Love Within

Chapter 9 - Connor

I parked my car and got out, hitting the sidewalk at a brisk jog. I hoped Jade wasn't worried--or maybe I was getting my hopes up, thinking that she had actually been worried about me.

I circled around the school, even checking outside, and Jade was nowhere to be found. At this point, I was worried.

"Jade?" I whispered. No one was around to hear me, but I didn't want to be too loud. "Jade? Jade, where are you?" I knew she wasn't trying to fool me. She wouldn't find humour in this.

I snagged the sleeve of a guy that was passing by. "Hey, Roy, have you seen Jade?"

Roy gave me a strange, almost quizzical look. "Jade? Why are you looking for her?"

I shook my head, grinding my teeth in frustration. "Look, I just need to find her, okay? I need to talk to her." More like if I didn't see her soon, I would go insane. I was worried. Where was she?

Roy gestured to the nearby tree. "Near the start of lunch, I saw her sitting there, but by the time I passed by again, she was gone. Maybe she went home?"

It was possible that she had gone home, but it was unlikely. Nevertheless, I let go of Roy. "Thank you," I said. Roy nodded.

"Hey, anything for a bro." He fist-bumped me before leaving, and I stood, watching his back as I took out my cell phone and dialled Jade's number. The phone rang, a dull ring that made me feel more and more numb with each passing ring.

"Jade, pick up," I growled, knowing it wouldn't change the outcome. Still, it rang, my hopes diminishing as seconds ticked away. "Jade, please," I begged. Still no answer. It then hit her voicemail.

"Hey, it's Jade. Sorry I can't come to the phone right now, but leave a message after the beep and I'll get back to you. Take care." A fairly generic message, but just hearing her voice made me feel a little flutter in my stomach. I ended the call, sending her text after text while wandering aimlessly, though I didn't expect a reply, which made my efforts pointless.

Turning, I saw Cassandra sauntering my way, a group of guys I knew following her. They eyed me a little too closely, so I decided to ask them.

"Have you guys seen Jade?" I asked. They exchanged glances, seeming puzzled before turning back to me.

"You mean she wasn't with you?" A big, dark-haired jock named Zeke asked me.

"No, stupid, why else would he be asking?" Jeremy interjected, rolling his eyes. "No, we haven't seen her. Sorry, Connor. We'll keep an eye out for her and let you know."

Cassandra lifted a hand, almost as if she were waiting for a teacher to call on her. I nodded to her, and she spoke. "I did see her, and it's pretty obvious you guys don't care about my answer." The guys murmured all at once, telling her they cared. Of course.

"Please tell me," I begged her.

"Of course," she said. "I saw her sitting underneath that tree, but she looked a little green, so I asked her what was wrong. She went home, and asked me to pass on a message to the teachers that she wasn't feeling well. I'm a bit worried for her. I think she's coming down with something. When you see her, tell her I wish her a speedy recovery, okay?" She batted her eyelashes at me, her brows creased a little in consternation.

I bowed a little at the waist, feeling a gush of gratitude. "Thank you so much. Really!"

Cassandra smiled, leaning forward to brush her lips against my cheek. "You're very welcome, Connor. Good luck!" When she walked away, I could hear her say, "What a cutie," of course, to which none of the guys commented.

I had to go to Jade's house.

......

I was getting to be worried.

It had been three days since I last saw Jade, and there was no sign of her at her house. Neither Stella nor Tori had heard from her. A search had been issued, but so far, there was no luck. I was beginning to think someone hadn't been quite honest with me.

No, I shouldn't jump to conclusions, especially not Cassandra. She had seemed so genuinely worried about Jade, and had seemed so eager to help me. Could Jade have collapsed on her way home? No, someone would have found her. Unless she really got lost, but even so, she would have been found, wouldn't she?

Sick with worry, I could barely bring myself to get out of bed in the mornings. The only thought that drove me was that being awake and active could help bring Jade back. I drove around the city, trying to find her, even searching alleys and tackling neighbourhoods, going door-to-door to ask people if they'd seen Jade. None of them had.

That night, I found myself strolling though a cemetery, past old and new graves alike, some with freshly-turned soil, others looking like they hadn't been touched in years. The moon shone faintly, the light struggling through the thick clouds. I could still see, and whatever the moonlight touched glowed with a faint silver shimmer. It was creepy but eerily beautiful at the same time, especially since I was in a cemetery.

I sat down next to an unoccupied plot, sighing and wrapping my arms around my legs. Tilting my face up, I studied the cloudy, starless sky. I couldn't even find solace in the moon tonight, because even that had been stolen from me by the clouds.

I heard a faint scratching, and raspy breaths. I froze. If zombies were real, I would never, ever leave my house again. I held my breath, sitting in silence, waiting for any more signs of noise. There it was again. I couldn't be imagining things.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" I called out softly, digging my fingers into the earth surrounding me. If a zombie were to stumble into view, I would hop into my car and race home like my life depended on it--which it probably would, if that were the case.

The sounds stopped, and a hush seemed to fall over the entire world. Even the drone of traffic seemed distant and muted, as if the world had been filled with Styrofoam marshmallows. Time slowed down, but my heartbeat sped up, hammering away like a jackhammer at the speed of a hummingbird's wings. "Hello?"

A pause, followed by a soft whisper. "Connor? Is that you?"

Jade.