The Girl Who Disappeared

On the right track

He drove. He wasn't sure how long he drove or where to go but he kept driving. He tried to think back to things she'd said before. Tried to remember anything that could have been a clue. Then it hit him. Her home town. Claremont Georgia. But that was a whole nother state. She'd moved here to Foxlake Illinois when they were in second grade. She had moved in just down the street from him, they'd been friends since then. Best friends.
I could be wrong Jace thought, but it's a start. And so he did a U-turn in the middle of the road and headed Claremont. He knew his mom would be mad, but he had to try something. Anything. He had to find her.
He drove until he had nearly reached Kentucky when he realized his gas light was on. He stopped to fill the tank at a small run down gas station. After filling his tank and paying for gas, as well as a Mountain Dew Kickstart, some gummy worms, barbecue chips, and a cookie, he went to the restroom, which was one bathroom for either sex. He locked the door behind him. He splashed water against his face to wake himself up a little, after all he was getting pretty tired. He looked at himself in the mirror and that's when he noticed it in the reflection. As if it were a clue left just for him, there was a letter V written there on the bathroom wall in red (Val's favorite color) sharpie. He knew he had to be on the right track and hurried back to his car.
     He drove most the night but stopped at a convenient store around 1am and leaned his seat back to rest. He was tired. He wanted to keep going but he was exhausted. He could hardly hold his eyes open. If he kept driving he was likely to crash, and that would get him no closer to finding her. So he slept.
The next morning he woke around 8am and began his journey immediately. Near the state line he stopped at a McDonald's. He got himself a sausage biscuit and a sweet tea, and he ate on the go. Now in Kentucky he continued his journey, stoping only for meals and for gas until he crossed into Tennessee. He parked his car at a gas station and walked around to stretch his legs. While doing so he decided to try calling her again. It went straight to voicemail. He sighed deeply, and hung up. "What the fuck Val?" He said under his breath. "Why would you do this to me?"
      He drove all the way to Georgia and didn't stop til he reached Claremont around  4:30pm.  She hadn't been kidding when she said it was a small town. He stopped at an almost vacant gas station. He looked at the lady behind the counter.

"Um... Hello.. My name is Jace," he started, "a friend of mine, her name is Valentina Martin, she's originally from here.. I think she may have.... Come back for a visit. Have you seen her?" He said placing the picture of her that he kept in his wallet on the counter.
"Yes." the clerk said, "She came in around lunch time." she paused... "I knew her when she was little. Always has been a wild card, that one." She chuckled and shook her head. "Don't fall in love with a girl like that okay? She'll never love you back. She's not capable of-"
"She's just a friend" Jace spat before she could finish. He'd been crushing since like 5th grade but he knew she was never going to feel the same, and he didn't need some old lady to remind him.
     He started out the door but the lady said something that stopped him.
"I know where her old house is."
"Where?" He asked.
"It's off fifth street, which is bout a mile from here on the left, then her house is the 3rd on the right. "
"Thanks." Jace said returning to his car.