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chapter four: it's school, mom. of course i'm not gonna have fun
I FELT COLD TEARS run down my face as the realization hit me: she remembered. Mel had remembered the days in which we were our best together and I was almost certain she had forgotten but, on the ground sat a dirty, crumpled paper crown. I reached down, picking it up, my hands shaking and my mind racing. Suddenly, I hear a noise from behind me and I look back to see Richie hopping off his bike followed by Bill, Eddie, and then Stan. I wipe my eyes and walk towards the group.
"I found this." I show them the crown and Richie snatches it from my hands to further examine it.
"What the hell is this?" He asks.
"It's obviously a crown, Rich. I mean, are you blind?" Stan points out and I nod.
"How do you know she made it? It could be anyone's." Richie points out and I roll my eyes.
"Who would be out here?" I question.
"I don't know. Why would she even be out here?" He asks and I sigh. He's so stubborn.
"Look, when we were younger, believe it or not, we used to be really close and we used to make these paper crowns. When we got to kindergarten, before she met you guys, we even used to make tiny ones in class and write-" I stop, thinking. My eyes widen at the realization. I snatch the crown out of Richie's hands and begin to open it.
"Hey!" He says in annoyance but, I ignore him.
"How could I be so stupid! I mean, I'm not surprised at my obliviousness but, still." I talk to myself and finally open the crown the rest the way but, it's blank. "But, I thou-"
"Yeah, yeah. How are you even supposed to try and figure this out? You don't even really know anything about Mel, except, what you know from when you guys were younger." Richie states. He's right. I don't know anything about her but, that's why I need their help.
"That's why I need your guys' help. Mel is gone and we all need to find her together." I say and pause before looking at Bill. "And Georgie."
"How are we supposed to do that? We're only kids. We don't even know where to start." Eddie says and takes out his inhaler, taking a puff from it.
"That doesn't mean anything. Obviously, the police aren't doing anything about the disappearances. Plus, we can always get more help." I tell them and they nod their heads.
"And I know you guys hate me but, we need to do this. We don't need to be the best of friends to either." I say and they nod their heads in understanding.
"So, Bill, you're the leader. What do we do?" I ask and everyone turns to Bill.
"W-well school ends in a w-w-week. We can st-start then." He says and I nod.
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The paper crown sat on the desk in the right corner of Mel's side of the room and I haven't touched it since last week. The last time I held it, I was fixing it so that it looked like a crown again- like Mel had made it- so that it'd be a reminder that she isn't- can't- be dead. I can still remember that day- the day she went missing; I can still remember that night like it was only last night.
I had gotten back home and my parents had already left- probably to go to the bar and drink like they always do on Fridays- so, I decided to just go straight to my room. Once I stepped into my room, a wave of nostalgia overcame me. My mind immediately went back to the good times Mel and I had together. I remembered everything that I love and miss about her now that she's gone. It all happens so fast- life does- and now it's my fault I never got to live it with her. But she's not gone- not yet- and I can change all of that. I walked over to her desk, tears in my eyes and this time I let them fall. I didn't hold back because there is no one to be strong for anymore. I took the piece of paper and began to fold it back into its original form. Placing it down on the desk, tears began to trail down my face and onto the crown. I walked over to my bed and lied facedown, crying into my pillow. She's gone. She's really gone and she may never come back.
The memory of that night still haunts me as the realization that Mel may never come back still sits in the back of my mind. Taking a deep breath, I open the door of the bedroom and make my way to the dining room where my parents sit at the table, eating breakfast.
"Hey, sweetie, do you know what happened last night after we got home?" My mom asks me and I freeze. Last night. Right.
"Oh, you just, uh, passed out in your bedroom. Weird, because usually, you watch a little T.V. before passing out." I lie and smile a little to make it more believable.
"Sounds like us." My dad chuckles and mom follows suit.
"Uh, I'm gonna go. I have to get to school and, uh, have to work on a project." I lie again. Truth is, I just don't want to sit down and eat breakfast like we used to and act like everything's fine. Like my sister isn't missing. I just can't do it.
"Alright honey, have fun!" My mom shouts after me as I have already reached the front door.
"It's school, mom. Of course I'm not gonna have fun!" I yell back, roll my eyes, and shut the door behind me.
Grabbing my sister's bike from the side of the house, I hop on and start riding up the street, toward the school. As I pass all of the houses, I begin to think of where Mel could be right now. If she's in pain or if she's okay. While trapped in my thoughts, out of the corner of my eye, I see something red pass me and I look back to see what it is. A single red balloon floats in the middle of the street and my eyes widen. What the hell? How can a balloon just float in one place like that? I look ahead once more to make sure I'm going straight, and when I look back again, the balloon is gone and is replaced by someone that looks like......Mel.
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ooo cliffhanger just read the next chapter to find out what happens next tho...
