Chasing Miss Conner •NEW VERSION•

XLI

Forty One

Walking into school felt surreal. Genny prattled on about everything from what she ate for breakfast to who won the Mariner's game last weekend, in a desperate attempt to distract me. After my mom forbade me from seeing Juliette, I called Genny and she came right over, wrapping me in her leather jacket and holding me while I cried on her shoulder. She felt horrible about the whole thing because she wasn't home when my mom called. But I knew it wasn't her fault, and honestly this was bound to happen sooner or later. It didn't make it any easier to be around my mom, though. She never told me if she actually called Juliette, and I didn't ask.

My heart skipped a beat in my chest as we rounded the corner to English, my gaze immediately going to the doorway of her classroom, my stomach plummeting to my knees when a balding, overweight man stood in her place.

"Ew. What gives?" Genny grumbled, openly glaring at him when we approached. His watery shit-brown eyes raked over my body, resting on my chest a little too long, before Genny stepped in front of me with a growl. "Eyes up here, perv. Where's Miss C?"

He snapped his eyes to hers, his already eggshell complexion turning waxy at the aggression in her stance. "Miss Conner had a family emergency. She should be back tomorrow. Please, take your seats." Genny looped an arm over my shoulders and steered me inside.

"Did you know?" She whispered in my ear, huffing when I just shook my head, my thoughts running rampant over why she didn't call me and all the possibilities of what could've gone wrong.

We took our seats and the hour passed slowly as we listened to Mr Whatshisface drone on about current events and other irrelevant topics that we were way ahead of. I drummed my fingers on the surface of my desk, the anxiety in me threatening to burst. Mercifully, the bell finally rang. We jumped up, and I pulled Genny aside once we were out of class.

"Come on, we are skipping." Her brows rose, a smirk crawling across her lips. "Aw look at you, little miss goody two shoes is ditching, I am so proud." She wiped a fake tear from her eye and laughed at my glower.

"Yeah well, don't be too excited, we are headed to talk to your girlfriend." I smirked back.

"Wait what?"

It took us twenty minutes with traffic to make it to the police station, and fifteen more for Becks to meet us inside. Her dark blue gaze roved over us intently when we just strolled in, as if to check for injury or upset, well aware that we should be in school right now. Finding none, she simply crossed her arms and pinned Genny with a look, her foot tapping impatiently. My bestie threw me under the bus, shoving me forward and blurting that it was my idea to ditch, mouthing "sorry" to me when I glared at her.

I met Beck's narrowed stare head-on. "Where's Agent Conner?"

Her lips pursed, and then she sighed, shaking her head. "I fucking told her this would happen. She got reassigned, Shay. Your case officially closed this morning. She will be back this afternoon, but she leaves in a week."

My stomach cramped and I took a step back, tears filling my eyes at the pity on her face as my lip trembled, my mind reeled. "Reassigned? She- she didn't say anything. Where? When did she.....how long has she known?" Genny pulled me to her, her body wound tight.

Becks took a step towards me, her hand coming up a second before she dropped it to her side. "Shay.."

"How long Cassandra." I snarled, tears spilling down my face, my fingers fisted at my sides.

Her jaw clenched. "Shortly after your abduction."

My ears rang, my jaw going slack. She's known for weeks? For months? The hurt took root inside me, equipped with the sharpest fucking thorns. I gasped for breath, my fingers curling against my chest. I hadn't had a panic attack for a few weeks now, but it was apparent that I was having one now. I shrugged out of Genny's hold and staggered away, leaning against the cool brick wall as every whispered word of love and heartfelt promise fled through my mind. I knew she had meant every one of them but that didn't justify her lying by omission, and I felt betrayed.