SOMETHING ROAMS THE NIGHT...

FIVE

"Haven't you heard?" Kira asked me. Her big eyes grew wider when I gave her a frown.

"Heard what?" I adjusted the strap of my backpack.

"You know..." she looked afraid, as if she was about to say something that would blow my mind. We began to walk towards the cafeteria.

"I don't," I was beginning to feel impatient. Kira was my very close friend, but sometimes she just got on my nerve. Like now.

"About Ezra," Kira said softly. I raised my brows. What was she talking about?

"What about him?" I finally blurted out, hoping that I didn't sound like I cared too much. After all, we were just close friends, nothing more than that.

"I can't believe he didn't tell you," Kira folded her arms in front of her.

"Tell me what, Kira? Oh, just say it already."

"Ezra left," a voice behind me said. I came face to face with Della, the girl I was jealous of since a long time ago. But she was my close friend now. A close friend who I envied. A lot.

She was the prettiest girl at school-guys were always fighting over her. It was as if she lived in a world that only revolved around guys. And me, well, everyone thought I was secretly dating Ezra, that was why I had to act like I didn't care much about him.

But this was different, this was...painful.

"What?" My voice came out a pitch higher than before. Then I realized everyone was staring at me. "What?" I repeated in a low voice.

"He just left," Kira told me. "Left without a trace."

"You mean he just...quit school?"

My head was spinning. Ezra always told me everything. Every single thing, even the embarassing fact that he used to own pink underwear.

"He didn't just leave school, Hale. They said him and his whole family...left town," Kira said, and swallowed. "They probably left last night, because this morning the house was empty."

"Last night..."

No. I had just seen Ezra yesterday. How could he just leave like that? Without even telling me?

That jerk! That selfish, uncaring...

"Hale, you okay?" Della put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry, I just can't believe he didn't tell you."

"I'm fine," I said, unclenching my fists. I had dug deep nail marks into my palm, and they were already starting to sting. All of a sudden I didn't feel hungry anymore.

It was all too much. My grandmother passing away, my best friend leaving...things were happening in a really bad way, but I just didn't know why I was hurting so much.

"I just...I just need to be alone," my eyes started to burn with angry tears. I hadn't cried since I heard about my nanna's passing. But now...now seemed to be the right time.

"Hale!" Della and Kira called after me as I began to stride quickly away from them. I shoved past a group of guys, and heard one of them shout a vile word as he spilled his drink.

But I was too hurt to care.