Revealed

40. Melissa

It's been a whole freaking week. Seven days. 168 hours. 10,080 minutes. 604,800 seconds. And Solie is not back. By now, everyone at school knows she was kidnapped. She's all they can talk about. Police keep interrogating me and Stella. But our parents keep telling them we aren't going to say any more. We've already told them all we know.

I've never realized how quiet things were without Solie. I thought I was the one who created all the buzz between us, but I guess not. Stella also started drifting apart from me. It seems like Solie's the glue that keeps us together. Now that the glue is melted, the pieces are falling apart. She sits alone at lunch and doesn't talk to anyone anymore. I wish she knew that even though Solie isn't here, I am.

I sit in geometry at my table alone.

"She could've saved herself. Looks like she was cheating her way through gym. I knew she wasn't that strong," one voice says cornily.

"Obviously when a pretty girl works in an open and unsafe community, someone is going to take her," says another.

"Yeah. Did you guys know she doesn't even wear makeup?"

"That's a lie. There's no way she has THAT much natural beauty."

"I don't know why the police are still looking. She's probably dead. They're wasting their resources."

"I was watching the news the other day and she made a call to the police. They're still tracking her."

"If she's still alive, then her kidnapper must be raping her. Why the hell would he pick up some girl and then not kill her?"

"Uh, ransom much?"

"Okay that might be the case, but has anyone seen or heard from him about how much he's asking for?"

"How do you even know it was a guy who took her? Maybe some jealous ass bitch decided she needed to get rid of her competition."

"Who cares who took her? The bitch had it coming. Spreading those damn lies about her mom trying to kill her? Bitch please. And my sugar daddy broke."

I can't take all this trash talk about my best friend any longer. I went a whole week being silent. Not anymore.

"You guys don't know anything about her! She's not dead! No. She's not." I'm standing up now and screaming. My mind dared not accept that she was really gone.

"Melissa, please take a seat." The teacher directs me. I don't mean to, but I flip.

"No. I'm not going to sit here and let these douchebags talk shit about my best friend. She's more than a pretty face and maybe if you knew her, you'd know that." Steam is practically coming out of my ears. "I can't be here right now."

My whole body is shaking. I'm angry, confused, but most of all depressed. Grabbing my backpack, I stomp out of the classroom, out of the school, and into the streets.

Falling on my knees, I cry into my hands. Solie's absence is affecting me so much more than it should have. I feel like such a loser caring about someone who might actually be dead and whom I should be moving on from. But I can't help but keep my hopes up. I'm not the type to give up on people and mope around all day hoping I get my way. I make things happen.

When I notice a few teachers closing up to me, I get up and run as fast as my little legs can take me. I don't know where I'm going, but I hope it would help me find Solie. Or at least a hint to where she might be.