Second Guesses, Second Chances

Chapter 18

Jade

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'SHE'S GONE'?!" I scream into my phone as Trina gives me the news. I immediately stand up from my desk and grab my purse and my keys. Before I leave my room, I take the sharpest pair of scissors I own off of my dresser and throw them into my purse.

"I'm coming over," I say, before hanging up on the older Vega girl and heading out to my car. As soon as I turn on the vehicle and put it in drive, I slam my foot down against the gas pedal, not even bothering to take the time to put on my seatbelt. Although the trip to Tori's house isn't too long, every muscle in my body tenses up at the thought of her missing.

Throughout the drive, I keep glancing over at the passenger seat, hoping that whatever's going on is just a dream, hoping that the next time I look over, she'll be there, sitting next to me with that dorky grin of hers, and that everything will be okay, but the sinking feeling in my chest only grows as I'm constantly reminded of just how empty this fucking car is.

I arrive at the Vega residence in record time, sprinting out of the car as soon as the engine stops. I burst into the house without knocking, and I stop dead in my tracks as I'm greeted with the sound of Trina angrily yelling into her phone at somebody else and a distraught-looking Mrs. Vega sitting at their kitchen table.

"No! I don't care if he's undercover right now, I need to speak to my dad immediately! It's urgent!" Trina cries as she paces back and forth around the living room. I join Mrs. Vega at the kitchen table and sit down. She's looking at her phone with a pained expression on her face.

"Thanks for coming over, Jade," she says. "I've tried texting Tori, calling her, everything, but I can't seem to reach her. Would you happen to know where she is?"

"No, sorry, Mrs. Vega. I haven't seen her since school ended," I reply. "Not to sound rude, but isn't your husband a cop? Would he and the rest of the LAPD be able to help track her down?"

"David's in the middle of a deep-cover case right now, but Trina's trying to get ahold of him to let him know what's going on," Mrs. Vega says. "I've tried reaching his partner, Gary, as well, but I haven't had much luck."

"DAD!" Trina screeches, grabbing the mother's attention. "Ohmygod dad, you gotta help us!" I can't quite make out what Mr. Vega' saying on the other end, but he doesn't sound too happy. "Here, I'll let you talk to mom." The older sister hands her phone to Mrs. Vega.

"Honey, we need your help," she starts as she gets up from the table and quickly begins to leave the room. "Yes, I know you're in the middle of working on another case right now, but this is more important. Tori's gone missing, and..." Trina approaches me as soon as her mom is out of sight.

"Look, I don't like you, but I'm willing to put that behind me for the time being if it means finding my sister," She says, quietly. "It's clear that you care about her, since you're dating her and all, and mom and I are gonna need all hands on deck if we're gonna get her back. So, Jade, will you help us look for Tori?" I take a deep breath and sigh a little. As much as I hate the shallow, talentless gank in front of me, she's got a point; Now is not the time to argue or bicker about who hates who more.

"Of course. But just because I'm helping you out doesn't mean I like you either," I reply. "So, when did you guys find out she was missing?"

"I had to drop Tori off here because mom's car broke down at the mall, y'know, the new one that opened last week in Encino?" Trina explains. "Anyways, we got home about half an hour ago and she wasn't here. She didn't call us or text us to let us know she was leaving, and she didn't leave a note either. She doesn't have her driver's license, and even if she did, both cars were away from the house so it's not like she'd be able to easily go anywhere." I simply nod as I mull over the possibilities.