Frowning, she scrolled through her recent calls, noticing that there were several missed calls from Embry's number.
Concern prickled at the back of her mind.
"Maybe he overslept," she muttered to herself, trying to quell the rising worry. He just wanted her to know that he would be late.
No big deal.
She dialed his number, the phone ringing for what felt like an eternity before diverting to voicemail. She tried again, and then again, each time hoping for a different outcome, but each time met with the same result.
With a growing sense of unease, Rowan quickly dressed and grabbed her backpack, deciding to walk to school rather than wait any longer for Embry.
She sent him a flurry of text messages, each one growing more desperate as the minutes ticked by without a response.
"Embry, where are you? Are you okay?"
"Please answer me, Embry. I'm getting worried."
"Did something happen? Why aren't you answering?"
But there was still no reply, and Rowan's steps quickened with each passing block.
She tried to shake off the feeling of dread that settled in the pit of her stomach, but it clung to her not letting her go.
As she approached the school gates, a sense of unease creeped over her as she scanned the parking lot for Embry's truck.
The familiar sight of his vehicle was absent. She glanced back at the empty street behind her, half-hoping to see Embry's truck rounding the corner.
But there was no sign of him.
Anxiety prickled at her skin as she tried to rationalize why Embry hadn't shown up.
