Me, Myself, and Spies

Chapter 3

It had been 39 days since I'd last seen Jack. He didn't call. He didn't text. Apart of me thought for sure he was dead. I didn't feel like trying out my new board again. Slowly I moved on. Got back to important things. School. Homework. Stategic attempts to avoid social contact. But I couldn't completely get over it. He's been missing so long. How come no one's reported him to the police? Was he even missing? He'd better be for all the nauseous worry he'd caused me! I wished I could tell someone who could do something about this... Like my dad!

What felt like my first real smile all month crossed my face as I packed up my things at the bell on the 40th day. Today my favorite person in the world was finally coming home!

Ronnie slipped on her pack and followed me  as I bounded out the door.

"Hold up there Energizer Bunny. What's gotten you so buzzed?" Alex joined us from AP Latin. He and I were the only freshmen taking it. Ronnie hated us a little for it.

"Wait I know that look." He chimed in. Ronnie and him shared one of their annoying competitive stare downs. She beat him to the punch

"Your dad's coming back today?" I was too happy to care about her overly triumphant smirk.

"No. I won an all expenses paid trip to the moon." I replied straight faced. They blinked. For geniuses they were complete idiots. I laughed, "Yes, he's coming back from overseas tonight."

"Where was he this time?" Ronnied asked, " Pakistan? Israel?" She listed off conflict zones, where her father was commonly assigned. But this time there was no fear for his life. Jasmine and her mother hated when he went to places like that.

"Nope, just a simple interview in Norway. Some scientific breakthrough. And he did another in DC on his way back home." Alex missed a step on the stairs.

"Really?" He recovered, "That's pretty... Off color for him."

"Well Mom's been asking him to take easier jobs for a while now. Maybe she finally got to him. Anyways..." They reached the foyer where they usually wait to be picked up together by Ronnie's nanny (which was /TOTALLY/ just for her baby sister and not her. That'd be "rediculous"). This time was different. "I gotta rush home and help Steffi with dinner. Gotta make sure his welcome home curry is spicy as hell itself." Indeed ghost pepper could hardly phase his inhuman world traveler's pallet.

"Kay then, say hi for us."

"See ya' kid." Ronnie saluted dorkily. "Don't get shot." She joked. She most likely wasn't putting much thought into her word choice cause jeez.

Too soon.

I raced out to the bus and practically lept aboard. As the engine lazily started, I looked out over the school's manicured lawns and caught a glimpse of the stone towers peeking over the main building. The bus pulled out of the stop and rumbled around the corner. I was about to look away when something caught my eye.

Wait.

I twisted my head back around so quickly, I could of snapped my neck, but the bus had already sped past. I sat back in my seat, an expression of shock on my face. It couldn't be. I had to be seeing things. And yet, the more I thought about it the more sure I was of what I saw.

Parked in the alleyway between the new and old parts of the building was an old, blue Toyota Tacoma truck. A blue truck that I have known for half my lifetime. A blue truck I learned to drive when I was twelve. A blue truck with a familiar face in the driver's seat. I needed to remember what I had been missing. It all started after that accident all those weeks ago.

Okay. Screw patience. I needed answers.

Now.

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