Flame [ON HOLD]

Chapter 2

JACKSON'S P.O.V.

She never showed up. I mean, I understand why, but I was really hoping she would. Damn, I never should have said that I needed her help with homework. That was stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She probably hates me now. In truth, I was gonna surprise her with a picnic by the creek, which I learned (by asking her friends if course), was her favorite spot in town. I brought my backpack along with my school books to make it seem like we were really gonna study. I had it all planed out in my head.

I would set up a the blanket and wait for her to show up with her backpack and everything she would need to help me study. My backpack would be next to me and I would be leaning against the huge oak that ran right past the creek. The picnic basket would be hidden behind the tree and when she sat down, I would pull out the basket and she would open it and her eyes would light up in the way that I love and the sun would be setting at just the right time...

But she never came. It was the world's way of playing a joke. A cruel, sick joke. And yes, guys can have dreams and feelings too. This was one dream that just happened to never come true. I waited until 8 o'clock for her, but she never showed up. I packed up and trudged to my car, dejected.

I drove home slowly, about 12 cars honking at me in the first few miles. I didn't care. I finally made it home and shuffled upstairs, neither of my parents noticing. They were too busy screaming at each other to care. I fell on my bed and decided that if she didn't want to be with me, then fine! I don't need to be with her. I can find someone else. In fact, it would be quite easy, half the girls in the school were into me. Granted, I never even asked her out, but she still should have come! I sighed out of frustration. I decided to call her and ask her why she didn't come. She didn't answer. Of course she's also ignoring me. I tried again. No answer. If she wasn't gonna answer her cell, then I might as well try to call her home phone. No one answered, again. I hit re-dial. After the third ring someone picked up.

"Hello?" A guy's voice wafted through the phone. Was this her dad? He sounded old enough to be. "Who is this?"

"Jackson."

"Jackson who?"

"Moore. Jackson Moore. I go to school with Emily."

"Well, Jackson, I'm Emily's dad. What can I do for you?" I knew it!

"I was just wondering if I could talk to Emily."

"Emily's not home right now. Would you like me to leave her a message?"

"Wait, she's not home? Where'd she go?"

"She said she was going to meet some friend to help them study."

"Really?" I asked. Was he talking about me? "What time did she leave?"

"'Bout 7:40. She was in a real hurry. She hasn't called since."

"Okay. Thanks Mr. Kirkland."

"No problem." He hung up.

I began to try and sort out this new information. She left her house around 7:40. She should have showed up about 7:50. She never came. Something stopped her from reaching her destination. I decided to drive the route she would take to get from her house to the town. First, I had to look up her address, because, get this, I'm not a stalker! After I printed out directions, I rushed out of the house and into my car. I drove back to the town, and this time, no one honked at me to drive faster. I reached the main road and began following google's instructions on how to get to Emily's house.

I drove past a bakery, a Macy's, and an Apple store. As soon as I passed the Apple store, the land flattened out and I immediately thought of how nice it would be to drive this at sunset or sunrise instead of in the dark. By now, it was 8:57. I drove past a lone gas station and slammed on my brakes. Was that Emily's car? I made a u-turn and pulled into one of the few parking spaces. Yep, that was definitely her car. What was she doing here? Did her car break down? If so, why hasn't she called anyone? I hopped out of my car and decided to look around. I jogged over to her car and noticed that she wasn't in it. She must've gone in to pay or something. As I walked in, the man at the counter paled.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

"Umm. Yes, actually. Have you seen my girl- I mean, my friend?"

"How long ago was she here?"

"I don't know, but her car is still here." The man paled more, a feat which I did not think was possible.

"What did she look like?"

"Blond hair, blue eyes, about 5'7, pale skin, and a dash of freckles across her face." The man began to shake.

"I think you want to come with me, there's something I need to tell you."