My brothers best friend

Chapter 37: Six Days of Silence

Chapter 37

Valerie's Point of View

Four days. Four long, agonizing days.

Every second felt like an eternity, and the weight of Jake's absence pressed heavily on all of us. None of his texts had been read, none of his calls answered. It wasn't like Jake to disappear—not without a word, not when so many people cared about him.

I sat on the edge of my bed, my phone clutched tightly in my hands. My screen was lit up with our group chat: Mason, Paige, Viktoria, and me. It was full of unanswered messages, all aimed at Jake.

Paige: Any luck, Mason? Did he call you back?

Mason: No. He's not answering me either.

Viktoria: I'm really worried. Do you think we should go to the police?

Mason: Not yet. He's probably just cooling off.

Paige: Four days isn't cooling off. It's worrying.

I stared at the messages, my thumb hovering over the keyboard. I'd texted him more than anyone—long paragraphs, begging him to let us know he was okay, short messages asking him to call me, even just one-word texts: Please. Every single one remained unread.

I couldn't get the image of him out of my head, his green beautiful eyes and his oh god so perfect face, and we can't forget his abs. 

"Mason's right," Paige said from across the room, breaking my spiraling thoughts. She was sitting cross-legged on Viktoria's bed, her face pale and drawn. "Maybe he just needs space. He's been through a lot."

Viktoria didn't look convinced. "Four days of space? He's never done this before. Not even when things got bad." She paused, her voice quieter now. "Something's wrong. I can feel it."

I nodded silently, my throat too tight to respond. I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling clawing at my chest. Something was wrong. Jake wasn't the type to go off the grid like this. He was steady, dependable—a rock for everyone around him. Except now, he wasn't.

Mason stormed into the room, his face set in a grim expression. He looked tired, like he hadn't slept in days. I wasn't sure he had.

"No news," he said shortly, dropping into a chair by the window. He ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident in every movement. "I even tried calling his parents, but they haven't heard from him either. His dad said he's been gone since...since everything happened at the farm."

The mention of the farm sent a ripple of discomfort through the room. None of us spoke about it directly, but we all knew what Mason meant. Jake's family drama had been the tipping point. Whatever he'd learned out there, it had been enough to drive him away.

Paige looked over at me, her eyes soft with concern. "Val, you've been the closest to him lately. Did he say anything to you before he left? Anything that might tell us where he went?"

I shook my head, guilt washing over me. "He didn't say anything. He just...left. And now he won't talk to anyone." My voice cracked, and I swallowed hard, trying to keep it together.

Mason's eyes flicked to me, his expression unreadable. I knew he was still angry about what he'd walked in on that morning—me and Jake tangled together in the aftermath of everything that had happened. I wanted to explain, to tell him it wasn't what it looked like, but now wasn't the time. We had bigger problems.

"We need to find him," I said finally, my voice steady despite the knot in my stomach. "Something's wrong. I can feel it."

"Agreed," Viktoria said, standing up. "If he won't answer his phone, maybe we can track his location."