Where is Louise Bauman? + Original, Book 1 ✔

1

- all my friends are fake; Tate McRae -
- Dear Society; Madison Beer -
- Everybody Wants You; Johnny Orlando - 
- Idle Town; Conan Gray - 

Walden, Kansas was a drowsy town. The streets were bare, parks empty, and not even the hideouts where all the delinquent teenagers usually hang out were filled. Everyone was too afraid to leave their homes unless they absolutely had to, they were too afraid they'd end up like her.

Louise Bauman. A girl that wasn't too well-known in Walden, but was very well-known at Walden High School. She wasn't known for being popular, no, but she was known for being the laughingstock of the school. The girl with few friends, the girl that nobody really associated with. Someone you didn't want to be seen with.

Nobody truly knows what happened to Louise; whether she died, ran away, or just flat-out disappeared. Nobody really questioned it, either. It took four whole days for anyone to even notice that she was gone, and the only reason it was brought to authorities' attention was that Walden senior Charlie Cooper brought it to her English teacher's attention that Louise hadn't been in class, and was wondering if she had been alright.

Of course, she did it when everyone else had left the classroom due to not wanting to be the next gossip through school, but she couldn't help but wonder why the girl who'd never missed a day in any class had now missed almost the entire week.

Teachers called Louise's parents, who hadn't even realized the girl was gone. Everyone brushed it off as her running away, getting tired of her alcoholic father and mother who was addicted to drugs. They thought she did as most teenagers do - run away to 'leave Walden forever' and never come back, but they knew she'd be back. At least that's what they figured.

Charlie Cooper knew that Louise Bauman didn't just run away. She knew that there was way more to it than her leaving Walden like most people wanted to do, and she knew that even though she wasn't technically 'friends' with Louise, she still cared if the girl was missing or not. Things just weren't the same after the girl went missing, and even though most people claimed they 'didn't care' for the girl or that 'she just ran away, and she'll be back', they sure didn't act like it by acting so afraid to do anything, even simple things such as living their normal lives.

"Miss Cooper," The sound of Charlie's teacher brought her out of her usual thoughts, causing her to blink a couple of times as she finally looked away from the empty seat that was supposed to be occupied by Louise Bauman.

"Sorry, what?" Charlie asked, looking around at the class to see all eyes on her.

She took in a sharp breath as she locked eyes with none other than Renfrow Hill, the most popular boy at Walden High. He was popular for being nice to everyone, even if they didn't deserve it. He was rude when he needed to be, and he was definitely the most attractive man there. He was someone that all guys wanted to be, and all girls wanted to be with. It just wasn't fair, the genes he was given. He most definitely didn't belong in a small town like Walden, but here he was: sitting in the same English class as the girl.

He sent her a cute smile, rolling his eyes as he knew that she had been daydreaming per usual. Looking away, Charlie finally looked back at her teacher who had looked at her in slight disappointment. "I asked you a question," He spoke, turning to the board so he could point to the question written in neat handwriting. "Answer this for me please."

Charlie looked at the board, seeing an equation that was way too hard for her to answer. This only caused her more embarrassment, due to not only Renfrow watching her but the entire class. She knew they'd talk about this, they talked about anything they could. Anything that could be considered gossip. It was quite exhausting and embarrassing for the small town, really.