AllFreeNovel
Share Us
All night long, I comb the streets of Knoxville, desperate to find Jared. Clearly he’s not in the right frame of mind, and I don’t want him to get hurt. I’ve visited every possible place where Jared might be. I even went to our old high school on the off chance that he might be there running the track like he used to do back in the day when he got upset over something.
Jared isn’t hotheaded. I’ve never seen him blow up like the way he did tonight, but it’s not like I can fault him for it. How a person reacts to the news of the death of someone they love is a very individual thing.
When my mother died, I was devastated, but I kept most of my emotions to myself. I wasn’t able to hide the tears at times, but just how much I missed her was something I rarely spoke about with anyone.
Time is what Jared needs to heal. When something bothers him, he usually throws himself into baseball—training harder and putting in longer hours in the gym. It’s like playin
g baseball is his form of meditation—a place where he can mull over all the things that bother him.
I turn back into our subdivision, and part of me fully expects Jared’s truck to be parked in his mother’s driveway, but sadly, he’s still missing.
I worry my bottom lip back and forth between my teeth as I park the car. The headlights shining through the living room windows must’ve caught Wes’s attention, because before I’ve even had a chance to get out of the car, he is opening the front door.
His blond hair is a disheveled mess, like he’s run his fingers through it over and over, something I’ve noticed he does when he’s anxious. The second his brown eyes scan my face, he frowns. I know the expression on my face is one showing nothing but disappointment. “No luck?”
I shake my head. “I’ve checked everywhere I can think of, and I didn’t find a sign of him.”
Wes sighs. “He’s so selfish. I’m pretty pissed at him for making Mom worry about him. She doesn’t need this right now. She’s already going through hell.”
He’s right. Julie doesn’t need to be here worrying about Jared. I understand he’s hurting, but so are his mom and brother—and even me. I haven’t even really had time to sit down and process my own emotions because I’ve been so wrapped up in how Jared feels.
“I’m sure he’ll turn up,” I reassure Wes. “He just needs some time.”
Wes glances back to the door. “Do you want to come in and wait? I made some tea for Mom while you were gone, and there’s enough for a few more cups.”
“That sounds nice. Thank you.”
He gives me a tight-lipped smile. “Anytime, London.”
When I step up beside him, he wraps his arm around my shoulders and leads me into the house.
The rest of the night goes by, and I’m not sure which of the three of us paces the most as we wait anxiously for Jared’s return. Once he gets back, after I know he’s safe, I’m going to give him an earful for causing everyone so much worry.
By five in the morning there’s still no sign of Jared, and Julie’s worry is now bordering on panic. “This isn’t like him. My Jared is not this irresponsible.”
“He probably went out and picked up a bottle of Jack and drank until he passed out somewhere,” Wes says. “We’re probably worried for nothing.”
“Well, he wasn’t in his dorm, and every friend that I know of back at school hadn’t seen him. If he drank, he did it alone,” I tell Wes.
Julie rubs her face. “Maybe I should start calling the hospitals. He could be hurt. I know the police won’t take reports until an adult has been missing for a couple days.”
Wes shakes his head. “I doubt anything like that’s happened, but if it makes you feel better, Mom, I’ll help you make some calls.”
I sit on the couch, chewing my thumbnail while Wes and Julie get to work making phone calls. Just as Wes suspected, Jared isn’t listed at any hospital facility, which is a relief.
When seven rolls around, I find myself so exhausted that I doze off sitting straight up on their living room couch. I jump the moment someone touches me, and my eyes snap open to find Wes tucking a blanket around me.
“You are so nice. I should be taking care of you right now, and not the other way around,” I say sleepily, knowing he’s the one who just lost his father.
Wes’s brown eyes trace over my face. “No. You’re exhausted. Try and get some rest. I’ll wake you up when he comes home.”
“Okay,” I answer, too tired to get much more out before I fall back asleep.
The shrill ring of a telephone awakens me, and I tear my eyes open. I’m not sure how long I’ve been out, but it’s long enough that I have a tiny spot of drool on the side of my face.
Wes shoves himself up from the chair across from me and grabs the house phone. “Hello?”
The moment he answers, his eyebrows draw in and a confused look crosses his face.
