A Stupid Girl In "Love"

Epilogue

It's the last day of 8th grade and, to be honest, I'm a little scared. I've gotten so used to my friends, seeing the same teachers, the weird lunches, and all the little details. I don't think I'm ready for that to change yet.

I enter the school without any weight physically on my back, but it feels like something holding me back from wanting to move on from this place. Inhale, exhale. Just breathe. It'll be fine.

As soon as I enter, I see so many familiar faces filling the cafeteria. I scan the area, looking for my best friends. When I see them, they're waving for me to go sit with them, warm smiles covering their face. I walk to them, seeing my new and old friends. Julia gives me a hug, obviously excited for summer. I look around, looking at everyone while they talk and I try to calm down. I look and I see Julia, Eraj, Kahlan, Tatiana, Beatriz, and a few others that you don't know. I look around, sensing that something is missing. I think everyone else did too, because they did the same. That's when it clicked.

Where's Melissa?

Usually Melissa has been showing up earlier than me, so this is a bit of a problem. I know she isn't sick, I talked with her this morning on the phone. As I think of possible solutions to this major problem, I start to freak 2 times as much as I did before. What if she moved? What if she's in the hospital? What if her mom got super crazy and forced her to stay home? What if Melissa hates me and never wanted to see me ever again? What if she's... dead?

No. She's not dead, I'm just being crazy. As I think this, Eraj asks what we're all thinking. "Hey guys, do y'all know where Melissa is?" Where could she possibly be? Everyone starts mumbling possibilities as to where she is.

"Maybe she stayed home?"

"What if she went to go see her dad?"

"What if she got lost in the woods?"

"What if nothing happened at all and we're just freaking out over nothing?"

"What if she's hiding?"

"What if she just forgot we had school today?"

"What if she slept in?"

"What if she got arrested for killing a beetle?"

I listened to each option to what they said, but none of them were what Melissa would do. As I tried to push the thought out of my mind and think about pugs instead, I had a feeling that something was wrong. I pulled out my phone, knowing that Melissa always kept her phone on. I texted Melissa 'where u at?' before setting my phone down on the table behind my binder.

I turned back to the group as they changed the topic of why glue doesn't stick to the bottle. I kept thinking, becoming worried about her. I checked my phone 5 minutes and we were about to have to leave for class. Still no response from Melissa. I didn't feel right, it's like I knew something bad happened.

I went to the nurse and told him that my stomach didn't feel good and that I thought I was gonna puke at any moment. He made me lie down on the bed as he called my mom and told her what I told him. As I layed there, I let my mind wander. What if something really bad happened? What if nothing happened and I'm just paranoid? I really don't feel good about this.

I waited a bit before my mom came and picked me up. I told Julia as I was leaving that I think something bad happened to Melissa and why. She was all like "You sure gurl friend? Mmmkay, be safe. I don't wanna wake up to 2 of my closest friends missing tomorrow, alright?" and I was all like "You got it gurl friend, I gotchu. Ain't nothin' gonna happen to us. Fill me in tomorrow about what happens later?" and she was all like "Okay boo. Bring back our main gurl," and waved goodbye as she hugged me and walked to her class. I turned back to my mom who just finished talking to the nurse, not hearing the conversation I just had with Julia.