Find A Way

Day 2: Sam

I couldn't go home after I left the police station earlier that night, so I drove around Covington, checking all of the places Lainey could've walked to. She obviously wasn't at her parents' – we called them earlier and met them at the station – and she wasn't with me or Adrienne; that covered most of the places she went, but a slight flame of hope caused me to keep driving.

First, I went past her work. They were closed, with no lights on and no cars outside. It was quiet. She wasn't there. So I moved on, doing a drive-by at the college we all attended. Campus was locked up already. The coffee shop where Lainey worked during high school was open, so I eased the car through the narrow drive-thru, only to reach the sad truth that she wasn't there. In a failed attempt to hide my disappointment, I ordered a blended white mocha, add extra whipped cream, caramel, and chocolate syrup: Lainey's favorite.

The next place I went was Aspen Middle School, where I first met Lainey and Adrienne. The school was out for the summer, with no cars in the lot, but I still stopped there. Throwing the car into park, I sat in the middle of empty stalls and took a big drink off of the coffee. It was too sweet. When I drank coffee, I drank it black or with a little creamer, but Lainey liked to feel the sugar coursing through her veins. Even though it made my teeth hurt, I kept drinking it. Some fucked up piece of me thought that drinking her favorite coffee drink would bring her back.

It didn't. I finished the sixteen ounce beverage and tossed the empty cup behind my seat, missing the makeshift trash bag altogether. Not like I cared. I just started the car again and moved on.

Lainey wasn't at our favorite park.

She wasn't at the movie theater we went to all the time.

I checked all three Walmart Super Centers in town, and that little pastry shop she liked so much by her parents' house.

The only thing I found at the high school was a group of younger teenagers on their skateboards; no Lainey.

Covington's public library was locked and had the best security in town, so I knew she couldn't be there, but I still drove there just to be sure.

After I stopped at almost every business in Covington, I was almost out of gas, and had to give up and go back to the apartment. I drug my ass up the stairs and threw open the door, not caring if I woke anyone up.
"You okay, man?" Paul asked. He and Felicia had a half-eaten pizza, cans of beer, and empty Pixy Stick wrappers all over the living room floor.

I let out a loud groan. "Serious? Clean this shit up before you guys go to sleep," I said, sounding like a bigger asshole than I intended to in the first place.

"Yes mother," Felicia rolled her eyes.

"What's up?" Paul ignored my statement and questioned again. He held out a can of beer and a handful of Pixy Sticks, brandishing them in my direction. I took the peace offering and tore open a blue one, throwing the colored sugar to the back of my throat before swallowing.
"Lainey's gone," I tried to say it nonchalantly, but my voice shook.

Felicia was the first to react. "What do you mean she's gone? Like, she left you?" her high-pitched squeal made me want to punch things, preferably her face, but that wasn't the kind of person I was. I dug my fingers into the ugly throw pillows Paul's grandmother gave us instead.

"No, she's just gone. As in, we can't find her," I clarified.

"Like in one of those freaky shows on Dateline?" Felicia exclaimed, jumping up in a dramatic fashion. She dropped the partial Bud Light she was holding and it soaked into our ugly rug, but she didn't seem concerned about it at all. It was all an act for her. "Did the police come take your fingerprints? Did they question you? Are you a suspect?"

Paul shot her a glare. "I have a feeling that you aren't helping, Leesh," he pointed out.

"Not really," I confirmed, "I'm just gonna go to bed."

My roommates muttered their goodnights and I trudged to my bedroom. Throwing myself on the bed with a thud, I did all but sleep.