natalie. I don't think I will ever get over her.

I spend my evening doing what I have done since I got here. Nothing. Just watching tv or playing video games. I barely study. I am pretty sure I won't pass any of my classes. And I just don't give a fuck. Nothing means anything without Natalie in my life.

My thoughts are interrupted when a phone number lights up my phone as it rings that I don't have programmed nor do I recognize it. However it starts with my home area code so I answer it.

"Hello." I say.

"Luca? Luca Tate is that you?" The voice asks.

"Uh yeah, who is this?" I ask.

"It's Jessie. Natalie's friend. Luca, I can't find Natalie and I need your help." She says.

My heart just dropped.

"What?! What do you mean?" I ask panicked.

"Well apparently, Natalie's grandmother passed away and she never told me. I found out when I went over to check on her a few days ago when she didn't show up for the first day of school. Apparently someone else was moving in and said that the lady who lived here died. I have been texting her off and on the past few weeks and her responses had been short. I thought maybe she was still mad about the situation with you and...well I don't know. I just was trying to give her space. Then I tried to call her immediately after I made the discovery about her grandma and it says her phone has been disconnected. I don't know if she ran away or something happened to her. I am so worried. Especially in her condition." She says.

I just sit there trying to process what she just said. Her grandma died? She's an orphan. And where is she? Fuck I have to find her. And what does she mean her condition?

"What condition?" I ask confused.

"Well, I will let her tell you. Just please come home and help me find her! Please!" She yells.

"I am on my way." I say as I hang up.

I am on a flight home within 2 hours. The entire way my anxiety is through the roof. How will I find her? Do I go to the police? I don't know what to do. I am so scared. What if something happened to her? I have to stop these thoughts in my head or I am going to rip my hair out.

As soon as we land and are allowed to exit the plane, I am out in no time and on my way to Jessie's. I don't even bother to go to my parents. They won't help and will be pissed at me for leaving school.

Jessie and I wrack our brains on everywhere she could be. We don't know of any other relatives she has. We are pretty sure she has none. We know she isn't anywhere in town. Jessie has spent the last few days asking around and no one knows anything.

"Since it's been a few days, don't you think we should report it to the police? She's a missing person Jessie." I remind her.

"Yes. I was trying not to so they wouldn't hunt her down like a criminal. Plus I was afraid she may have done something she shouldn't have and ran away?" She says.

"Well it doesn't matter. We have to find her. And this is the only way." I tell her and she nods in agreement.

We head down to the local police department to report her missing. We give them her name and all her information along with a picture. The cop looks over it for a minute with a weird look on his face. He then walks over to another officer and talks to him quietly while we stand there waiting impatiently.

Finally the officer walks back over to us.

"Guys, your friend is not a missing person." He says.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"I mean that the officer I was just talking to over there went with the social worker over to her house a few days ago. He recognized her instantly and I thought I remembered her name. You don't have to worry. She's in foster care." He says.

"What?! How couldyou...what...where?" I stutter out trying to catch my breath.

"What he is trying to say is, where is she? We want to be able to talk to her. Surely you have a name and address for her." Jessie says.

"Sweetheart, that is confidential information. We are not allowed to give that out." He says.

"Ok. Well can you relay a message to her and tell her to call me please. Just tell her Jessie is worried sick and she really needs to talk to her." She says.

"Fine. I will relay the message. Don't worry about your friend. She is safe." He says.

We walk out of the office and I groan in frustration.

"How the fuck are we supposed to find her Jessie?!" I yell.

"Shhh! Come here. I have an idea." She says.

She gets out her phone and quickly dials a number and places it on speaker phone.

"Hello this is Tina from Social Services. I was calling to ask you something Officer Stevens." She says in a fake voice.

"Oh hey, listen before you ask and I forget, can you please give a message to that teenage girl you took to Leesville the other day to the Thompson's foster care family. Her friend Jessie wants her to call her. She was worried about her and came here to report her missing. Just tell her to call." The officer says.

Both Jessie and I smile now that we have a lead. She gets off the phone quickly.

"So....are you ready to go to Leesville?" I ask and she nods excitedly.

Time for a road trip.