A dingy yellow glow filled the laundromat, the ringing sound of the washing machine was the only audible noise.Veronica stuffed her clothes in the bulky white machine, she was the only one there, no other costumers out at this hour.The familiar clanking of the bell hitting the old, blurred glass door echoed in the small room.Curiously she turned around wondering who was here at this time of the night.A smile slowly formed on her face as she saw who it was. "Hey Trey," she softly said as he walked up to her."Why are you here? It's late you should sleep." Trey remained silent just looking at her, his eyes seemed to be regretful.His smile was forced and fake, putting on a front for the sake of his girlfriend.Veronica was too preoccupied to notice his true feelings. "I'm gonna be out of town for a day or two , is that ok?" Trey said getting closer to her, there wasn't a hint of anything but pure regret in his voice." Yea that's fine" Veronica said patting his face twice then turning back around to the washing machine. "Why are you leaving town? Is everything okay?" She asked with a curious gaze, her face lit up softly by the dinghy lights of the laundromat. Trey let out a small sigh before speaking. "Yeah, yeah, I just need to do something real quick." She couldn't decipher his expression, but she trusted him nevertheless. "Okay just- be careful, you don't know who's out this late."
"I will" he assured as he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Veronica turned around to look up at him. "Don't be long" she smiled as she leaned up towards him. They embraced eachother in a gentle kiss as the washing machine softly buzzed in the background."bye love you"She said her voice was soft and sweet. "I love you too" he said with a soft caress on her cheek. He took his hand from her shoulder and gave it a final squeeze before walking out of the laundromat. The bell clanged from the door again as he went out into the night, leaving her standing amongst the humming machines. The neon lights outside illuminated the streets and made them appear livelier than they truly were, contrasting the empty laundromat in which Veronica now stood.
It had been three days and Trey still wasn't back. Veronica couldn't stop the worrying feeling that loomed in her gut. It was unlike Trey to be distant, especially for this length of time. She repeatedly checked her phone for any missed calls or messages, but she was met with only empty notifications. The silence felt heavy and suffocating. She sat in the classroom, this was the only time she really had to focus.Her mind still found itself going back to Trey.Her trail of thought was cut clean in half by the teacher standing next to her. "Veronica." The teacher gave her a stern look as he stood looming over her. "Are you with me?" The classroom, although silent, felt as if a spotlight were directed onto her. She cleared her throat before speaking. "Yes sir, I'm sorry." The teacher looked at her skeptically before returning to the projector screen, he had been talking about some historical event. Veronica was always bad at history, her mind tended to wander."They need you at the office"Veronica furrowed her brow in confusion. She could tell from the urgency in Mr.Johnson's eyes that something was amiss. As she gathered her things and stood up, she felt a knot in her stomach tightening with each step. Her mind buzzed with questions, and she couldn't shake the feeling that something serious had happened.
The walk to the office felt like an eternity, something was screaming in her head that there was something going on.The hallway was empty.her footsteps were slow , like something was weighing her down.Telling her to turn around and go back to class. She reached the door to the office, her unease and heart rate only increased as she reached for the knob. It was quiet in the school, too quiet. She felt a sudden jolt in her chest, as if a small voice in her mind screamed at her to run, to turn away from whatever awaited her behind that door.
Veronica's breath hitched as she took in the sight of the police officer standing next to the principal. The atmosphere in the room felt heavy and laden with tension. She struggled to find her voice as she asked, "What's going on? Is something wrong?" The principal shifted uncomfortably before speaking. "Veronica, we need to talk to you. Please take a seat."Her mind raced as she took a seat, her nerves on edge. The air in the room felt thick as if filled with silent anticipation. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. The police officer's stern gaze didn't help her unease as she asked, "What's this about?"
