Page 33 of Minor Trouble
Over the next week and a half, Seth and I exchanged about a million messages, had lots of late-night chats, but still hadn’t managed to see each other in person. Maddox had gone on vacation with Lyla, and Seth had picked up his work in the garage, along with the guy who was their apprentice. Because he still attended college, he wasn’t around as much, so Seth had been working long hours. I’d been coerced into being on the committee for prom and ended up getting involved in a lot of meetings and discussion around this year’s theme, which no one could seem to agree on. If I saw anotherGame of ThronesmeetsSchitt’s Creeksuggestion, I was going to scream.
A knock on my office door pulled me away from reading through the most recent reports on Noah’s schoolwork and attitude in class. He’d been doing so much better in school now he seemed to have settled in more. It was clear Pepper had been instrumental in that change too. The two of them were as thick as thieves.
“Come in,” I called.
Joanna, one of the teachers on the prom committee with me, poked her head into the room. “Wondered if you were free for lunch? I’ve had a few more thoughts on themes.”
Inwardly, I groaned. But still needing to make a good impression, I nodded enthusiastically. “Sure.” Standing up, I grabbed my purse. “I need to grab something from the cafeteria first.”
Joanna held up a Wonder Woman lunch box. “If it beats my kale and quinoa salad, I’ll be super jealous. Shall we go out to the greenway?”
“Good plan, I’ll meet you there.”
I made sure my office door was locked, then headed to the lunchroom. Tempting as Joanna’s salad sounded, I picked out a cheese sandwich, a bag of chips, and a bottle of water. Not exactly the most nutritious of lunches, but at least it would get me through the afternoon. The thought of escaping to the greenway for an hour was delightful. I’d forgotten how easy it was to spend the whole of your working day at a desk, not even taking a proper break to eat.
So lost in my own thoughts, I almost didn’t notice two kids rush past me to the door to the greenway. But when I caught sight of the familiar flash of Noah’s dark hoodie, and Pepper’s green-streaked hair, I called out. “Noah Hudson! Pepper Smart! Where do you think you’re going?”
Noah briefly turned at the sound of my voice, and I spotted they both had additional backpacks, stuffed full. I gasped.
“Noah, stop!”
He shook his head at me, eyes burning, and pushed Pepper through the door, slamming it behind him. I tried to run after them, but a pencil skirt and high heels really didn’t make it easy, and I tottered over to the door. Opening it, I couldn’t see anyone in eyesight, not even Joanna. I rushed in the direction they’d gone as quickly as my outfit would allow, my gaze frantically scanning the area.
“Are you okay?” Joanna called from one of the bench seats.
Puffing slightly, I stopped beside her. “Have you seen Noah and Pepper?”
“What? Who?”
“Noah Hudson and Pepper Smart. They came out to the greenway a few minutes ago. You can’t miss them; they have bags as if they’re taking a trip.”
Joanna waved her hands around. “Nope. No one out here except me and a pigeon who’s really interested in my salad. Shoo! Shoo! No, you can’t have any kale.”
I took a breath. “Okay. Please keep an eye out for them and stall them if you can? I need to go back inside.”
“If I haven’t been pecked to death by a pigeon, then yes.”
Once back in my office and found contact numbers for Pepper’s parents. Picking up the desk phone, I called her mother first.
“Come on, come on,” I whispered to myself. “Pick up. This is important.” The call rang out, not even going to voicemail. I gave up, trying her father next, only to get the same response. What the hell were they doing? Didn’t they care something might have happened to their daughter? I threw the handset down in disgust. There was someone else I could try.
Seth picked up before the phone had even shown it had connected at my end.
“Oh, thank God,” I breathed. “Seth, what do you know about Noah and Pepper running away together?”
“What?” he all but bellowed down the line at me. “How do you know that?”
“I don’t, but I saw them rushing out of school with more bags than a kid needs during the day, even if they have gym class.”
In the background, I could hear him taking the stairs to his apartment and going into Noah’s room.
“His backpack’s gone… and some of his clothes. Shit, Ainsley, what are they thinking?” Panic filled his tone.
Pepper was having a rough time at home, which I assumed Noah knew all about. Whether he’d told Seth was another matter. When I’d taken her home the other night, we’d had a good talk on the drive, and I’d told her if she was ever having problems, she could go to my apartment, ask Marlena for the key, and take some time out there. It was a long shot, but I had to take it.
“Seth, it’s possible they may have gone to my place. You’re closer. Can you go over there and see? I can’t really leave school right now. I’ll carry on searching here and let you know if I find them.” I hated to think of two kids with such troubled backgrounds believing they were alone.
The sound of him thudding down the stairs again filled my ear.
