you// c.g.

18

Yet again I opened my eyes in a bed I fell asleep in with him, only to be alone. I sat up, stretching and yawning. Opening my phone I answered a few texts from Alexia and then got up. I searched around the seemingly empty house only to find no Carl. 

I reached for my phone in the pocket of Carl's sweatshirt I had thrown on to call him. It rang and rang but he didn't answer. 

"Ian did you see Carl?" I questioned the boy who was relaxing on the couch. 

"Not since he went to bed with you yesterday." He winked at me, causing me to involuntarily roll my eyes.

"Great." I grunted, plopping myself down next to him.

"Aw what's wrong Janie? He left you to do the walk of shame alone?" Ian laughed, taking a swig of a beer.

"Ha, ha." I played before tossing him an elbow, "How do you like the 'renovations'?"

"Fi wants to kill him." 

"She's not the only one." I whispered under my breath with the roll of my eyes. I got up from the couch and threw on some random pieces of clothing I found lying around. None of it matched but I didn't really care.

Descending the stairs of the front porch I began my search for him. Visiting Debbie and Frank at their new home or whatever you would call it, the Alibi, his corners, but I couldn't find him anywhere. It was reaching near 6 o'clock when I had finished traipsing around the Southside of Chicago when I remembered I hadn't checked Sean's. 

I struggled trying to remember where the apartment building was again but eventually I found my way. When I made it to the apartment I questioned what I was doing there anyway. Why was I trying so hard to find him when he obviously didn't want to be found? And why he lied to me last night. It seemed we had come to a good place, actually opening up to each other and being honest. But he took off again and was ghosting me once more.

Before I could leave or even knock on the door standing tall before me, Fiona opened it to my surprise.

"Hey Janie, what're you doing here?" She questioned, wrapping a thin black cardigan around her body.

"Uh... is Carl here?" I asked and she gave me a look filled with confusion.

"No, wasn't he at home with you?" She began interrogating me as she let me into the apartment. 

"No, when I woke up this morning he was gone." I responded, taking a seat at the island while she stood in her place on the opposite side.

"Maybe he went out or something?" She suggested, not seeming too worried about it. I didn't say anything, being scared if I had I'd have to tell her everything. "What has this been happening often?"

"I don't know. He's been running out on me and not responding to my texts or calls a lot lately." I told her and she once again gave me a confused look.

"Did anything... happen between you two?" She asked taking a seat next to me. My eyebrows furrowed at her. 

"No, nothing like that." I responded and she sighed with relief.

"Alright, that's good." She stopped when she looked up at me. I was confused why she kept going, did I make a face or something? "I mean like good you guys didn't... y'know and he's being an idiot. I mean-"

"Fi it's okay, I know what you mean." I turned to face forward, in my mind thinking about how I wanted to cry, but immediately shook it off. I don't want anything to happen like that between us. I shouldn't be hurt that nothing has.

"I'll try calling him."

After about an hour of silence and no calls being returned, Fiona started to get freaked out like me. She even tried calling Sean to see if he could look for him or help us, but even he didn't answer.