Familia De La Rosa

7

                                                           ~Archer~

    I laugh to myself as I make my way to the classroom. Isabella De La Rosa never fails to make me feel challenged. I can never take my eyes off of her clenched fists, her narrowed eyes, and the little huffs that come out of her mouth when she is mad. I wonder what this day holds.

    I walk into the classroom just as the bell rings and my eyes immediately search for her. However, her seat is empty. Where is she?

    "Mr. De Guzman, please take a seat," The professor gestures to my seat.

     I slowly sink into my seat, looking back just to make sure she isn't really there. Where could she be?

      The class drags on and I cannot seem to pay attention. Somehow, an unsettling feeling in my stomach occurs.

       When class ends, I take out my phone and search for her contact. I am about to dial her number when I stop myself. What am I doing? She could just be sick, for all I care.

        Whatever. At least, I have no one to compare grades with. And to bicker with. And to compete with.

       I shove my hands into my pocket and vow to go through the day without thinking of that foolish girl.

       "Archer," My friend waves a hand in front of me. "You there?"

      "Huh?" I blink.

      "You haven't touched your food, Babe," The same girl from the library grabs my arm and leans on my shoulder. "Want me to feed it to you?" She pouts.

       "Please, not now," I say, half-annoyed, as I scoot away from her.

       She scoffs and rolls her eyes.

       "What's wrong, man?" Michael asks before taking a bite out of his sandwich.

       My eyes again search for Bella in the cafeteria. Still no sign of her.

       I'm in the library, slumped in my seat. The same girl from the cafeteria–I have no idea what her name is–runs a hand through my hair. Every single second, I'm growing even more frustrated with her.

      "You wanna come to my house to study?" She coos. "We can watch a movie and snuggle," She giggles.

       My phone rings and I pick it up immediately.

      She crosses her arms. "You're not paying attention to me."

      I bring a finger to my lips to shush her as my mom starts speaking.

      "Archer," She says frantically. "You have to come to the De La Rosa residence. There's been...there's been a situation."

       Her explanation goes through one ear and out the other. I can only hear my heart beating fast and my breathing.

       "I...I'm on my way," I say before hanging up.

       I go over to the desk and grab my jacket, ready to leave.

      "Babe! Where are you going?" The girl says.

      "I have to go," I start for the exit, but she grabs my arm.

      "You're just leaving me here? What kind of boyfriend are you-"

      "I was never your boyfriend," I turn to her. "So, do me a favor, and just get lost. My fiancee is missing."

      My car pulls up in front of the De La Rosa Residence and I hold my breath for what is coming. After turning off the engine, I open the door to exit. My surroundings are strangely quiet and serene as I go up the front steps.

     As I am about to open the door, my mother already opens the door for me. In front of me, Mr. De La Rosa has his head in his hands and his wife is rubbing his shoulder comfortingly. Kai is sitting there in disbelief and Elise's eyes are glued on the TV channel that hosts the news.

     "How..." I whisper in a low voice to my mother. "How long has she been missing?"

     "I don't know," My mother utters out.

     "It's been more than a day," Mrs. De La Rosa cries out. "And these officers have done nothing! They're useless!"

      That's when I notice the police officers stationed in the room. I grab my phone and search for her contact stupidly. I bring the phone to my ear as it starts to ring.

    "Come on, Bella. Pick up," I mutter.

     The phone rings a couple of more times until it says that her phone is turned off. I try again several times before giving up. I sigh and run a hand through my hair.

     "Where was she last seen?" I ask the family.

     "We don't know," Kai replies, his voice weak. "She told me she was going to get fresh air and then..." He took a shuddering breath. "She never came back."

     "You didn't know where she was going?"

      "No," He shakes his head. "But, she was holding back tears. She looked angry at the same time."

        I hear a sound come from the kitchen and I look up to see Celine biting her lip. When I meet her eyes, she looks away. She looks guilty.

        My attention turns back to the television. A picture of the heiress is plastered on it. Where could she have gone? She would never run away, would she? She had no reason to run away unless...I look back to Celine. She is the closest sibling to Bella.

        I stride over to where she's standing and motion to go into the kitchen. "Can I talk to you, please?"

       "W-Why?"

       "I need answers."

        She sighs and runs a frantic hair through her short hair. "Of course."

       We walk into the kitchen and she leans on the counter and turns to face me. "What do you want to know?"

     "Do you know why she went missing? Or why she ran away?" I go straight to the point.

     "I'm not sure, but I know I started it," She looks away. "She came to the house, perfectly calm, until I aroused her."

     "What do you mean...aroused her?"

      "I got angry. I finally snapped," She tells me. "Because I was jealous of her. I was jealous that she was the favorite. The one everyone paid attention to. The 'it-girl'. I was sick and tired of being compared to her," Her eyes fill with tears. "And I said things I didn't mean."

       "Things like...?"

      "I called her spoiled. Shallow. Attention-seeking," A tear falls down her cheek. "I told her nobody would care about her in the future. I called her stupid. I belittled her and she stood there, telling me those things weren't true," She wipes a tear with the back of her hand. "I hate myself for saying those things."

       "So, you think she ran away because of that?"

       "Why else? Gosh, Archer, please tell me my sister isn't dead," She croaks out. "Please, I just want her to come home."

      "She will come home."

       I know I'm saying that very boldly. Only God knows where she is. But, I have a feeling that she's not dead. She couldn't be.

      She puts her head in her hands. "It'll be all my fault if something happened to her."

      "Don't say that," I shake my head. "Bella is out there and I'm going to find her."

      Thirty minutes later, I'm driving in the rain, hoping that I can find my fiancee. 

         A/N: Yeah, it's been almost a month since I updated. I kind of lost the motivation to write, but I'm back, hehe. So, here. Sorry to keep you waiting.