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But the nasty feeling grows in my gut as speed to April’s house.
It usually takes ten minutes to get there from the cafe.
It takes me five.
* * *
Her car is missing from her driveway.
My heart threatens to burst out of my chest as I knock on her door, banging louder than necessary.
“April?” I ring the doorbell over and over, jamming the button with my pointer finger.
If she’s in there, she’s going to be pissed, but at least I won’t have to worry anymore.
“APRIL? HEY!”
I try to peek through the tiny window next to her door, but the curtain obscures most of my vision. I crouch down and see the tiny sliver of her front table with the vase of flowers and her burgundy purse next to it.
Her purse is on the front table, but her car isn’t in the driveway.
What the hell?
The nasty feeling in my stomach grows, but I tell myself it’s from the ridiculous amount of coffee I’ve consumed today.
I bang on the door again for good measure, but there’s still no response.
“Shit,” I hiss, pulling out my cell phone. I call April’s mother, Tammy.
“Hi, sweetie,” Tammy answers, her voice gentle. “How are you doing?”
“Hey, is April with you?” I ask, pacing her driveway. “She didn’t show up today.”
Please say yes please say yes—
“No, she’s not,” Tammy replies, and my stomach flips. “Did you go to her house?”
I swallow, not wanting to give her the news. “Yes. That’s where I’m at right now. Her car isn’t here.”
There’s a beat of silence on the other end. “Huh. Well, maybe—”
“Her purse is on the front table, Tammy. I can see it through the window,” I breathe, panicked. “And her car’s gone.”
“Okay, calm down, Skylar,” Tammy says. “It’s going to be fine. Have you called her already?”
“Her phone goes straight to voicemail,” I mutter. I kick a pebble down her driveway, the coffee burning nervous energy through me as I struggle to not flip out.
This isn’t like April. She would never not show up to work or leave her house without her purse.
Tammy sighs. “Okay,” she says. “I’ll be there soon with the spare key. If she’s not home, we will take the next steps. I’m sure she’s fine, Skylar.”
I realize the absurdity of the situation. Tammy shouldn’t be comforting me about this. It’s her daughter.
April’s just my best friend.
But when Tammy shows up, spare key in hand, I dig my nails so hard into my palms they bleed.
April isn’t here, and the only thing missing from her purse is her keys.
