Life at the High

The Search Continues

He looked at her like he was just seeing her for the first time. Sure they'd hung out in groups or passed by one another in the hallway, but this was different. She had something he wanted more than anything.

"What did you think when you first got it? Were you surprised?" Travis pressed his nails into his palms at the thought of it.

"I was shocked. I couldn't breathe. It left me with way more questions than I had before." Miko paused thinking about the moment she received the voice mail from Janelle. She briefly closed her eyes shook her head as if the memory would somehow fly out of her mind and never return.

"I didn't mean to upset you with it. It's just you both were so close, and she reached out to you. I feel like maybe you'll be the reason we find her." Travis wanted answers. He felt like Miko had them and if she were a guy, he would have pounded those answers out with his fists.

Miko stood in front of him with her hands out as if they were two stop signs he couldn't go past. "Travis. I don't know any more than what I've said to Detective Saks, my mom, your mom and everyone else who can't stop asking me okay."

"Woah." Travis took a deep breath as he pressed his lips together trying to keep some level of composure. "My sister is missing. I can ask anyone as many questions as I want no matter how many times they've been asked."

"Well ask someone else." Miko wanted to push him and yell at him to stop acting like she has some answers she hasn't said already. Instead, she mashed her teeth together and stared back at him with the same anger and vulnerability he didn't want to admit he felt. "I'm out here looking for her too. I miss her. I lost her just like you did. I don't know why she called me and not you. Right now I wish she would have. But maybe it's because she felt closer to me than you. Ask yourself why the hell that is."

Travis leaned forward just so that Miko's words wouldn't cause him to stumble. He was in pain, and he couldn't deal with that hurt. He wondered why his sister wouldn't have reached out to him if she needed help either. He knew why but preferred not to think about it.

Miko and Travis quietly joined the rest of the crowd as everyone headed back to wrap up the search.

"Hey Miko, no luck I guess?" Joey gave a sympathetic smile to Travis and nodded to him.

"Hey, Joey." Miko tries to perk up when she sees him, but seeing him reminded her of the last time she saw Janelle. "Nope. I don't think anyone found anything.

"Damn." Joey put a hesitant arm around Miko. "It's going to be okay. You know that right? They'll find her."

"Thanks, Joey." She shrugs out of his gentle embrace. "I'll catch up with you later though okay."

"Yeah. Later." Joey watched her walk off before heading to his car.

"Don't have to ignore your boyfriend on my account," Travis muttered.

"I don't do anything on your account." Miko retorted.

Michelle and Sherry noticed Travis and Miko walking back towards the parking lot along with the other volunteers. Sherry let out a light sigh before letting go of Michelle's hand.

"You think it's a smart idea to invite Miko over for dinner?" Michelle scrunched her eyebrows and stared at Miko through the trees as if that would somehow give her an answer.

"Why not? She is Janelle's best friend." Sherry wanted to see if Charity could be included in those dinner plans too, but she wasn't sure her daughter would make anyone in the Wilson family feel better.

"It's like having a piece of her around. You know teen girls tell their friends everything and their parents nothing. It would be like having a part of my baby back home." Michelle fought back the tears. "It would be weird too though right? I don't want to scare the poor girl off."

"It would be a great idea. She could probably use it too for the same reasons." Sherry wasn't sure how best to reassure a grieving parent. The truth was that she wished she could stop telling her things would be fine. She worked as a federal agent for years and knew there was a low chance that Janelle would be seen by her loved ones again.

"Hey, ya'll." Michelle tried to sound perky despite how rough her voice sounded from crying and a lack of energy.

"Hey, Mrs. Wilson." Miko went and hugged her.

"Hey, mom. We didn't find anything, but I can grab some of the guys from the team and look some more."

"It's okay. We'll let the police handle it for a bit while we have dinner as a family." Michelle said to Travis. Then she looked in Miko's eyes. She saw a sad girl who also needed someone who understood what she was feeling. "Would you mind joining us for dinner honey?

"I'd like that ma'am. Thank you."