Because of a Girl Like Me

Chapter 17

My life is seriously just becoming one huge mess.

I'm really considering calling in MTV to see if they want to just follow this train wreck around, seems I'd make for some pretty good TV these days.

I've answered more question in the last two hours than I think I have in the last two years.

I'd told the police everything I knew, which truly wasn't much, and given them the things I'd found at my car.

When I handed over the pictures one of the officers had actually commented on how unnerving they were.

Hey no kidding buddy.

I guess I can't really blame him, it's not like in his entire career as a cop he has ever dealt with anything like what's going on in this town right now.

All my statements were taken and I was so ready to leave but they were keeping my car as evidence.

It wouldn't have been drivable even if they weren't I had to remind myself.

As I sat in the police station's lobby waiting for my dad to come pick me up I couldn't help wondering if the police were secretly loving all of this. I mean their job, up until a few months ago, had been nothing but traffic violations, domestic disputes, and loitering teens.

Being a police officer is supposed to be this great exciting and fulfilling job. They want to help and protect people. They're supposed to be the heroes, but if that's what these guys signed up for they were getting slighted.

I absently wondered if maybe a cop was involved in this. I've seen Dexter, I know how it works.

I rolled my eyes at myself.

I'm being just as bad as the rest of the people around here, playing detective Sienna. That wasn't going to help anyone.

I looked at the faces of the officers who were shuffling around from here to there and I felt bad for what I'd thought.

Of course they weren't enjoying this.

I bet they actually had considered themselves lucky before to have been an officer to a community with such a low crime rate.

Now studying them I could see worry etched into lines of their foreheads, and tiredness in the bags under their eyes. This is a pretty small community. Odds were out of the four, no five missing girls, the officers were pretty likely to have known their families. And if they didn't know them before, they did now.

Maybe I should bake them some cookies or a cake, I don't know.

I still had 30 minutes to kill before dad would get here so I decided now was as good a time as any to go through all the texts I had received.

I started with people from school first

Jeremy: Sienna damn just heard glad you r ok

Kirsten: Hey girl, sorry I haven't called or seen you lately but if you want to hangout anytime I'd love to. Crazy about that guy right??

Jessica: OMG!! I just saw you on the news!! How r u?!?

Taylor: We are praying for you, be strong!! J

Todd: wats up SiSi!!!

I can't believe that all of these people suddenly want to pretend like we are still cool just because something bad happened to me. True friends were supposed to be there all the time, not just when they might be able to get on the news or something for being friends with "that girl who was almost kidnapped."

I was especially surprised by the next message.

Makayla: Hey I don't know if you still have my number but this is Makayla. I'm sure ur getting all kinds of messages and stuff right now but I just wanted you to know that I am here for you if you need anything. I'm really sorry this is happening to you...and I'm also really sorry for falling out with you. I still consider you my friend...

Makayla and I had been best friends from k3 all the way until the last few months of our senior year. I'd practically lived at her house. She was such a sweet and kind person. We always got along and did as much together as we could. We were the kind of friends that you couldn't just invite one of us to do something. I mean, you could, but you'd know for sure the other was coming along too. There was a time when I couldn't picture my life without her in it. We had big plans to go buy a fabulous house together and marry brothers and the whole nine yards.

Three months shy of graduation, we had had a fight like none we'd ever had before.

Makayla had started dating this guy from another school. His name was Josh and everyone, including myself, kept trying to make Makayla see that the guy was a douche. There had been tons of rumors that he had girlfriends at multiple schools and that he would brag to his friends about which good girl he'd been able to bag.

Makayla really thought she was in love with this loser, beyond what anyone could tell her.

I had finally started to get through to her and she was on the verge of breaking up with him when he'd fabricated this whole thing about how the only reason that I wanted Makayla to dump him was because I had been hitting on him hard the whole time they'd been together and I wanted him for myself.

She'd believed him.

After losing my true best friend over something so stupid, I had just shut down on everyone. I didn't go to parties anymore or call anyone back. Eventually people had stopped trying and I realized it didn't bother me that much to be on my own.

Now I couldn't decide if I was pissed or touched that she had finally reached out to me.

I decided to put thoughts about her away for now and move on to Stella's messages.

Stella: Girl!! What are the plans today!!

Stella: Hello?? You aren't home and phones not working?

Stella: WTF??

Why was she being so pushy? It's not like I hadn't just seen her yesterday. I shot her a quick reply.

Been a little busy Stell. Call you later.

There was no avoiding it now. Declan's messages were the only ones unread now.

I counted to ten, took a deep breath and opened the first one.

Declan: I tried calling a few times but I guess you probably don't want to hear from me. I can't just leave things the way we did. I need you to know that I think you're amazing. I've really enjoyed our time together...more than you know...I really did have to go last night. My aunt was in an accident, she is going to be ok but they weren't sure for a while. Even though I had to go I still felt like such an ass for leaving you in the way I did. For the record there was nothing I wanted to do more than finish what we started...I hope you'll forgive me Sienna. If not I won't bother you again.

Declan: I lied. I will bother you just this one more time. Please give me another chance. I really want to see where this thing can go. There is just something about you and I need to know more. I'm in Tennessee with my family for the rest of the week but if you were to decide to forgive me I can come back this weekend. Let me know...