Disappeared [ Dylan Sprayberry Fanfic ]

Chapter 12

Bridget's POV
"What," Daniel turned to me, dragging the back of his hand across his sparkling cheek,
"what would happen if he ever you know, came back?" I watched Olivia prance up to the house, pumpkin stuck out towards the open door. She belted out "trick-or-treat" and jabbed her plastic pumpkin in the direction of the candy bowl.
I didn't know what I would do, I'd never considered it. Him coming back, I mean.
When people leave, they leave.
They don't come back.
What was I supposed to say without making matters worse then they already were?
I peered into Daniel's dark brown eyes, his hands were jammed into his pockets, lips pursed close.
"If Dylan ever came back," I repeated strangely, the words sounded unfamiliar on my tongue, like I was speaking fluent Latin without ever learning it. He nodded awkwardly.
"I'll definitely give him a slap or two, or three, or four... But--" I trailed off, not knowing what else to say. Daniel nudged an abandoned snickers bar with the tip of his sneaker,
"I don't want you to get hurt, Bridget."
I knew Daniel worried about me.
"I--" I began trying to collect my thoughts, looking up from the ground in time to intercept his compassion-filled glance.
"Hurry, hurry, to the next house!" Olivia caught us both by our jacket sleeves and dragged us towards Crystal, grumbling to herself at the bottom of the driveway. Daniel smiled sympathetically at me as Olivia pulled us across the lawn.

Olivia held out a cherry lollipop towards Crystal,
"here, I know these are your favorite."
She snatched the candy out of my sister's hand, and hastily unwrapped it. Crystal stuck it in her mouth, and spun around towards the road.
"Let's just get this over with." She kicked a rock across the road, and twisted the lollipop glumly.
"We're almost done," I added brightly, she looked at me but she didn't say anything. Nothing between Crystal and I was the same, not since that day in the locker room--though we pretend everything's alright. That's how we get along with the days, weeks, and months without Dylan being here.
Everything's alright.
Everything's normal.
"Why do you have to be such a kill-joy? Its Halloween, eat some candy--get your head out of your ass." Daniel slapped her over the back of the head, and smirked confidently. Her cheeks turned bright pink, as Daniel turned away to run after Olivia. Glitter flew everywhere as he burst out into a sprint, shouting,
"you can't escape from me, Olivia! Mwahahahaha!"

Crystal and I exchanged weary looks and cracked tired smiles. As Crystal trekked off in front of me, I gradually turned to the full moon--kid's in costumes all pushing past me.
I reached out with a hand, the moon in my palm, twinkling stars at my fingertips.
"One day, things will be alright and normal," I promised myself,
"one day I'll be able to look at the stars and not think of all these terrible things."

3 days later
"My mom's been a little bake crazy--you understand that, right?" Crystal snuck a glance at me as she turned the key in the lock. I sucked in my breath and looked over the back porch. The potted plants sat untreated for, some dishes were still piled up on a stretch picnic table from 3 months ago, and the wooden swing Dylan and I'd laid on countless times before--creaked in the wind on a lopsided chain. I forced myself to look away from the swing and followed Crystal into the house. The kitchen was no better, every flat surface in sight was littered with plastic wrapping, cupcake tins, metal trays, cookie cutters, empty icing cans, spatulas, forks, spoons, pitchers, and cups--it was so unlike Mrs. Tasha to be so unorganized. Mrs. Tasha stood in a corner stirring a bowl of what looked like eggs and flour furiously, she was so concentrated on the sloshing contents she hadn't seen us come in. She looked up at me, brown hair in disarray, eyes dark and red from crying, and she was in her Steelers pajamas.
"Hey, mom. Bridget's here." Crystal chided interrupting her mother's rampant stirring.

Mrs. Tasha's head snapped up in my direction, and the spoon clattered to the ground.
"Excuse me," She said dazed, scurrying to shove the bowl back onto the counter. In a blink of an eye, Mrs. Tasha was out the kitchen door. I walked over and picked up the spoon, "shouldn't you be a little worried, Crys?" I questioned as I squeezed the spoon in between a mug of green-looking slop and a used cheese grater.
"Nah," Crystal slung her backpack into the corner and collapsed down in a chair,
"everyone's a little off. Can you blame her?" She looked directly at me.
A little off...I think it was more than a little off--stars are at our feet, and grass hang over our heads. Were backwards.
Even Daniel had been acting off kilter ever since Halloween night, he hasn't been to school since Friday--and he hasn't been answering my text messages or phone calls. I couldn't help but wonder I was the cause for his sudden distance; he'd been dealing with someone as depressing as me for the past 3 months, I'd need my space too in all honesty. I couldn't blame him either.
"No." I said, walking over to the table. "I get it."