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“Mrs. Conley?” I ask, just to be on the safe side.
“Yes.” She smiles and holds out her hand. “But please call me Evelyn. And you’re Zayden, right?”
I shake her hand. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Well, it’s about time I met you. I’ve heard so much about you from Paul, but it always seems like our schedules never mesh for us to meet.”
Paul and Rylee’s mom have been married for a little over two months. Normally, I’m at Oliver’s house more, but since winter break ended, I haven’t been over as much, or when I have, neither Paul nor Evelyn have been around.
“It’s nice to meet you.” I shove my hands in my pockets and rock back on my heels. “I was over last night, and I think I left my phone and jacket here. You mind if I come in and look?”
“Not at all. Come on in.”
She steps back from the door and gestures with her hand for me to enter. I immediately spot my jacket lying over a chair by the stairs. After I snatch it up, I turn to face Evelyn.
She has her arms crossed over her chest, a curious glint in her eyes. “I didn’t realize Oliver was home last night. He told Paul he was out with some friends.”
I have no idea if Rylee’s told her mother about us, but there’s no way of getting out of telling her the truth. I already told her I was here last night; my jacket proved it.
“I wasn’t here with Oliver,” I say, holding her eyes.
It only takes a moment for her to register what my words mean. “Oh.” She says the word slowly, her mouth forming a circle. “Rylee. You were here with Rylee.” She frowns. “I didn’t realize you two were friends.”
“More than friends, actually.”
She frowns, lacing her fingers together in front of her. “Oh, well, I haven’t seen much of her lately. I’m sure that’s why she hasn’t told me.”
I don’t comment on that. Rylee hasn’t said much about her mom, but I get the sense things are a little tense between the two since they made the move to Paul’s house.
“Do you happen to know where Rylee is? We were supposed to meet after I got off work.”
“No, I haven’t spoken to her since I got home. She was rushing out the door when I was coming downstairs after changing my clothes. She was on the phone with one of her friends. Someone named Pierce, I think. She mentioned something about a party.”
There’s only one party going on tonight that I know of. Why the hell would Rylee want to go to Regina’s party? She has to know she’s part of Tiffany’s bitchy little squad. Rylee’s brave, strong, and tenacious, but I don’t see her purposely putting herself in Tiffany’s crosshairs. Not to mention, we were supposed to meet up. She knew I got off at seven, so why the hell did she leave?
I pull out my phone, turn my screen on, and see several missed calls from Rylee that came in last night, right after I left. I also have a couple of missed calls from Oliver from thirty minutes ago.
“Do you know where Oliver is?” I ask Evelyn.
She shakes her head, her dark hair, so much like Rylee’s, swaying over her shoulders. “I’m sorry, I don’t. He doesn’t keep us in the loop much on where he’s going.”
I jerk my chin up in a nod, my jaw clenching with sudden irritation. I need to get out of here and find Rylee before something happens. And if she’s at Regina’s house, I have no doub
t Tiffany is, too; therefore, shit will definitely happen. Tiffany may have been quiet recently, but I know damn good and well she’s not over her snit with Rylee.
I thank Evelyn for letting me in to grab my phone before leaving. As I walk to my truck, I pull Rylee’s name up and try to call her. It rings until her voicemail picks up. I smash the End Call button and try again. Getting the same results, I toss my phone on the dash, start my truck, and haul ass out of the neighborhood. Oliver will have to wait until later for me to call him back. My only thought is of getting to Rylee.
A bad feeling forms in the pit of my stomach. Something isn’t right. Rylee wouldn’t up and leave to go to a party when we were supposed to meet up. And she certainly wouldn’t do it without calling me first. The only missed calls I have from her are the ones from last night. None today and no text messages.
I stop behind a line of cars a couple houses down from Regina’s. When I get out of my truck, I can already hear the thump of loud music. This neighborhood is one of the richer ones, so you’d think the neighbors would call the cops with a noise complaint. But then again, I’m sure most know each other and wouldn’t dare call the cops for fear of insulting the other. Appearances and reputations are everything to these people.
Although it’s still kind of early, people already litter the yard; some are so drunk they sway and fall over, some make out in the shadows, while some simply stand around and talk to others. When I walk in the house, I can barely hear myself think because the music is so fucking loud. And the amount of people is ridiculous. You can’t move without bumping into someone.
I head for the kitchen first. It’s ironic because the kitchen is usually where the booze is kept, but it’s normally the least crowded part of the house during these things.
I keep my eyes peeled for Rylee, but instead of finding her, I spot Tiffany leaning against the wall down one of the hallways right outside the kitchen. Her skirt is so short, that I have no doubt if it wasn’t so dark, I’d be able to see her panties. Her shirt isn’t much better with one side hanging off her shoulder so low, the tops of her breasts are on full display. Lifting my gaze to hers, she’s wearing a smile I really don’t fucking like. It’s the type that says she knows something I don’t, and whatever it is, it’s something she’s enjoying immensely.
That bad feeling I had in my truck triples in strength.
