New Team, New Dream

Chapter 16

I spend the rest of the afternoon desperately searching for Eliza, but she doesn't turn up. I called and texted her at least three times, but she never answered. It annoys me so much that Peyton said that to Eliza. She has no respect for athletes that aren't as good as her, and calls the one better than her show-offs. She must have got the behavior from Jamie, because I've never seen Peyton act this way before. But who knows, maybe it was all an act. From the way Peyton's been acting acting lately, who knows.

At around 5:00, I give up. Eliza must not want to be around me or else she would have answered. I trudge to the parking lot, remembering that I hooked a ride with Eliza. To my surprise, her car is still in the parking lot. The doors are locked of course, but that must mean that she's around here somewhere right?

I lean against her car and dial my mom's phone number. I hear laughing in the background, and then the sound of my mom's voice.

"Hey sweetie! How's the Carnival?"

I stalled, trying to come up with an excuse. "Um ah... Fun, b-but I need you to come pick me up."

Then the question I was dreading:

"Okay... But why?" Mom sounds really concerned, and I feel horrible for having to lie to her.

"She had to leave early for a doctor's appointment, but I wanted to get my money's worth so I stayed. Now I'm ready to go, but I have no ride."

"Alright, I'll be there in a few." Mom says goodbye, and then hangs up. I slip my phone in my shorts pocket and lean on Eliza's car while I wait.

I hear a sniffle, and turn around sharply. Eliza? I see a strip of blonde hair slip behind a tree across from the parking lot, and I run towards it. The person runs deeper in the woods, and I see them trip and collapse on the ground. The cries are loud now, and I promise myself that whoever it is must have a good reason for crying.

"What's wrong?" The person turns around and I stop dead in my tracks. It's...

A/N: Sorry this chapter was pretty short, but there's going to be a twist! ;) Thanks so much for over a 100 reads; I know it's not really anything, but it means a lot to me because I love to write. So thanks so much everyone!