The Story of Why

Keda - All Over Again

~Keda's POV~

                It felt like forever since I had last seen Drew. He wouldn't answer my calls. I called Eric and he just said that Drew wasn't there. Christmas was in a week and I knew that I wouldn't be able to see Drew during that time because my younger cousins were coming over. I was wondering if Drew had actually left my life for good. I couldn't understand why.

                I've been so worried, he was so banged up and bruised the last time I saw him. Why would he be ignoring me now? What if he realized he didn't want to see me anymore? Why else would he just disappear like that and make his friends lie about it?

                No, this had happened before. I thought he was gone, but he came back. He'll always come back, I told myself. Plus, I've known Drew for months and we've gotten so close...this is cliche, but he's become a part of me. Really, he's changed me. Made me more...I don't know, okay. Before, it seemed as if everything I've ever done wrong was the end of the world, but now I know that those problems just seem important and they just seem terrible. None of those little problems will matter in 10 years, 5 years, a month, or sometimes, in a week.

I got up, brushed my teeth, and looked into the mirror reluctantly. The girl staring back at me was so…lifeless. The bags under her eyes were so much darker than usual. Her hair looked like a rats’ nest, like she hadn’t brushed or washed it in days. Her eyes might as well have belonged to a dead person, the life completely drained out of them. Ever since Drew left, I had pretty much stopped caring about…anything, I guess.

I was losing my mind. All I’ve been doing is trying to reach Drew, asking all his friends, calling Eric, stopping at his school, looking for him. He never showed up. It was scaring me, because it seems as if Drew had wandered off to the edge of the planet and fallen off. He might have, for all I knew.

I called Eric again today because he was my last hope. "Hello?"

"Eric, please, can I talk to Drew?" I pleaded.

"I haven't seen him," he replied.

I was getting impatient. “Look, I don't know why he doesn't want to see me, but I need to see him. If you don't let me talk to him, I'll come over to your house and knock your damn door down!" I said angrily.

"No, no, you don't understand. I haven't seen him. I'm worried. Can we go someplace later? I want to talk," he said, talking fast.

"Okay, bowling alley in 10 minutes," I told him and just hung up.

                I ran to the bowling alley, with the snowflakes flying at my face, stinging like a thousand little daggers hitting my face simultaneously. I pushed the doors of the bowling alley open, feeling the wave of heat hit me after being outside on such a cold day. I felt good for a few seconds, then realized that this was the second place I saw Drew, after thinking that I'd never see him again. It seemed like centuries ago.

                I spotted Eric waving at me from a table in the corner of the room, and walked towards him. I took off my jacket and placed it on the back of my chair and sat down next to him. I shivered a little, despite the fact that it was much warmer now.

"Cold?" he asked, half smiling.

"Maybe a little," I replied. My face and fingertips were numb with cold. He got up, picked up his jacket from his chair, walked over to me, and draped his jacket over my shoulders. I looked up at him. "You don't have to do that," I told him. "I have a jacket."

"But it's covered with snow," he argued. That was true. I appreciated it a lot; his jacket was so much warmer than mine.

"Thanks," I said. He sat back down. Although Drew had given me his jacket before, when Eric did it, I sensed nothing romantic in the gesture.

He looked at me seriously across the table. “Drew’s back at his uncle’s.”

I looked up at him. I know it’s not his fault. His mom surely couldn’t have her son’s friends living at her house. I just can’t help feeling a little disappointed. “Since when?” I asked.

“I don’t know, a week ago? He didn’t come home one night, and the next morning, he was all bruised and battered. He started packing his things and when I asked him why, he just said that he had overstayed his welcome. I haven’t seen him since.”

My heart sunk. I had thought that Eric had to tell Drew to go, but Drew left on his own? Why would he want to stay at his uncle’s? I don’t know, but maybe Eric does. “Do you know why he would rather stay with his uncle and not at your place?” I asked.

Eric shook his head. “He wouldn’t rather stay at his uncle’s!” Eric scoffed.

I was starting to get angry. “Then why would he have left?!” I said a bit too loud.

He looked a bit startled, but he stood his ground. “I don’t know, Keda! What the hell!” he yelled, the anger clear on his face. He stood up, walked a few steps away, turned, and walked back. He glanced at me for a second, and then sat back down. “Sorry,” he said, “I’m just a little on the edge.”

The first thought that popped into my mind was this guy is nuts, but then again, I felt like that sometimes too. I remember feeling so…out of control when my dad died, and I feel like this now, after Drew just…disappeared. I couldn’t blame Eric for snapping at me. “It’s fine. I am too,” I admitted.

He sighed and looked up, making a silent prayer maybe? He looked back at me and asked “What are we going to do?” He looked at me, the hope in his eyes melting away.

I looked down at the floor. There was one thing, but I don’t know if I was prepared for it…or if I really wanted to do it. I need Drew, I reminded myself. I looked up at Eric, whose facial expression seemed to be getting more and more fearful. His eyes opened wide. It was the only thing we could do. “What’s his uncle’s address?”