After fighting against a harsh childhood, Blake Wilson finally believes her life is normal. She seems happy living with her brother and foster parents. Blake hides her true feelings behind a mask of indifference, making it impossible for anyone to k...
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The sound of the loud buzz signaled the end of the game. The crowd in the stands went wild as they cheered for the school's team. I cheered loudly for my brother, Justin, who wiped the sweat off his face with a towel, the biggest grin taking over his face. Basketball was one of the few sports I actually understood.
I always went to my brother's games. I never missed one. Usually my friend Liana would come and cheer him on as well. Unfortunately, she moved to Florida recently. Instead, my other friend, London, stood next to me.
"Hey, do you want to head out to grab a bite to eat after this?" London asked me as we walked down the steps of the bleachers, following the crowd out of the gym. My brother already headed to the locker room so I decided to congratulate him when I saw him at home. He was a year older than me—most of my friends were.
I followed London out to her car and hooked my phone up to the bluetooth in her car in order to play my own music once we got in.
"Have you heard from Liana recently?" London asked me as she pulled the car out of the parking lot. I didn't miss the sadness in my voice. Liana and London were very close, practically sisters, considering they were cousins after all.
"No, not for about a week." I unlocked my phone to look back on my most recent conversation with Liana.
London sighed. "I hope she's okay....How's Justin doing?"
"He acts like he's fine, but I know he really isn't. He misses her." I fiddled with the zipper of my jacket. Usually I would be wearing my leather jacket, but for some reason I couldn't find it. It had been missing for a couple weeks and it really pissed me off.
London stayed quiet, which was really unusual of her. She was generally the talkative one in the group. Although, I understood why she was not her usual self. Our best friend had moved away.
"Have you tried texting or calling her?" I asked.
"Many times," she responded, her voice soft. Her hands tightened on the steering wheel. I didn't know what to say. I wanted to believe that Liana was okay and was just busy, but something deep down told me she wasn't.
• • •
I rested my face in the palm of my hand as I tried to tune out the monotonous voice of my English teacher. I was just a few words away from falling asleep because of his arid lecture about how doing homework reflects how well we'll do in the class. I hated English class with a passion, yet here I was, taking an AP class and somehow not failing. I already finished the homework, but half the class didn't even look at it.
I held my phone on my lap under my desk. I wasn't all that worried about getting caught, the teacher usually didn't really care as long as I completed the homework. My phone vibrated in my hand as a text popped up on my screen. My eyes lit up when I read the name.
