The Girl Next Door

13. No-Show

The next morning flew by faster than I expected. Mom had already prepared my breakfast—a plate of scrambled eggs and toast—and I barely had time to scarf it down before Matt's horn blared outside. Again.

Seriously. He needed to stop doing that. I grabbed my bag, threw it over my shoulder, and rushed outside.

As soon as I got in the car, I glared at him. "Dude, you really need to stop honking like that. We have neighbors, you know."

Matt just grinned, unfazed. "What can I say? It's my thing."

"Your 'thing' is getting on people's nerves," I muttered, shaking my head.

Geoff, who was sitting in the passenger seat, turned around with a smirk. "So... how was your night practice, Captain?"

I froze for a second, trying not to make a big deal out of it. "It was fine. We ran through the lines a couple of times."

"Just fine?" Geoff pressed, his eyebrows wiggling in mock suspicion.

"Yeah, just fine," I said, trying to sound casual. "We practiced the scene and that's it. Nothing more to report."

Blaine, who'd been silent beside me, finally chimed in. "So you're telling me you had Astrid O'Brien in your house, in your room, and nothing interesting happened?" He laughed like he didn't believe me for a second.

I sighed, leaning back in my seat. "Why does everyone think something has to happen? She's just my project partner."

"Sure," Blaine said, dragging the word out. "That's what they all say before—"

"Before what?" I interrupted.

He shrugged innocently. "Before things get interesting."

Matt laughed as he turned the corner. "You know, Alex, Blaine might actually have a point. You two seem to have, like, a vibe or something."

"There's no 'vibe,'" I said firmly, though my voice cracked slightly at the end, much to my annoyance.

Geoff laughed. "Oh, man, you're so doomed."

"Can we just focus on school or football or literally anything else?" I said, pinching the bridge of my nose.

Matt chuckled, shaking his head. "Sure, Captain. Whatever you say."

But I could feel their smirks without even looking. This was going to be a long day.

*****

I rolled into school with my team—Matt, Geoff, and Blaine—who, naturally, couldn't resist teasing me about working on the Gatsby project with Astrid.

"Dude, girl next door vibes? Classic," Geoff said, smirking.

"Not a thing," I muttered, brushing it off. But truth be told, I hadn't seen her this morning, which felt... weird.

English Lit was up first for Matt and me, so we slid into our usual seats just as Mr. Bruno strolled in, perfectly on time like always. He started talking about themes and symbolism, but all I could think about was how Astrid and I still had no real plan.

Doomed. Absolutely doomed.

To my dismay, Astrid was a no-show at school today.

Not that it was out of character for her. From what I'd noticed over the past few weeks, she didn't exactly follow a consistent attendance pattern. She showed up when she felt like it, or maybe when she had no other choice. Still, something about today felt... different.

She was fine when she left my house last night. I mean, she'd seemed fine. We'd finished running our lines, joked a little, and she walked out the door like it was any other night. No big deal.

But now, with her seat glaringly empty, it felt like there was something off.

"Where's your muse today?" Blaine asked during lunch, shoving a handful of fries into his mouth.

I rolled my eyes. "She's not my muse."

"Sure, whatever you say, Romeo," Geoff added, smirking. "But seriously, she's been skipping a lot. You sure she's okay?"

"I don't know," I admitted, poking at my tray of mystery meat. "She seemed fine last night."

Matt raised an eyebrow. "Did you say something to piss her off? Maybe scared her off with your incredible acting skills?"

I shot him a look. "No, dude. I didn't do anything. We just practiced, and she left."

"Well," Geoff said with a shrug, "maybe she's just doing her own thing. You know how she is—she doesn't exactly scream 'team player.'"

That wasn't it, though. I couldn't explain it, but something about her absence today felt different. Not like she was ditching for fun. More like... something else.

I shook the thought away as the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Maybe she'd show up tomorrow. Maybe it was nothing.

But even as I headed to football practice later that afternoon, the thought nagged at me.

Practice was intense, as always. Coach had us running drills like our lives depended on it. Geoff was doing his usual grandstanding, showboating every time he caught a pass, while Matt threw perfect spirals like a machine. Blaine, on the other hand, was more focused—like he always was when he was in game mode.

"McCartney!" Coach barked. "Where's that speed, huh? I need you sharper out there!"

"Yes, Coach!" I yelled back, picking up the pace.

We ran plays until we were drenched in sweat, and my muscles ached in that satisfying, post-practice way. But even as we huddled up for the final review, my mind drifted.

"Dude, you're out of it," Matt said as we grabbed water bottles from the sideline. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," I said too quickly.

"Bull," Geoff cut in. "You've been off all day. Let me guess. Astrid?"

I frowned but didn't deny it.

Matt smirked. "You're actually worried about her, aren't you?"

"She didn't show up to school," I said, trying to sound casual. "It's not like her, that's all."

Geoff laughed. "Dude, it's exactly like her. She skips all the time."

"Yeah, but..." I hesitated. "It's just weird, okay?"

Matt and Blaine exchanged a glance, but they didn't push it further.

Practice wrapped up, and as I walked off the field, I found myself checking my phone, half-hoping for a message. Nothing.

Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was something. Either way, I couldn't shake the feeling.