Lost and Found || Buddie

Chapter 2

Evan barely made it halfway to Boston before his jeep stalled on the side of the road just down the street from the diner he had just left. He had stopped to eat lunch and then got back on the road just to be stuck about a mile from the diner. "Damn it." He groaned and hit the steering wheel with his fist. He was somewhere in Kentucky and had no idea what to do at this point. He didn't have it in his plans for his jeep to break down.

So he did what he thought he should do and sent a text to his sister.

Jeep broke down somewhere in Kentucky. I'm about halfway to Boston. Going to call for a tow truck. Love you.

And while he was at it he decided to send his best friend a picture of an old car he saw when he stopped for gas that morning.

It didn't take long for Eddie to respond but it was a short "that's cool" and Evan sighed. He doesn't reply, instead he googled the nearest tow company and gives them a call. The person on the other end of the phone informed the boy that it would be at least two hours until they got there to tow the jeep.

Leaning back and sighing heavily, Evan closes his eyes. He shouldn't have taken this trip, at least not alone. He should have forced Eddie to come along despite the fact that he was going to be a dad. Call him selfish but Evan thought he needed Eddie more than Shannon did.

He didn't mind Shannon, he really didn't but Eddie was his first and he felt as if she was taking him from him now.

Eventually, Evan got out of the jeep, slipping his phone into his back pocket. He was sweating. The tshirt he was wearing clung to his sweaty torso. Opening the back door passenger side he rummaged through the duffel bag he had, looking for another t-shirt or a tank top even.

"There we go." He mutters as he finds a tank top. He pulls the sweaty t-shirt over his head and that's when it happened. He felt a hand grab his shoulder and pull him back, something covered his mouth and everything went dark.

El Paso a the next day

Eddie groaned as he woke up to his phone ringing, not opening his eyes he reached over to the bedside table and grabbed his phone when his hand landed on it. He sighs and opens his eyes, squinting at the screen. It was six in the morning and it wasn't a number he had recognized. He had debated not answering for a moment before he tapped the accept button and pressed the device to his ear. "Hello?" He asks groggily.

"Eddie?" The female on the other end asks and Eddie is so tired he almost forgets that he indeed was Eddie.

"Yeah. Who is this?" He asks and then adds, "why are you calling me at six in the morning?"

The voice on the other end gasps audibly. "I'm so sorry. I forgot about the time difference between Boston and El Paso. But it's Maddie." She says and Eddie nods, forgetting she can't see him through the phone. "Have you heard from Evan?"

"Oh, hey Maddie. It's okay." He sighs quietly, he wasn't as upset to be woken up now that he knows it was just Maddie, his best friend's sister. "Um, I haven't heard from him since yesterday. He sent me a picture of a car he thought was cool." He shrugs off Maddie's panicked voice.

"Okay well he texted me yesterday saying that the keep broke down and I haven't heard from him since." She tells him, worry lacing her voice. "My parents hadn't heard from him either. Not like they care." She mutters the last part and Eddie almost didn't hear it.

Sitting up in his bed Eddie runs his fingers through his hair and sighs. "I'm sure he's okay." He's not sure who he's trying to reassure here. "He probably let his phone die and he's driving."

"But he should've been here by now. I'm just worried." She says. "But I have to go. Please let me know if you hear from him or if he comes home." And then Maddie hung up, not letting the man answer.

It was only six thirty in the morning but he was wide awake now. He's sure his best friend was okay and would arrive at Maddie's anytime now, but that wasn't the case.

—-

Three days had gone by with no word from Evan and everyone was more than worried now. Except Eddie wasn't allowed to be worried, he wasn't allowed to think about anything other than the fact he was going to be a father. Ever since his parents found out (they were fuming) that Shannon was pregnant, that was all he's allowed to think about.

"This is irresponsible Edmundo." They kept repeating. "You've got big responsibilities now and you want to think about this boy that is missing?" They asked. "Keep your mind on your girlfriend and your unborn child."

—-

It had been a week now that Evan hadn't contacted anyone and Maddie put out a missing persons report for him.

"Hey." Shannon said softly, reaching over to put her hand on Eddie's knee. They were currently sitting on the couch in her house, her boyfriend staring at the missing persons report on his phone. "He'll be okay." She gives him a small smile. She didn't know Evan that well but she was also worried. More for her boyfriend's sake. "I'm sure he will get a hold of someone soon."

Eddie nods his head. "Yeah, I hope so." He places his hand atop Shannon's on his knee. He was worried about Evan, about Maddie.

Maddie had taken a trip to El Paso to stay with her parents for a few days.

—-

Shannon was wrong, no one had heard from Evan, no one had seen Evan in six months. Eddie was devastated but didn't let it show, he was trying to be a good husband (their parents making them get married, said it was the right thing to do) and father. He had decided he was going to enlist in the military after their child was born and Shannon didn't like that idea. He had insisted it was to provide for their family. It was half true. He needed to get his mind off of Evan.

Maddie hadn't only stayed in El Paso for a few days, she had inevitably moved back, hoping Evan would show back up one day. He hadn't, not yet.

"You can't just presume him dead!" Maddie yells at her parents and closes her eyes, taking in a deep breath.

Margaret folds her arms across her chest looking at her daughter with a stern look. "He's been missing for six months, Maddie, he's probably dead somewhere. He's never going to come back." She dismisses her daughter.

The Buckley parents had moved on, assuming Evan was dead and Maddie was pissed about it. She vowed to never forget her brother and never give up on him.