Page 13 of In The Game

Raleigh, North Carolina

City of Raleigh – Government

ComicCon Raleigh

Okay, I’m going to need some filters. I click the People tab, hoping to only see pages for actual people. All I get are hundreds of names, none of them Raleigh, but all of them residents of Raleigh.Goddamn it.

I look at the ceiling, as if her email address will be listed up there. Okay, what else… She played hockey in high school in Raleigh. But I don’t know when she graduated—even if I did, what am I going to do? Call up the school and say I need the name of someone who graduated? They probably don’t even have that information. I could ask for a last name, but I’m sure they aren’t going to hand over alumni information. Besides, there’s probably a dozen different high schools in Raleigh.

She’s going to college for marketing, but the University of Minnesota is huge. Pretty sure she said she has her own apartment, so it’s not like she lives on campus.

Okay, fuck this, it’s not working.

I’ll try Instagram. When I open it up on my phone, there’s endless notifications.Jesus Christ, there’s a ton of unopened DMs.Julia manages all my social media, so I forget this account exists half the time.I open them up and scroll through, praying to see a thumbnail, name, or message that looks like it’s from my girl. None are Raleigh. I return to the search bar and type in her name.

Raleigh, NC...

Raleigh-Durham Intl Airport...

Raleigh Tattoos...

Raleigh Braiding...

You’ve gotta be kidding me. Come on, Google, don’t fail me now. I go back to my laptop and try every combination I can think of.

raleigh + minneapolis

raleigh + university of minnesota

raleigh + goalie + marketing

raleigh + university of minnesota + marketing

raleigh + raleigh, nc + high school + goalie

raleigh + raleigh, nc + high school girl goalie

raleigh person from raleigh, nc

Most of the things I know about her are useless info that won’t be helpful in my search. Like how she memorizes the origins and meanings of names to help her remember new people. That she’s never been to Hawaii, but it’s the place she wants to visit most. That she can do the splits on top of me like a pro. That she’s a fan of hockey with extensive knowledge of the game. How she likes to be chased before sex or the way she looks and sounds when she comes. It’s exquisite.

Why is this so hard? Social media is everywhere; she must have an account on some platform. But it’s her name that’s causing problems, all my results are scrambled by city listings.

“Damn it, Raleigh, why did you up and leave like that?” I mutter. We had a great time!

Why would she leave with no way to reach each other?

That first night we made eye contact, there was a marketing thing going on with Citra Brewing. She worked for a promotional firm. Maybe they’re related. Shit, what was the name of that company? I squint my eyes and wrinkle my nose. It was something with advertising, like… banner, sign…Billboard!

I check to see if there are any photos from the event on their Facebook page, but don’t see anything. I google Billboard Promotions and am disappointed to see that their home offices are based in Colorado. Think they would give me her number?Worth a shot.

“Hi, I’m looking for someone who was working at an event a few weeks ago, hoping I could get their contact information. It was for Citra Brewing at the Drip nightclub in Minneapolis. Her first name is Raleigh—”

The person on the phone chuckles. “I’m sorry, we don’t give out any personal information of our models or promotional consultants. If you would like to lodge a complaint, you can emai—”

I hang up and tap on the desk. Think, think, think.

Lonan.

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