My dad let out a sigh of relief and said, “Great, cause I really don’t want to climb two flights of stairs. You two be good, I’m a light sleeper Drew, so if you value all your parts, you will continue to be respectful of your mother’s house—and me when it comes to my daughter.”
We watched him go into the guest room downstairs and then sat back down together on the love seat. I crawled up in his lap and laid my head on his shoulder as we watched some late-night TV, and that is where we fell asleep until his phone alarm woke us up the next morning at 4:30.
“Why on earth do you get up this early?”
He pulled his favorite royal blue hoodie over his head and chuckled. “To make sure mom has coffee and a bagel when she leaves for work.”
I got up and went to shower upstairs. By the time I came back down fresh, clean, and wide awake, Drew was hugging his mom goodbye.
“I’m going to be in late tonight, Andrew, so don’t feel like you have to wait up. Herald is taking me to dinner tonight in Tulsa.”
She walked into the garage, and Drew closed the door after her.
“Herald,” I asked as I followed him back to the living room.
Drew cringed. “He’s my mom’s—go-to, when she is getting—um lonely. Anyway, you ready to go back to sleep?”
“You seriously let me go and take a shower just to tell me we’re going back to sleep?”
“Well, look on the bright side, at least you’re clean.”
Drew sat down on the three-seater couch and held out his arms to me like a needy two-year-old. I giggled and settled with my back against his chest. It didn’t take us long to zonk out again. I was startled awake by Dad shaking me lightly.
“Well, don’t you two look cozy? We need to get you off to school kiddos. How about we get some donuts on the way in?”
Drew started laughing. “You actually eat donuts! I give Uncle Tony crap about that all the time, and he doesn’t even eat them!
Dad turned a dry unamused look toward him, and Drew must have decided it was better to just drop it because he abruptly stopped laughing.
Thanks, Mr. Garrows, but I have practice after school, so I’ll drive myself in.”
“Alright, Drew, Eden, I’ll be in the car grab your stuff, and we’ll get going.”
After Dad walked out the door, I turned to Drew. “I’ll see you at school, okay.”
He wrapped his arms around my waist and gave me a long, deep kiss. “That you will,” He said with a smile. “Hey, Eden?”
I looked up at him, and he just stood there looking at me intently, so I rose on my tippy toes, pecked him on the lips, and said, “Yeah, I know, Drew, me too.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The Absentee
It was third period, and I still hadn’t seen Drew. I wondered what could be keeping him. I knew he wasn’t the type to play hooky, so when fourth period came and went, I really started to worry. I’d texted him at least a dozen times and called half that many. Jennifer was at home sick, and without Drew around, Aiden didn’t have much to say to me other than hi. It was mostly just awkward. Lunch hour came and went. I didn’t think it was possible to miss someone as much as I missed Drew. I turned the combination to my locker after lunch, and when the door swung open, I almost dropped my books. There was another note, this time taped to the inside of the metal door. My heart stopped when I read it.
By now, you’ve noticed that your boy toy never showed up for school. You’ve tried texting, tried calling, and have gotten no answer. If you want him to ever answer another text or call again, you’ll come to Porter’s Field right after it gets dark. Come alone, and don’t tell anyone, or he will die. I’m watching you, Eden.
With a trembling hand, I closed the locker door. My breaths were coming too fast, and if I didn’t calm down, my fear-induced anxiety was going to get the best of me. With my head against the cold surface of the locker, I concentrated on slowing my breathing. I knew I couldn’t call Dad because the first thing he would do is call in the Cavalry. Sara would do the same. The panic grew, but I managed to keep it below the surface. They had Drew, and I didn’t dare press my luck by trying their hand. This person killed my mother, a sixteen-year-old pregnant girl, and had thought they’d killed an unborn child as well. I was certain they’d have no problems murdering a seventeen-year-old boy. I didn’t like it, but I was backed into a corner, and the only place left to turn was Mr. Masson. Before I told him anything, though, he was going to give me answers to how he knew my mother’s pet name. Pulling myself together, I headed to his classroom with the note—he wasn’t there. So I tried the coach’s office instead and watched him unnoticed for a moment. I hovered in the doorway silently. He was sitting behind the desk eating the core of an apple when he sensed my presence and glanced up. As soon as he got a load of the look on my face, he was out of his chair and across the room.
“Eden, what’s wrong?”
I handed him the note, and he eyed it dubiously before he sat down and read it. A plethora of emotions raced across his
