Page 140 of Hot Four Teacher
“Whoa, wait a minute. You didn’t let her stay home?” I ask.
“No. She left this morning like she was going to school. I came home and got a message that she skipped, but she’s not here.”
“Okay, okay,” I say in a calming voice. “She’s probably with her friends or something.”
“Dane, I called every single one of them. None of them have heard from her since last night. She’s not at all her normal hang out spots. She turned off the location on her phone and has it on do not disturb.”
“Okay, I’m on my way over.”
***
I walk into Michelle’s house and see that her siblings and parents are already there. As much as I’d like to formally introduce myself and get to know them better, I know this isn’t the time.
She comes over to hug me. “Thanks for coming.”
“Of course.”
She paces as she talks. “Okay, Eve doesn’t have any money, so I don’t think she could have gone very far. We need to check everywhere around town that she might be. Even if it seems dumb. She’s trying to throw me off the scent, so she’s not going to make it easy. We should all split up.”
The woman I assume is her mother says, “You probably need to stay here in case she comes back. If anyone finds her, make sure you escort her butt home. She better hope I’m not the one who finds her because I’m going to kick her ass for making us all worry like this.”
As everyone files out of the house, I ask, “Do you want me to stay herewith you?”
“No, I think if she comes back here and sees just the two of us, it’s going to make things even worse. Will you just go help look for her?”
“Of course.” I pull her into another hug. “I’m sorry, baby. I shouldn’t have kissed you like that last night.”
“No, this isn’t on you. It’s on me. I should have told her a long time ago. I just didn’t want this to end.”
A little worried, I ask, “Are you worried it’s going to end?”
With as much of a smile as she can muster, she replies, “No, I’m not going to let it.”
***
I leave Michelle’s and drive around, thinking of everywhere that Eve could be. I still don’t know this town very well, so I’m not sure how much help I’m going to be. I’m not all that well-versed in Lilly Leaf Falls yet.
Wait a minute.
Lilly LeafFalls.
Michelle told me that she and Eve used to go over to the falls all the time when Eve was little. Maybe she’s there. I’m not quite sure how to get there, but after looking at the GPS on my phone and walking through some very thick woods, I finally pop out by the lake and the waterfall.
I’m not quite where Michelle and I were last time which tells me I didn’t go the right way, but I madeit all the same. I look around and am just about to give up when I see a slight movement on the other side of a large rock.
I walk closer and see Eve’s dark hair poking out from beneath a baseball cap.
Thank God.
But why did I have to be the one to find her?
When I reach her, I say, “You know, you have a lot of people looking for you.”
She glances up at me. “Well, hello, mother humper.”
I sit down next to her. “Okay, I deserved that.”
“You think?”
