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Otto’s face grew solemn and he looked down at the pavement. “Yes. Grandma Marie.” He shrugs a little, holding his hands out. “She wasn’t our grandmother by blood, but she took us in and treated us like it. We grew up around her, too, but we weren’t as close as Drake was to her. The hospital kept trying to call him since he was next of kin but they ended up calling my mom. We had no other choice but to cremate her. Funeral costed too much and Drake wasn’t answering so we handled it.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, rubbing his upper arm.
“It’s cool.” He put on a warm smile. “Anyway, we left Drake at home after he told us he was cool, but Oscar said he would be back to check on him after his shift. Well, Oscar went by there afterwards and Drake wasn’t there. He figured Drake went to get something to eat or something so he waited… but Drake still wasn’t there. He sat there for three hours and nothing. He called the gyms but no one saw a sign of him.”
“So… what are you saying? That he just disappeared?”
Otto shrugged. “He had a fight yesterday but didn’t show up. Flex has been asking about him too since he’s losing money. No one knows where he is right now, Jenny.”
“W-well where would he go? Can you think of a place? Somewhere he’d hide for a while?”
“The only place he hid was at Grandma Marie’s house. But he’s not there. We’ve checked everyday. Oscar is out looking for him now. Trust me, we’re worried, too. The last thing we want is find out he’s been tossed in jail for doing something stupid.” Otto rubbed his jaw roughly. “Grandma Marie was pretty much all he had left, other than us. She was important to him. I know he’s hurting, but when he hurts, he’s not smart. If we don’t find him, he might end up ruining his damn life.”
My eyes burned, but I looked away quickly, puling out my car keys. “I understand,” I whispered. “If you find him, you’ll tell him to call me?”
Otto nodded and then capped my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Jenny. I really am. As soon as we hear something, I’ll reach out to you.”
“Okay. Thanks, Otto.”
He nodded and stepped back. I rounded my car, opening the door. He walked away and I watched him, but when I climbed into the car, I heard Flex’s voice again. I could see him through my rearview mirror.
“He probably got pissed at her, threw one of his damn tantrums, and she told her parents about him—had him tossed in fucking jail or some shit! You know they’re rich. They can get whatever the fuck they want.”
“Fuck off, Flex!” Otto fumed. “She wouldn’t do that to him.”
Flex was loud on purpose.
I wanted to respond, but I didn’t. I’d heard a lot about Flex through his only son, and the one thing Flex loved most was drama. Conflict.
He was childish, so I chose to be the bigger person in that moment.
I started the ignition and I drove off quickly, but my heart was hurting more and more with each mile away. I had no idea where Drake was.
I wanted to cry so badly and I ended up doing just that as soon I arrived at home and locked my bedroom door behind me. I lay in bed, tears thick in my eyes, clutching C.C. in my arms.
She smelled like him. He usually rested his head on her belly when he snuck in late at night.
God, where was he? Where could he have gone?
Why wouldn’t he talk to me? Why wouldn’t he just let us help him?
Drake could have been miles away by now. He could have been anywhere, and unfortunately no one knew of his whereabouts. I thought surely he’d tell Oscar and Otto, but he didn’t. On purpose.
He didn’t want Flex to try and manipulate them into telling him where he was.
He was smart… but he was also being very, very stupid.
I wanted to understand, but I just couldn’t. How could he just leave like that? How could he go without telling me—or at least letting me know he was somewhere safe?
Someone knocked on my door.
I looked up, and when Dad walked in, I scowled instantly. Maybe he wasn’t showing up because of them. Maybe he was too ashamed to come back and talk to me because of the way Mom treated him. Like he was scum of the earth, never to be respected.
Dad stopped at the end of my bed and called my name when I looked away.
“What?” I mumbled.
“I have something for you… something you might like.”
I sat up, swiping my eyes. Dad looked at me warily and sat on the edge of my mattress. “What is it?” I asked.
