Trying to Fix You

Chapter 21 {The Truth: It Sucks}

Jeremy's standing at his locker, looking over some History notes when Noah walks up to him with a big smile plastered across his face. "Hey, bud, how are you?" He leans against the locker beside Jeremy's. 

He lowers the notes in his hands and turns to face Noah with a curious smile. "Not nearly as good as you. What are you so happy about?"

He shrugs and adjusts his bookbag on his shoulder. "Things are looking up."

"What things?"

"Mady came to see me yesterday."

And there is is, once again, the pain shot through him like a knife. He thought he had prepared himself, he knew it would only be a matter of time before they got back together but there was still a part of him that wouldn't let go of that little bit of hope. He nods and closes his locker before speaking softly. "Really? What did she say?"

"She told me what happened after that night." He looks down in sadness and shakes his head, remembering what Madyson had told him.

"What happened?"

"It's not good, Jere. She was really messed up."

"Well, I figured as much. Anyone would be after going through what she went through."

He looks up at Jeremy and speaks seriously seriously. "She tried to commit suicide and she didn't choose to leave, she was forced."

Jeremy's face suddenly drops at the mention of Madyson not being here anymore and he glances at the ground, bringing his hand to the back of his neck. "It hurts me to know that she would do something like that...but it's not that surprising. The guilt she was carrying...I can't even imagine."

Shayla quickly walks up to the boys with a worried expression. "Have you guys seen Dena?"

They both look over at Shayla and shake their heads as Noah speaks up. "She's gone missing again?"

She sighs as the same panic she had last time takes over her voice. "When I got home from cheer practice yesterday she wasn't there and I haven't seen her. "

Jeremy shrugs and tries to calm her by staying reasonable. "She's probably at the beach."

Shayla shakes her head. "That was the first place I looked." She glances to her left and sees Madyson walking down the hall. "Mady!" Madyson's focuses her attention on Shayla and slowly begins walking towards her, knowing that Shayla's agitation could be from a number of things. She stands in front of her with a tired expression as she questions her. "Have you seen Dena?"

Her expression turns to confusion. "Why?"

"She wasn't at my house when I came home from cheer practice yesterday and she's not answering her phone."

"The Cave?" Madyson quickly speaks up, hoping to give some insight into Dena's disappearance so she didn't have to admit to herself and everyone else that she was probably the reason Dena took off. 

"Already checked. When was the last time you saw her?"

Madyson glances down at her shoes, feeling guilty and worried. "I, um...I saw her yesterday."

"When?"

She finally looks up at Shayla. "Around 5, I stopped by your house to see her."

"And she was there?"

"Yeah, she was there."

"Did she seem upset?"

She doesn't want to lie but she knows that she can't tell Shayla the whole truth. "Before I left...she was upset."