“He’s the person who told me about it.”
“I’ll have to ask him,” I said. I looked at the clock on my dashboard. “Crap, I’m officially late. I better go.”
“Drive safe,” Danny said as I hung up the phone.
I pressed the gas and passed the car in front of me. The movie theater wasn’t far, but there was always traffic after school let out. I didn’t necessarily like my job, but I liked getting paid every two weeks. I wasn’t going to pull the same scholarships for college that Brian did. Whether I went to SCU or somewhere smaller, I needed to start saving.
I’d been looking forward to visiting SCU, but what Danny told me cast a shadow over the upcoming trip. Girls had really gone missing? Like, vanished? I’d never known someone who’d gone missing before. During my freshman year, a girl ran away once. She was gone long enough for the school to make announcements about it. Turned out she’d snuck across state lines to be with her dad. But for someone to be sleeping in their dorm or walking on campus or, hell, rushing to their shift at the movie theater and just vanish… it unsettled me. Like most teenagers, I felt like every world event somehow had a direct impact on my life.
I also thought it was strange Brian hadn’t said anything about the missing girls. If this had happened a year ago, I wouldn’t have been surprised. But ever since Christmas, Brian had seemingly told us everything about his life at SCU. I knew about his stupid frat’s Valentine’s Day fundraiser and that the basketball team was on track to win the championship. He’d been the one to tell Danny about it. He was taking time to hand out flyers warning people about potential dangers on campus. Why wouldn’t he tell us? Unless, like Danny said, he didn’t want to raise alarm.
It was after eleven when I came home. Mom sat in the living room holding a glass of wine and watching Letterman.
“Hi, sweetie. Hungry?” she asked.
I slung my purse over the sofa and leaned against the back of the recliner. “Starved.”
“There’s some pizza in the fridge. I can heat it up for you in the oven, if you’d like.”
“I got it,” I said. I knew she was only being polite. She was comfortable and didn’t want to get up. She didn’t even move at the offer.
“Fill up and get in bed,” she said. “You’re working too late for a school night.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, putting the pizza on a plate and popping it in the microwave. “Are we still planning on visiting Brian next week?”
“Of course, honey,” she said, taking a sip. “I think it’ll be great.”
“Me too,” I said, looking down. “Has he said anything to you about missing girls?”
Mom twisted in the armchair and looked at me. “Missing girls? What about missing girls?”
“From SCU. There’s been, like, five disappear.”
“And Brian told you this?”
“No, Danny did. I was wondering if Brian mentioned it to you.”
“He’s not said anything to me,” she said, sipping her wine. “Danny. You mean Danny Mayfair from down the street?”
“Yes,” I said, regretting my slip.
“How long have you been talking to him?”
“Like, my whole life.” The microwave beeped. I pulled out the plate by its edges. “We’re friends, you know.”
“I see.” She returned her attention to the television. “I wouldn’t worry about going missing, love.”
“I just think it’s weird Brian wouldn’t mention it. Especially when he knows we’re coming to visit.”
“Missing can mean lots of things, at the college level especially. Girls get a bit loose and lose their way.”
“You’re blaming the girls for going missing?” I asked, still chewing my pizza.
“If they’ve gone missing. I’m telling you. It could be a bad breakup or homesickness. There’s a whole world of reasons why a girl might walk away.”
I could have kept pushing, but I decided not to. After all, the girl from my school had been a runaway. According to Danny, no one at SCU knew exactly what was going on. Maybe I was being dramatic.
I stuffed the last of the pizza in my mouth and rinsed off my plate. “Heading upstairs,” I told Mom.
“Love you,” she said, never taking her eyes away from the screen.
Thirty-Four
Now
I pick up pizza on my way home from work. After I scarf down three pieces, I walk to the sofa and cover my legs with a blanket. I reach for the remote but decide against watching anything. I close my eyes. Rarely do I fall asleep so easily, especially when there are troubling things on my mind. I suppose I’m used to it now, being troubled. Dealing with another disturbing individual no longer feels as jarring as it once did. If anything, I’m most bothered by the way my co-workers now look at me. Like I’m the one with the problem. I picture Zoey’s manipulative smile. Within seconds I’m asleep.
Danny says my name three times before I fully open my eyes. He’s sitting on the edge of the sofa, staring at me.
“You home early?” I ask, groggily.
“Not exactly,” he says. Seeing I’m awake, he stands and walks to the kitchen. “It’s after seven.”
I sit up and pull the blanket away from my legs. “I didn’t mean to sleep so long.”
“Maybe you needed it,” he says, opening the pizza box, then closing it without taking a slice. He keeps his eyes low, and there’s a tenseness around his mouth I’m only used to seeing after a particularly long day of work.
“Everything okay?” I ask, stretching my arms and patting the stray hair around my face.
“You tell me,” he says, still standing by the breakfast bar.
“Danny, what’s going on?”
He takes a deep breath before returning to the living room and sitting on the ottoman. He leans over, placing his elbows on his knees. “I received a phone call today. From Pam.”
My stomach flutters as I take
