“Nah… I’m okay.”
“You can’t live on popcorn and candy, Abigail,” he pointed out. “I’m making you an egg and you will eat it.”
I kind of liked it when he got bossy like that. “Okay, Sir. If I must.”
He scurried to the kitchen as I got ready; got dressed, and finger combed my hair.
I hurriedly scarfed down the egg and gulped down the glass of milk Gavin insisted I drink. I gave him a quick peck on the cheek on my way out. “Bye, love you.”
He smiled. “Love you too, kid.”
I’ll always remember the next few minutes. That scene has played over and over in my head over the years. I was heading to the bus stop when I spotted it in Izzie’s driveway. It was unmistakable. Police cruisers were not an uncommon sight at the park, but I’d never seen one sitting in Izzie’s driveway before.
Adele and Bobby were talking to two police officers. Something was wrong. Adele looked crushed, and she definitely wasn’t her usual chipper self. Bobby rubbed her shoulder as they both listened to the tall lanky officer speaking. Danny and little Abe were sitting on the porch. Abe was crying and Danny was attempting to console him. I’d missed little Abe so much. I hadn’t seen him much since Izzie and I had broken up. I missed his easy laugh, his random tidbits of useless information, and his sweet smile.
I was already running late for work, but I couldn’t help myself. I needed to know what was going on. My heart pumped frantically as I quietly skirted past the officers and Izzie’s parents. They didn’t even notice me. I walked straight to Danny and Abe.
“Hey, guys.”
I always liked Danny. He was a much nicer older brother than mine. “Hey, Abby.” He stroked little Abe’s back. “It’s been a while.”
“I know.”
“What happened with you and Izzie?” he asked.
How could I even begin to explain the whole thing? Basically, Izzie was jealous because the hot older guy liked me and not her. “Girl drama… you know.”
He nodded. “So you and Izzie… haven’t been hanging out?”
I shook my head. “Not since last summer.”
“The cops are probably going to want to talk to you.”
My heart jackhammered. “What? Why?”
He dipped his head, pulling his gaze from mine. “We haven’t seen Izzie in three days.”
A cold chill ran through my spine, an eerie premonition of sorts. “What?”
“She’s run away before, but never longer than a few hours… not three days.” He looked up. “Something’s wrong. I can feel it.”
I could feel it too. I knew something wasn’t right.
I felt Adele’s hand on my shoulder before I heard her voice. “Hey, Abby.” She wrapped her frail arms around me, and squeezed me into a tight hug. “We’ve missed you. Where have you been?”
I smiled meekly as we pulled away. “Around.”
“What happened with you and Izzie?”
I sighed heavily. “We had a fight,” I confessed. “She hates me.”
Adele shook her head. “Oh, sweetie. How can anyone hate you?”
I stared at the ground, at a loss for words.
“So you haven’t been hanging out with Izzie at all lately?”
I shook my head. “No… sorry.”
