Austin City Limits

Missing :: Ch. 13

Porter wasn't thrilled when I finally confessed losing his one and only key to his precious truck. But his irritation was the least of my worries. "Where's Paisley?" I question Zackary, hoping he saw her last. Her little, red Beetle was still sitting in the parking lot next to us, so she must still be close.

Zackary looks around casually, and then shrugs his shoulders in defeat, "She must still be in the club. I saw her talking to that Treble guy, before I came out here to check on you two."

"And you just left her there with him?"

I pull out my phone with the now cracked screen and carefully navigate to my text messages. 

Sadie: Stop flirting with Treble and get your cute butt out here. We need to go, now!

This time, though, Paisley doesn't text me back right away. In fact, we wait for a long five minutes before I make the decision to head back to the club and look for her. "We've got to go find her. What if she's hurt?"

Before I can make it a few steps away, Porter pulls me back, of course. "I'll go. I need you to stay here with Zackary."

"Absolutely not, Paisley is my friend. You can wait here with Zack." I don't wait for his response; instead I leave the two knuckleheads and start walking back to the club.

Zackary is the first to catch up with me, falling equaling into step without a word. His usual teasing face is grim and he reaches for my hand in support, giving it a slight squeeze. "We'll find her."

I really don't want to worry, but the fact that most of the parking lot has cleared out and cops surround the club isn't a good sign. Finally, Porter catches up to Zackary and I. Porter glances out our hands but doesn't say anything to either of us. "You can go home, Porter, I'll find Paisley then have her give me a ride somewhere." I really don't want Porter to turn around and leave but he has to figure out I'm not one of those girls that will do whatever he says, no matter how cute he is.

He must not like my snarky attitude because he gently clutches my upper arm and pulls me away. He shoots one look to Zackary and he stays in place letting Porter drag me off. "What are you doing?"

"You are one stubborn girl. Do you realize the type of people you are dealing with? Your life is at stake and you want to prove a point by running off by yourself just because I am trying to protect you?"

I know he might be right but they way he talks down to me makes me want to push him a little more. Instead of cowering under his intense glare, I straighten myself as tall as I can and meet his gaze full on. "I wasn't alone. Zackary was with me."

His fisted hands rise in the air tense with frustration, he brings them down into his hair gripping the strands. "It isn't Zackary's job to keep you safe." The words are quick to tumble out of his mouth, but regret registers on his face soon after.

"And you assume it's yours?" But his face doesn't change expression and another thought occurs to me. "Seriously? My Dad hired you?" He looks away with a sigh.

Bingo.

"How? Why? But you're not a body guard, aren't you still in high school?" He doesn't answer my stream of questions and instead just stands still waiting for me to process what he just revealed. Urgh! "Was this all one big joke to you? Why did you pretend to be my friend?" 

I want to scream out my frustration. Or maybe I'm embarrassed. No definitely a combination of the two. But mostly I'm pissed off.  I want to stomp on his foot, or kick him where it hurts, but I don't want to give him the satisfaction of believing that we could be even in our wrongs. So instead, I flick his arm as hard as I can.