by Raathi Chota
“Well, it’s not every day that a detective comes and asks you about a guy who’s missing.”
“True, but don’t they seem off to you, babe?”
“Off?” I raised a brow.
“Yeah, like they’ve become very…distant. I don’t know how to describe it, but you get me, right?” Marcus asked.
“They do seem a bit off. I thought it was only me. Especially that night when we all slept over.”
“Yeah, that night still gives me the chills. I wanted to call the cops, as any sane person would, but Aidan said I shouldn’t. And that’s coming from the guy who used a frying pan as a weapon.”
“That night was weird…also when Benny and Lana were yelling. It’s as if they knew—”
“That it was coming!” Marcus and I said in unison. I sat on my bed for a moment as I tried to remember everything that happened that night.
“Wait—Nick, Liam, Benny, and Lana were in the room when they were yelling. Then how does it involve Aidan?” Marcus asked.
“Remember they went to follow the guy who climbed out of Lana’s room? Maybe the guy threatened them or the—”
I got cut off when a squeaky voice came through the laptop. Marcus turned to the side as he smiled.
“Mom wants you to come and massage her back!” I recognized the voice as Marcus’s little sister, Elenore.
“It’s past midnight. Is she crazy?” Marcus asked as I laughed. Elenore came into view and waved at me. Marcus groaned as he stood up and slipped on a hoodie.
“Hey, El,” I greeted as she smiled at me, which displayed the little gap. Her tooth had come out recently, so Marcus and I took her to the park to see her friends.
“Hi, Miranda. Don’t worry, bro, I’ll stay with your girlfriend,” she said as Marcus smiled.
“I think Miranda’s tired n—”
“You always say that,” Elenore whined as I chuckled.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” I said as she pouted.
“Night baby. Sweet drea—” he said, then ruffled Elenore’s hair.
“Hehe, you said baby.” Elenore laughed as my cheeks flushed. Marcus and I laughed as Elenore stared at us. I shook my head then ended the FaceTime as I shut my laptop. I placed my computer on my desk then walked to the light switch. Suddenly, my phone went off as “Fireworks” by Katy Perry played. I raised a brow because who would call at this hour?
“Hello,” I answered the phone as I sat on my bed.
“Hey, sweet cheeks,” Levi greeted as I squinted my eyes.
“Why are you calling me?”
“Aww, can’t I talk to my best friend’s best friend?”
“What do you want?”
“I need you to pick us up,” he said, to which I raised a brow.
“From where?”
“The station,” he mumbled as I snorted. “Look, the officer will explain when you get here…”
“And why would I want to help you and your buddies?” I muttered.
“You owe me a little favor, Stevens. I spoke to Marcus the other day, and he seemed quite proud. Does he know what happened last year?”
“You wouldn’t, Radcliff,” I said through gritted teeth as I gripped the phone.
“Oh, you know me, sugar. I like people knowing the truth. You know what they say: honesty is the best policy,” he sang as I pushed myself off the bed.
“Fine, I’ll be there soon,” I muttered, then ended the call. I was frustrated and tugged on my hair. I quickly put on a sweater and Converse, then walked downstairs, where I saw my mother on the sofa. The Cooking Channel was on as my mom sipped her brandy.
“Where you going?” she asked, her gaze still fixed on the television.
“Bailing someone out,” I answered as I put on a coat.
“Okay. Just make sure the car is returned in one piece,” she stated.
“Okay,” I said, then walked out the door. I climbed into our car and drove off. We could only afford one car, so Mom used public transport to get to work. It was the usual routine when I went out; Mom asked where I went and then told me to return home safe with the car. She still hadn’t gotten over Dad, who left us fifteen years ago. I tried to get in contact with him, but Mom said I shouldn’t. I realized she still loved him. From what I remembered, I got my blue eyes from him and that he loved baseball.
By the time I arrived at the station, it was almost three a.m. It looked creepy. I entered the building where I saw a woman sitting behind the desk. Her tag read Jackson.
“H-hi…I’m here for, err…” I mumbled because I hadn’t done this before.
“Name?” she asked.
“Err…Levi Radcliff and…”
“You haven’t done this before, have you?” she asked as she grabbed a clipboard. I nodded, which made her chuckle as she read off the clipboard. “No charge.”
“What? I thought I was supposed to bai—”
“Honey, half these people here are from that party up on Lewis Street. It turns out there were drugs, and some of them are in here because of that.”
“What about the others?”
“We did tests, and some of them only had drug usage, while others were just drunk as hell.”
“So who didn’t do drugs?” I asked, then folded my arms. The woman sighed as she read off the clipboard again.
“Axel Gunner, Blake Gunner, Carter Halls, Levi Radcliff, and Erwin Chambers, who got dropped off by Deputy Paul because he was crying too much. Poor kid.”
“Who did drugs?” I asked as she swung the keys in her hands.
“Err…Keene Stoner, Parker Collins, and Jaden Reid,” she said as my eyes widened.
“Umm…I’ll take the first four, please,” I said with a tight-lipped smile. The woman nodded and motioned me to follow her. We walked through the building past random cells filled with people in a drunken state.
“Do your parents know that you’re here?” the woman asked.
“Surprisingly, yes,” I mumbled as we stopped. I took in my surroundings to see an officer sitting behind a desk with his legs propped up on the table. He ate a bag of chips. I followed his gaze to see that he stared at the guys who were in the cell.
“These four kids are free to go.” The woman dropped a note on his desk.
“Cool,” the guy replied as he stared at the note. The woman threw her arms up as the man ate his chips.
“Well? Go get them!” she demanded. He jumped from his seat. He took the keys from her and stared at the cell. The guy squirmed as he slowly put the key through the hole. “Hurry up!”
“Hold your horses, Jackson! I don’t like clowns, and this one has been laughing non-stop,” the man blurted out as I looked at the clown. He honestly looked scary in the dim light as he smiled. I diverted my eyes somewhere else to where I saw Keene and Jaden. While the officers argued, they walked over and leaned against the bars.
“Hey, Blondie…you’re looking good.” Jaden smirked as he eyed me up and down.
“I got a mirror.” I folded my arms.
“Feisty as always.” He winked at me. I rolled my eyes and looked at the officer, who finally opened the cell. He pulled it opened and flicked his wrist.
“Hurry, hurry! Before he does some weird shit again!” The officer rushed out as Levi, Blake, Carter, and Axel walked out.
“You forgetting someone?” Keene asked with a smile.
“No space, sorry,” I said with a fake pout. Jaden chuckled as Keene stared at me. I shifted my gaze to the officer who talked to the guys. I let out a deep sigh as I walked down the hall.
“Hey, err…thanks,” Carter said as he appeared beside me.
“No problem,” I sighed as we walked out of the sheriff’s station and toward the car.
“Thank goodness Bobby was on night patrol.” Levi chuckled as we got in. Carter sat in the passenger seat while the others sat behind us. As I drove, I thought where I’d dropped them off. I didn’t want to play their driver, so I decided to drop them off at the Gunner household. The altern
ative music brought me back as I glanced down and saw Carter turn up the volume. The familiar smell made me scrunch my nose up as I looked through the rearview mirror.
“Hey, no smoking!” I growled as Axel exhaled at me. They ignored me as the tobacco smell spread through the car. My nails dug into the wheel as my jaw clenched. “I’m not gonna drive until you stop smoking.”
Levi laughed as Blake blew out smoke rings. I let go of the wheel and folded my arms. Out the corner of my eye, Carter threw his cigarette out as he grabbed the wheel.
“What the hell, Miranda?” he demanded as he looked at the road. We swerved a bit as Carter tried to drive while I controlled the pedals.
“You trying to kill us?” Axel asked.
“Are you trying to kill me?” I demanded. I looked out my window and into the side mirror, where I saw Axel throw out his cigarette. I kept in a grin as I looked over my shoulder to see Levi and Blake do the same. “Thank you.” I then put my hands back on the wheel.
“What made you come and get us?” Carter asked.
“I-I don’t know,” I said as my gaze locked on the road.
“Really? I think you know damn well why. I’m sure Jaden would love to see you at his parties again,” Levi said as he leaned forward.
“Never going to his parties again. I mean, look what happened to you guys,” I scoffed as I membered last year when Levi dragged Lana and me to Jaden’s party.
“What are you guys talking about?” Blake asked.
“Just what Jaden said about last year.” Levi smirked. “How she blew the fucking roof off. Do you think they’ll know tha—”
I cut off Levi when I hit the brakes. His head hit against Carter’s seat, and he groaned while the guys laughed.
“We’re here,” I mumbled. They thanked me, then piled out of the car. “Just be glad that you’re friends with Lana and I care about her. Otherwise, I would’ve punched you so fucking hard right now,” I confessed as Levi got out.
“Goodnight to you too, Miranda.” He laughed then shut the door. I turned the radio off and drove in silence. One thing was for sure—Levi and I never got along. Lana tried to make us enjoy each other’s company, but I knew it was never going to happen. I stuck by her because I knew that when he left, I was all she’s had. Well not now, obviously, but there were times when we hung out because we were tired of the opposite sex.
I arrived home safely in the car in one piece. When I entered the house, I wasn’t surprised to see my mother in the same position as earlier.
“Is the car in one piece?” she asked as I took off my coat.
“I’m okay, Mom, and yes, the car is in one piece, but it will have a weird smell, though,” I mentioned and walked upstairs. Mom muttered something under her breath which I didn’t hear. I let out a sigh as I walked into my room.
***
Lana
The springs in my mattress bounced while my ear was on the bed, which meant my pillow disappeared during the night. I let out a groan as I opened my eyes.
“Wake up!” the annoying voice yelled.
“Why? It’s Monday,” I whined. The mattress sank as I felt a weight on it. I turned so that I was on my back to see Levi on my bed in his pajamas. “Levi, no,” I warned as I reached for my glasses. As I put them on, Levi jumped on the bed. He laughed as I bounced. He collapsed right beside me with a grin spread across his face. “Where were you yesterday? You didn’t come home.”
“I hung out at Blake’s place. We were all pretty hungover from the party on Saturday,” he responded. Out the corner of my eye, I saw Dad enter the room, already dressed.
“Well, I better get ready,” Levi said as he got up and walked to my bathroom.
“Use the bathroom downstairs,” I said as he shut the door.
“I can’t hear you because of this one being better,” he said, then turned on the shower. I let out a chuckle as Dad rolled his eyes. I watched as he sat down beside me then placed his hand on my shoulder.
“Get ready. We’re going Christmas shopping,” he said.
“I don’t want to go to the mall with my parents,” I groaned. “Add that to the list of embarrassing things.”
“How is it embarrassing? What list?” Dad questioned.
“Nu-nothing.”
“Lana.” Dad pressed as he looked at me.
“Well, people at school talk, Dad. Especially since you arrested half of them Of course they’ll gossip,” I admitted.
“You think I’m embarrassing?”
“No! No! It’s just…this is high school, Dad. People used to pick on me. There’s always those kinds of individuals at school.”
“Lana, dear, sometimes they only do that because they’re either jealous or raised like an ass.” Dad sighed as he swung my legs over his lap and brought me closer to him as I rested my head on his chest. “And if they still pick on you when you go back after winter break, call me. I’ll whoop their ass, put them in jail, and maybe afterward your mother can help them to the hospital.”
“Why would they be jealous?” I giggled.
“Well, if you look at it…your mom is a doctor, I’m a sheriff, and you have Griffon as your uncle. Obviously, people would be jealous because you have those advantages. Plus, you’re brilliant. Take me, for example. Believe it or not, I was the cool guy back in high school,” he said as I snorted. “I was friendly and very careless like that one friend of yours…that always cleans our fridge?”
“Liam?”
“Yeah, that one…does he get fed at home? Because he ate my doughnuts that I brought home from the station the other day,” Dad grumbled.
“Yeah, Dad, he just loves food.”
“Okay then…well, once I got to college, I became serious about what I want in life. Then when I became a cop, my friends started to say how I was changing, especially since I arrested one of them.” He sighed. “Griffon was one of my real friends who stood by my side. I met your mother, got married the next year, and then a few years later I became sheriff.” He sighed. “What I’m trying to say is…there’ll be people in your life who will bring out the good and bad in you. But stick with the ones who bring out the best in you.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I smiled.
“You said used to. What happened?” he asked after a while.
“Well, let’s just say the senior year really does determine who you’ll be graduating with,” I admitted as I stood up.
“Don’t think so far ahead, kiddo. You still got the rest of the school year…which will obviously be a breeze for you.”
“I hope so,” I whispered. From the corner of my eye, I saw a figure clap their hands. Dad and I looked at Levi, who was shirtless in sweatpants with a towel around his neck.
“That father-daughter moment was just so moving,” he pouted. I playfully rolled my eyes as Richard stood by the doorway.
“Ready to go?” he asked, then looked at my appearance. “Let me rephrase that. Everyone out of bed?”
I let out a laugh and nodded as I walked to my closet and picked out an outfit for the day.
“All right, this is how it’s gonna work. Angie and Jade think we’re all going shopping, but it’s just you two,” Dad clarified as I held my clothes in my hands.
“What about you guys?” I asked. Mom and Jade went shopping yesterday, but I woke up too late and they were already gone. So today had to be the day we go.
“We’re going to watch a football game at a bar,” Richard answered.
“Badass, Sheriff.” Levi smirked.
“Not really, I just don’t want to shop…” Dad whined.
“What if they find out?” I asked.
“Griffon will be there, so we’ll just say that he invited us and we couldn’t let him down.” Richard waved off as he walked into the hall.
“Bobby, just remember…they always find out,” Levi sang as Dad cursed under his breath. I awkwardly stood in front of Levi as he took the towel and dried his hair. He put the towel back on his shoulder, then grinned at me.
“Well, looks like it’s just you and me, princess.”
“Yep.” I sighed, then walked into the bathroom. I locked the door and undressed. I took a quick shower as I thought of the gifts I’d get everyone. I already got Benny a gift, and I’d receive it soon. I turned off the shower and grabbed the towel. Out the corner of my eye, I saw movement. I quickly wrapped the towel around me as I squinted at the person.
“Levi?”
“Yes, princess?”
“What the fuck? How’d you get in? I locked the door,” I groaned as I joined him at the sink counter. I put on my glasses and watched as he gelled his hair.
“Yeah, you need a new lock.”
“Déjà vu,” I mumbled as I gripped on my towel.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Not nothing…someone doesn’t just say déjà vu for no reason. Especially in a situation like this.” I shook my head as I avoided eye contact then grabbed my toothbrush.
“Did someone else see you naked? Was it Benny? Carter? Parker? Keene? Ax—”
“What the hell?” I demanded. Levi let out a forced laugh as he stepped closer. I backed away and hit against the shower door. I bit the inside of my cheek as his hand grazed over my towel.
“Told you I’d find out. Remember you can only be bad for me, princess.”
I pushed Levi off me and glared at him. I roughly opened the door and gestured for him to get out.
“I have a boyfriend now, Levi. Don’t touch me, and in the kindest way possible, fuck off,” I muttered as I pushed him out the door. I slammed it shut and walked to the sink. I brushed my teeth as quickly as possible, then ripped the towel from me. I glanced up and looked at myself in the mirror. I bit my lip as I ran my fingers over the outline of my body. My poor used, damaged body, yet the only person to blame was me.
***
I stepped into the passenger seat of Levi’s Mustang then shut the door. He started the car then dumped his cigarette out. He wasn’t even finished. Except for the music that blared through the car, we drove in silence. Out the corner of my eye, he threw his head back in frustration. He turned down the volume and sighed.
“Look, I’m sorry for what happened earlier. It’s just every year when I came, it would be you, Keene, and me. And it’s not easy to move on. I-I just have to get used to the fact that you’re with someone else now,” he muttered. “I really have to get used it because you’re with Benny Nielson. I mean, him of all people. It would’ve been fine if it were Blake or even Carter. But Benny fucking Nielson.”
