The girl with the blue umbrella||✔

Three

I was very bothered about the disappearance of the girl with the blue umbrella. Her absence today just made me want to know about her more. She was a mystery that I was determined to solve.

Not seeing her and not being able to talk to her made me feel more sad about my mother's condition.

I walked home with a clouded head and a feeling of loneliness which stuck to me. If there was one thing I hated in the world, it would be loneliness. I was eighteen years old so it wouldn't matter if I lived alone because I was practically an adult at that point. I hated it. I had been alone for most of my life and I hated it. Most of the time I live with my neighbor Mrs. Goldy. She's an old lady who lives alone too, so, I stay with her and help out with chores and cooking before and after school.

Her children abandoned her just like my dad abandoned me. She was just like a grandma to me but when I go to college, she would have to go to a senior citizen center. Reminding myself of this just made me more sad. I had to finish my job at the museum as soon as possible so that she won't be left alone for too long.

School the next day started out the same as usual. The teachers commented on practice, teammates hollered in the hallway, classes commenced like normal. You know? The usual. But I couldn't just sit still. I was eager to find out more about that girl. She was all I had in my head the whole day. It wasn't normal for me to have my brain warped by a single thought of a girl. I had so many questions about her, I needed my curiosity to be satiated as soon as possible.

I couldn't take it anymore so I turned to a very close friend of mine. He was also on the baseball team with my and he was the one person I knew I could trust with this. Jaime (pronounced Hi-May) Diaz.

Whenever practice was tiring, we made sure to take me home with his car. He knew about most of my problems and he's my closest friend because I trust him with things like these. So I asked him if he noticed a girl who always stood under the oak tree with the blue umbrella.

He didn't know but he said he'd help me investigate. I was grateful that he didn't ask more about my sudden interest in her.

When we had a free period, he took me to someone who knows all the students apparently. She was on the yearbook committee so she knew who I was talking about immediately I described her.

"Yeah yeah I know her." She said as she obnoxiously popped her gum.

"Well tell us about her." I urged her.

"She was also on the yearbook committee but she quit months ago. We have a couple of classes together but she's not in school today. It's not like I care anyway she's a weirdo."

"What do you mean?" Jaime asked.

"She's a stupid mute who thinks she can be like us. What a dreamer." She scoffed.

"Don't talk about her like that." I said at the same time Jaime asked, "What do you mean 'mute'?"

"Layla is a weirdo. She can't even talk. I always get a good laugh when she's dumped in the toilet or beaten up or somethin'."

"You're sick." I told her and asked out of there without even checking if Jaime was behind me or not. I knew he would be following me.

I couldn't believe what I heard. She was bullied for something that wasn't even her fault! It made my blood boil. That's is so messed up. How could they do something like that to someone who needs nothing but help. She was freaking mute! It wasn't fair. At all.

Jaime and I headed to class after talking to the yearbook girl. She was one of Layla's bullies and she wasn't even ashamed about it. What made her think bullying was okay? Have they ever tried to themselves in their shoes? Why would they do things like that to someone? To take my mind off that, I thought about finally learning her name, Layla. It suited her perfectly.

Throughout all my classes, the only things I could think of were Layla and the way she was bullied. It was aggravating. It's not like she asked to be mute. I would have never known that she was mute. I never talked to her to begin with. Even if I talked to her, she wouldn't have been able to reply. It made me think of a lot of things that may have happened if I eventually spoke to her. It made me feel a little bit blue.

As if all the things I was thinking about wasn't enough, the universe decided to grace me with more things to add into my head. To say that it was shocking is an understatement. I felt shivers go down my spine, my blood went cold and I couldn't focus on any thing in particular. The announcement made during our classes, on our digital board, by our Principal made me shiver right in my chair. I couldn't believe my ears.

"Attention all students. We just received shocking news that a fellow student, a senior, has gone missing. She was reported to have gone missing yesterday. She goes by the name Layla Cunningham. If you know of her whereabouts or you know any of her friends who might know where she is or has been please tell a teacher or tell me directly. Your cooperation will be helpful. Thank you."

A girl named Layla Cunningham had gone missing. Surely it couldn't be the same Layla. I'm sure she was sick today that's why she wasn't seen. Right?

Jaime tapped me and said, "Dude, that's the same girl you were asking about."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. After you stormed out earlier, that's girl showed me a picture of Layla with her full name. See it's the same one posted on the screen."

I looked at the screen and I was met with the same big blue eyes that mesmerized me. She had a small smile that played out on her face that didn't reach her eyes. Everything about her in that picture seemed forced. She didn't seem like she was free. Even in the picture her eyes were searching for something.

The girl with the blue umbrella had gone missing and my life began to turn upside down.

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Thoughts?

Ayeesha🍵