Remember When...

Chapter Three: Five days gone, one day back

I looked around the class room to see if I would see him, but there was no sign of him. Duke had been gone for over three days and I had to admit that it was weird and I wondered if I should go looking for him or something, but I enjoyed not having someone bothering me about something I didn't want to be a part of, so I ignored the fact he was gone and went on with my life.

It was the fifth day Duke had not showed up for school and I was beginning to get worried. What if he had gotten in trouble for digging into the past? My mind began to be filled with what if questions. I had to find out what happened to Duke.

I approached my teachers after classes and asked if they knew anything about why Duke had not been showing up to class but they all gave me the same annoying answer " we can't release that kind of information without permission."

But as I asked our math teacher about Duke, I was able to glance at his desk and see that he had a manila folder with Duke's name on it.

I had to figure out what was on that folder. Maybe it had Duke's address or phone number. I could use information like that to track him down.

I knew our math teacher always left his classroom open during lunch time even when he left to get his lunch. It was the perfect opportunity to sneak in and glance at that portfolio.

I heard the bell ring for lunch and my heart started pounding, I didn't think I could pull such a move. What if I got caught?! Oh my gosh, I would be so embarrassed, I would have to change schools!

I began to walk toward the classroom, I saw the teacher leave his room and I looked around, saw no one paying attention to me, and ran to catch the door before it slammed. I let it go after I was in and began to look for the folder.

I couldn't find it on his desk and I started opening drawers, my hands were shaking but I finally found it.

"Let me grab something from my desk first" I heard while I was about to leave. It was the teacher. My brain began to feel numb and all I could hear was my heart pounding really loud in my ears. I was freaking out when I saw a cabinet by the door. I quickly ran to it and squished myself in there. I could feel a broom poking into my back.

I could hear the teacher going through his papers on the desk. It seemed like a century in that damn closet. When the teacher finally decided he had found what he was looking for, I took a deep breath.

I ran out of there as quickly as I could. I shoved the folder in my backpack before going to my last two classes.

When the bell rang to go home, I began walking hysterically home. When I was halfway home, I noticed no one around me and decided to take a peak at the folder just to see what I was dealing with.

I was concentrated on getting the tape off the sides of the folder when suddenly I bumped into someone. I looked up and the worse possible person was standing in front of me. There in front of me stood Duke. He was smiling and looking straight at me.

"What do you have there?" He asked when I tried to hide the folder behind me back.

"Nothing." I quickly responded. Maybe too quickly.

"Come on, let me see.." he said as he reached for the folder and took it from me. I tried to get it back, but it was too late.

"Where did you get this?" He asked.

"Nowhere." I said as I put my head down in embarrassment.

"Tell me!" He said all of a sudden grabbing me by my shoulders.

"Ow!" I said in pain, "you're hurting me."

"Sorry," he said as he realized what he was doing.

"Whats on there Duke?"

"Nothing...where did you get this, Mili?"

I didn't answer and I heard Duke mumble what I thought was "forget it" before turning around and beginning to walk away.

"Wait!" I screamed.

"Where have you been?" I asked Duke as I caught up to him.

"Nowhere."

"You don't get to do this Duke! First you begin this whole thing about our past and you say you're going to investigate and then you disappear? Do you know how worried I was."

He began to smile as I stopped and anger began to sturr up in me on the thought that he didn't even care how much this concerned me.

"Forget it. If you don't want to tell me, I don't want to know," I said and Iturned around and began to walk away.

He grabbed my hand and turned me around. He smiled at me.

"Thankyou for being concerned, I'm fine. I was looking for more information at this library that carries old newspaper articles. I had to drive and bribe some kid so he could give me the address to the place. I was just coming to ask you if you wanted to come. After all its your past too."

"I already told you I just want don't think its a good idea to go digging into this."

"Aren't you just a little curious though?!"

"Yes but..."

"No buts! You have to come."

"When is it even..."

He smiled. "When are you free?"

"I don't know, friday? We dont have school so..."

"We dont?"

"Yeah. If you bothered to show up every once in a while you would know."

"Haha....ok. Don't judge me. we all can't be perfect like you."

"I'm not perfect, and I really got to go."

"Sure...and don't think I have forgotten about this" he said as I walked away. He was raising the folder.

I turned my head toward the ground and laughed at how stupid I was.

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