Now you're gone

That night.

"Now that I really think about the kiss from that night it was a very difficult thing to remember, especially when I haven't seen him since. It didn't feel right, the kiss had too much passion and emotion compared to other days. It's not like the other times weren't passionate, but this time was different.

It even felt like he was saying goodbye, which now I know that it was true what I felt" I explained to the detective. "Did you ever ask him if something was wrong that night?" said detective Reilly.

"One of the things that I've learned about Kian is to not ask too many questions and just let things go."

"Hazel I need you to be 100% honest with me right now. Have you seen or heard from Kian since he disappeared?"

"Of course not! How many times am I going to tell you that I didn't kill him, haven't heard from him or anything else you can think of. This has been the 3rd time this week that you have called me down, so if you excuse me I have school work to finish" I said standing up from the principal's leather chair and grabbing my backpack.

"Hey! Miss. Black I never said you were dismissed!"

"But I did! I wouldn't do anything to hurt my boyfriend. I wouldn't help him disappear unless I was going with him and as you can see I'm still here" I said closing the door behind me.

...

"Are you okay Hazel? You've been a little quiet since they called you down" said Brooke from behind me.

"I'm fine; it's just that detective Reilly doesn't know how to back the hell off. Doesn't he understand that I need my own time and space to think things through?"

"I understand where you're coming from Haz, but you need to understand him too. It's his job; he wants to know what happened to Kian and help you and his family find him or at least find out what happened to him."

"Listen Brooke, if Kian wanted to be found he wouldn't have left in the first place. It just doesn't make any sense. Can we just eat lunch without having his name around?"

"Fine, whatever you say. But, you already know that you can't just escape this part of your life. It was partly your fault; you were with him the night he disappeared."

I didn't reply because if I did, I would end up losing it. She's my bestfriend and all but her little sweet talks always come with a bad joke. Once I was done with my salad I got up to throw it away.

"Hey Hazel, how are you doing?" said Daniel (Kian's bestfriend). "How do you think I'm doing? I'm fine" I replied.

(He got up and placed his arm on my shoulder)

"Look Hazel, this Kian thing doesn't impact just you. His parents aren't talking much, his friends are going crazy without him, and stupid rumors about him being dead are going around."

(I slowly shrugged his arm away)

"Daniel, I know you're his bestfriend and all but you weren't with him the night he left. You're not the one that's getting blamed for his disappearance, I am" I left the cafeteria heading straight to my locker. I unlocked it, grabbed my algebra books, and started to walk towards my class.

...

Today was a blur; I didn't even realize it was dismissal time until the teacher said so. I got my supplies and headed for the door. "Miss. Lee, can I have a word?" said Mr. Calvin. "Sure, what's up?" I responded.

"I just want you to know that if you need extra time to finish your assignments you can and if you ever need someone to speak to I'm here for you, as a friend."

"I really appreciate your kindness Mr. Calvin but I've had too much sympathy from everyone else, so right now I just need you to be my math teacher, not someone who feels sorry for me" I replied.

"Just wanted to let you know I'm here. Anyways have a nice weekend Hazel and good luck."

I replied with a half smile leading myself to the exit door. The hallways were almost empty as all the students have probably left early and the only ones left are teachers and the after school kids. After all, it was a Friday in a small town. I walked out the double doors and took a left, walking straight to my car. I got in and started driving back home.

I'm not used to doing this, on Friday nights Kian and I were always together. We went to parties or stayed home to make it a movie night. The night he disappeared it was our 3 year anniversary. He took me out for dinner then to the beach for a walk. It was a perfect day until the next morning. Cops almost knocked down my house door thinking he was with me, when he wasn't. I realized he did it all as a last goodbye, but why?

Everyone says that he didn't leave; they think something or someone took him. The only thing I keep thinking is, what is he hiding from or from whom?

Were there any misunderstandings? Coordinated activities gone wrong (money, anger, revenge, wrong place at the wrong time?)

"What the hell happened to him?!"

...

My parents are out of town doing business, meaning I'm home alone for the next two days. Dressed in my pajamas I walked over to my bed. Sitting down and turning on the TV, I switched to the news channel.

"Coming up next, a 17 year old boy disappears out of the blue in Black hill leaving no trace where he has gone to" said a female's voice. I turned it off as fast as I could and looked over to my clock which marked 7:30 pm. I know it was too early for bed but I didn't give a flying crap about it.

As I lay in bed memories of Kian rolled in. His face, body, and lips equaled perfection. I felt a warm tear rolling down my cheek, which I softly slapped away. "Why were you so fucking dumb Hazel? You fell for him knowing it wasn't good. You fell for his stupid tricks and now you're here all alone just like you started."

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