Starbound

Chapter 5: Lia Starlitt

It's been around two weeks since I sat with him in study hall, and I really wanted to again. I woke up on Friday morning and told myself today was the day I started talking to Kurtis more, and that meant I'd sit with him in study hall. I was so excited, I felt like I was walking on clouds. I happily got ready, putting on a little more makeup than I usually did. I hopped into the car with Joe, my older brother, and he drove us to school. I walked into the school and went to the cafeteria for breakfast. I looked around for Kurtis, yearning to see his face. But he wasn't there. He hadn't shown up yet. I sighed and went to my locker whenever the bell rang. With his locker being close to mine, I always see him whenever he's putting his backpack in it in the mornings. But he wasn't coming up the hall, and trust me, I was looking for him. I stayed at my locker for a little while, waiting for him. I felt awkward just standing there, I felt like people were giving me looks, but I'd do anything to see him. He never came. I waited and waited, but he never showed up. I went to homeroom and he wasn't there.
"Has anyone seen Kurtis?" our homeroom teacher asked. Nobody said a word. He was absent...dang it. Estelle was there, though. I saw her in the hallway. I've never talked to Estelle before, but maybe I should just to make sure Kurtis was alright. I almost approached her in math class, but decided not to. She looked upset, and I wasn't sure if she'd want to talk to me.
The next day was Saturday, so I took a walk into town. Me and Lizzy walked together, heading for Goodwill to do some thrift shopping. We walked into Goodwill and looked at the sign that told us the color of the day. Then, I looked over to the bulletin board. Usually, the bulletin board held posters for events happening in the town or services for sale. But there was one poster that stood out to me. I walked up to the board and looked at it in disbelief. Lizzy walked up to stand next to me, also looking at the poster on the board.
Missing person. Kurtis Lemaire. Dark brown hair, glasses, 5'3, 97 pounds. Last seen wearing a gray hoodie and sweatpants. It had his picture on the poster, a picture of him smiling. My heart sunk, it sunk far down. Lizzy looked to me, her jaw clenched.
"Missing..?" she mumbled.
I slowly turned around, feeling dizzy. There was no way. He was gone? Too many thoughts ran through my head. Way too many. What if he was dead? What if he was gone forever?

I talked to Estelle in choir 8th period Monday. She was obviously very stressed out. She made jittery movements, her eyes darted back and forth, and she refused to talk to anyone. I just hoped she'd talk to me, and she did.
"What happened to Kurtis..?" I asked her quietly.
"He ran away," she replied, her eyes glazed and blank. "We have no clue where he went."
"He probably got ran over by a truck," said Tate.
Estelle snapped her head over to Tate. "You're so immature, Tate! Shut up!"
"So.. he just ran? For no reason?" I asked.
"Our mom got mad at him, and she took away the kittens he was taking care of. I guess that was his final straw, because he got up and left that night," she said. "It's my fault.. I got into an argument with him before he left. I called him selfish."
"Oh, my.." I uttered. I was in shock.
That's when Estelle dumped everything on me.
"Our mom is horrible to him.. she hit him the other day. She blames him for her divorce. She took me and him to her crappy house and makes us stay there. She doesn't know how to take care of kids, she doesn't even know how to live alone," said Estelle. She had a desperate tone in her voice. "Kurtis is only 14. She expects him to act like an adult, and when he acts childish, she gets really upset. But I think that's why he ran.. he wanted to get away from my mom."
     "I'm so sorry.." I muttered. It was the only thing I could speak after Estelle's words. I felt so horrible. Estelle looked so upset, and she looked like she hadn't slept in forever. Her eyes were red and she had dark eye bags. I didn't know she was that close to Kurtis, but I have no clue how their personal life is like. And the fact that their mom had hit Kurtis made me feel an emotion I'd never felt before. It was like a mix of anger and utter sadness. The emotion didn't let me talk, so I just sat there, even though I wanted to continue speaking to Estelle. She had started talking to someone else anyway.
     "I actually enjoy my time here without some greasy-haired brat in the room," Tate said to one of his friends. "I hope he's dead."
     I saw Estelle's head whip over, her eyes sharp and fixed right on him. I didn't know Estelle much, but I did know that she was a tough girl everybody knew not to mess with. Tate looked over to her, his brows raised. He must've felt the intense stare on the back of his head.
     "If you say another word about him, I will beat you until you can't see out of your eyes," Estelle told him sternly.
     "You could try," Tate replied.
     Estelle clenched her fists. Tate grinned, shook his head, and looked back forward. I thought there was gonna be a full-on brawl right then and there between Tate and Estelle. I honestly don't know who would win out of those two. They're the same height, but Tate has more muscle. But I feel like Estelle could outsmart him, and I also feel like Tate gives up easily and would let her win after a little while.
     "He isn't dead," Estelle said.
     I looked over to her and she was looking at me. She was talking to me.
     "This morning I woke up and his side of the room was slightly different. One of his bags were missing and some of his clothes were too. I saw a piece of paper on his bed so I picked it up and saw it was a note. It said 'I stole your deodorant' in his handwriting. He's alive."
     I couldn't help but give her a relieved smile. I was happy to hear this news, it helped a lot of my stress. "That's great," I told her.
     "Maybe he'll come back again and I'll wake up this time.." she said. "I hate myself for not waking up last night whenever he was there."
     "It's not your fault," I said. "You didn't know."
     "Yeah.." she replied. "I just really hope he comes back."

     I went home that day very upset. I didn't even want dinner, and my mom thought that was weird. I just locked myself in my bedroom and looked out my window. It was cold outside. I was slightly more hopeful than before, but I was still saddened over the fact that he was still gone. Sure, maybe all we ever did was dance one time at a school dance and have a few conversations, but he still meant the world to me. It felt like he was mine to have, and I was his. I feel like I'm being too dramatic. We weren't anything to each other. Not yet. I wanted to go out and look for him, but I knew that it wasn't my job to do so. So, I peered out my window in hopes of seeing him walking up the sidewalk. I knew it would never happen though. By this point, he was probably in the next town over. He might've even been in another state. He might've caught a bus and rode to North Carolina. He could be hiding out in the Outer Banks on the beaches, living his best life with no bullies at school, moms who hit him, or annoying girls who dance with him at homecoming.

     But he wasn't gone. He wasn't in the Outer Banks on the beaches. He was still here. He had returned.
     Two days after talking to Estelle in choir, I walked in and saw him in the cafeteria at breakfast, I felt like the world lit up and butterflies swirled me. I felt like I was in a strange world where everything went my way. He was standing with Estelle near the wall. I'm guessing she wasn't going to let him out of her sight anytime soon. I didn't want to let him out of my sight either.
     I followed him to homeroom, but I don't think he knew I was behind him. He walked with Estelle. She'd talk to him but he wouldn't talk back. I couldn't help but notice how the side of his forehead had a yellow and blue bruise. It looked like it was painful. I sat down in homeroom and kept my eyes on him. He didn't look much different other than the bruise. His hand was bandaged, though. The bruise and the bandage had me wondering what happened while he was gone and what he got himself into. I wanted to talk to him so bad during homeroom, but I couldn't build up enough courage. I wanted to talk to him in study hall too, but the courage once again never came to me. Then, 8th period choir came around. I knew this would be my last chance to speak to him. I didn't even need courage anymore. I needed to just do it. I walked over and sat down next to him. He looked to me with his beautiful baby blues. I loved those eyes.
     "Hey," I said to him. "How've you been?"
     He was doing the math problems from while he was gone. I bet he had a lot of missing work.
     "I don't know," he said, looking down at the math problems. "It's been a confusing couple weeks."
     "Yeah," I replied. "If you need help with your math, I can help you."
     "I don't really know how to do this. I think I missed the lesson."
     I looked down at his math. "Alright, so first, you take the equation and graph it."
     "Alright.." he uttered as he did as I said.
     "Hey, Lia," someone said as they sat beside me.
     "Hm?" I said as I looked over. It was Tate.
     "You did good with your hair today," Tate told me.
     "Uh, thanks," I replied uneasily.
     "Hey, Tate. You did good at your game the other day," Estelle said. I knew she just did that to get his attention off of me. Thank God for Estelle.
     "Thanks," said Tate, looking to Estelle. "I got a few nice catches."
     "He makes me mad," Kurtis mumbled to me quietly.
     "He's definitely jealous," I told him with a smile.
     "Yeah," he said, looking back at his math. He looked back to me. "Do you want to go out to eat with me?"
     My breath was gone. Those words hit me like a truck, but in a good way. "Sure! When?"
     "Um.. whenever you're free. I'm not doing anything this week," he replied.
     "Tomorrow night works for me," I said.
     "Alright. That works for me too."
     "No way!" yelled Tate. "You two are going out on a date tomorrow night?!"
     I looked to Tate and nodded my head.
     "Look at the bruise on his head," Tate said, pointing at Kurtis' forehead.
     Kurtis' cheeks went red and he covered the bruise with his hand.
     "Tate, don't even start," Estelle grumbled.
     "How did that get there? Did your mom hit you again?" questioned Tate.
     Kurtis looked at Tate with one of the angriest faces I've ever seen. "You be quiet!" Kurtis shouted.
Estelle grabbed Tate's arm. "Enough."
"What? It's funny when he's mad," said Tate, looking to Estelle.
"Your mom hit you..?" Boo Shuhrat, Tate's nicer best friend, asked Kurtis.
"Just be quiet!" Kurtis exclaimed.
"It's not something to laugh about, Tate. You just don't care," Estelle mumbled to Tate.
"It was just a joke. Learn to have a sense of humor," Tate growled.
Not even a person with the best sense of humor would find Tate funny. Nobody laughed at his jokes. Everybody wanted him to shut up, actually. Tate Brooks is so mean, it's horrible. I hate him.
But all I can think of is my date with Kurtis. He asked, not me. He wants me. He is interested in me. I basically explode in excitement.