The Missing Piece

by Jessica Baxter

  “Okay.”

  The door opens.

  “Excuse me, Mrs. Merrill?” Ian’s beautiful voice says.

  I lift my foot to take a step forward, but instead place it back down, whipped cream squishing between my toes. I pull the blindfold off.

  Danielle is staring at me in disbelief. “I said take a giant leap over, not a small step.”

  “Sorry,” I say, grabbing a paper towel from the desk in front of me.

  I glance at the front of the room as I start to wipe my foot off. Ian is staring at me. He hands some papers to Mrs. Merrill but doesn’t take his eyes off me. “Mr. Miller asked me to drop these copies off for you.”

  I sigh.

  I don’t like being the girl who hangs on Ian’s every word, but he makes it so hard. Just as I get my feelings under control, he’ll bump into my arm, or say something sweet, or give me that heart-stopping smile.

  And, just like that, I am hooked again.

  I glance at Danielle and see she’s giving Ian a tentative smile.

  He waves. “Hey Danielle, Em.”

  “Uh, did you need anything else, Mr. Roberts?” Mrs. Merrill asks stacking the papers neatly onto her desk.

  “No, that was all,” Ian says wistfully, before leaving the room.

  “Calliope, what are you doing tonight?”

  We’re waiting for AP English to begin. A week ago Ms. Porter assigned our first paper. It is now Tuesday and I may have already finished it. Besides, today will probably just be another free period to work on our paper which means I will spend all period analyzing every aspect of my relationship with Mason and trying to figure out where I stand with Wonder Boy.

  Almost a week has passed since I’ve received the text from Mason. Since the field trip, I’ve called him every single night, but he refuses to answer my calls. Half of the time he sends me straight to voicemail mid-ring. I need a distraction, anything really, to keep my mind off of everything that’s going on so I’m hoping for a girls' night out.

  Calliope looks up from her tattered copy of Lord of the Flies. She shifts uncomfortably in her seat. "Nothing, I guess."

  I haven’t really spent any one on one time with Calliope, and it’s not because I don’t like her, honestly, I do; It’s just she’s always busy with Liam and we’ve never really done anything outside of our little group.

  I take a deep breath, trying to silence my nerves. “Wanna go to the mall? There’s a great sale going on at Old Navy.”

  Calliope is my only hope. Danielle will probably be busy working on her p paper, and I’ve never really talked to Liam before, and I’m avoiding alone time with Ian as much as possible. My thoughts are already a jumbled mess, I don’t need to confuse my brain any further. Besides, some girl time will be nice, even if I’m not a big shopper. I can tell that Calliope cares about fashion and makeup, so shopping it is.

  She rubs her temples. After a moment’s pause, she says, “I don’t know. Liam and I are studying later tonight, and I really need to finish this paper.”

  “Please?” I beg. “Pretty please? It’ll be fun having a night out. Maybe Danielle will come?”

  Calliope opens her mouth to object as Ms. Porter walks in. She walks to the blackboard and writes the assignment for the day, which I’ve already finished, on the board. I rip a piece of paper out of my notebook and write, pleeease? followed by a big smiley face, and pass it to Calliope.

  She gives a defeated sigh. “Fine. But we’re going to the movies after and I’m picking.”

  Chapter Twelve

  I have two hours until I’m meeting Calliope and Danielle in the lounge, so I decide to call Mads. We haven’t talked on the phone for a few weeks and I’m dying to fill her in and tell her more about Ian—aside from what she’s already heard in texts and emails.

  A smile tugs at my mouth. I bet she’ll start bombarding me with questions as soon as she answers the phone. “Does he know the royal family?” “Do you think he could sneak us into Buckingham Palace?” “Do you think he’s besties with Prince Harry?” As the phone rings, I run through all the possible questions she could ask.

  When Mads picks up on the first ring I feel I might explode from all the excitement building up inside me. Ian’s been on my mind ever since I talked to my mom a few weeks ago about him. My stomach is doing constant loops like the Blue Angels when they’re putting on an air show.

  Giddiness rises inside me as I tell Mads all about Ian. I tell her about meeting him, the park and then the field trip.

  The other end of the line is silent. A few awkward beats pass and I’m certain she must have fallen asleep. I’m just about to hang up when she hisses in my ear. “How could you?”

  “What?”

  “Don’t play dumb, Em. You have a boyfriend, yet you’re out flirting with every guy you meet.”

  “Mads, calm down. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “What do you mean you didn’t do anything wrong? Didn’t you just admit that you flirted with Ian?”

  “Yes, but I didn’t mean it.” I tug on a strand of hair. “I love Mason. C’mon Mads, you know that.”

  As the words come out of my mouth doubt consumes me; the little voice at the back of my head asks if you love Mason, why can’t you get Wonder Boy out of your head?

  I bite my lip. “Mads, I—”

  “Save it,” she says, cutting me off. Her voice is strained and I know she’s crying. “What are you going to do, replace me next? And what about Mason? What is this going to do to him?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.” My face is hot and I hear my voice rising. “Does this mean I can’t make any friends while I’m stuck here in LA, where I never wanted to be in the first place? What do you suggest I do? Hole up in my room and refuse to speak to anyone who crosses my path?”

  “If it keeps you from cheating on Mason.”

  “I didn’t CHEAT on him.” I shout into the phone. “Nothing happened.”

  “You keep saying that, but if you believed it you wouldn’t have a problem talking to Mason about it.”

  I stab the end call button on my phone and cross my arms. My stomach drops. I thought she was my best friend.

  My nerves are still on edge after my fight with Mads, and I don’t really want to be here, but I made plans and I didn’t want my new friends to think I am a flake. I dig my nails into my palm and glance around me.

  Santa Monica Place makes the mall back home look like a run-down Goodwill. The mall is three stories tall, has three escalators located on the south, east, and north corners, and has the most spectacular view of the ocean.

  The sun is shining and the evening is warm. It’s a beautiful night, but I feel miserable, hurt and confused. Why is Mads being such a jerk? Why won’t she hear me out? She’s acting like I’m Hans and I just betrayed Anna and left her to die.

  When in reality, Mason is the one who’s let me down. He hasn’t talked to me in weeks and then when he did he sent a picture of him with another girl! My thumb runs over the top of my phone.

  Calliope and Danielle start discussing stores they want to visit. Danielle glances back at me, worriedly, and mouths are you okay? I nod, pulling my phone out and punching Mads number onto the screen.

  My call goes directly to voicemail. I leave a message begging her to call me back ASAP and let me explain everything. I squeeze my eyes shut, sending a silent prayer to God and whatever angels are listening. Please, give me a sign. Help me to know what to do.

  Recently, my life feels like it’s in shambles between my boy troubles, my disagreement with my mom—a pang of sadness rips through me.

  How have I not apologized yet?

  I walk over to the edge of the pier and snap a picture of the sun setting against the ocean. Then I attach the image to a blank message and send it to my mom.

  Me: I’m so sorry mom. I love you.

  Mom: It’s okay, bug. I love you too. =]

  I turn my phone off as peels of laughter fill the air as a group of younger children run up and dow
n the boardwalk. A smile slowly spreads across my face as Walt Disney's words echo in my mind Happiness is a state of mind. I might not have everything figured out and life is a little sucky right now that Mads is giving me a cold shoulder, but that doesn't mean I can't be happy.

  My problems won't go away and I have some things I need to work through, but one thing I know for certain is life is a hell of a lot better with a best friend, and I’m determined to get mine back.

  I walk over to the bulletin board, joining Calliope and Danielle. My fingers cross and I take a deep breath, praying those three little words I long to see will appear before me. I frantically scan the map and let out a squeal of delight. “There’s a Disney Store! We have to go there.”

  Danielle and Calliope look at me like I’ve lost my marbles.

  “You really want to go to the Disney Store?” Calliope asks.

  “Yes!” I trace the path to the Disney Store on the board and then start walking away.

  Plush Disney princesses, Minnie Mouse, and Mickey Mouse dolls and every other possible character line the wall. Cinderella, Belle, Aurora, and Ariel dresses sit against the back wall with matching shoes and wigs.

  The center display features Disney's animated film Tangled. My eyes land on the plush Flynn Rider doll and I gasp. He could be Prince Harry’s doppelganger. Mads would totally freak. I grab a doll off the shelf as a peace offering to give her when she decides she’s ready to apologize.

  Then I head to the Disney princess dresses hanging on the back wall. Calliope and Danielle follow behind me. Halloween is two months away and I haven’t even thought about a costume. Mads and I dress up and go trick or treating every year, and she always tries to convince me to go to Noah Zimmerman’s haunted mansion.

  Every year I chicken out and watch Batman with Sammy instead. But, maybe . . . my fingers brush the sequence on a green Tinkerbell costume. The skirt is a lot shorter than something I’d normally wear, but didn’t my mom recently tell me change can be a good thing?

  “So are there any good haunted houses around here?” I ask.

  Calliope glances up from her iPhone, she’s probably texting Liam. “Uh.”

  Danielle’s eyes light up. “Well, there’s always the Haunted Hayride.”

  “Right! We went to that last year and Sarah practically peed her pants.” Calliope adds. “Remember when Ian snuck up behind us wearing that ridiculous clown mask?”

  “Oh, God!” Danielle says. “I thought I was going to die.”

  It sounds like my friends are more into scarier costumes than sexy . . . at least Ian is. No, I chide myself this is a Wonder Boy free zone. Stop thinking about him. I let the Tinkerbell costume fall from my hand and turn towards Calliope and Danielle. “That sounds like fun! Maybe, we can go again this year?”

  “Yeah!” they both agree as we exit the Disney Store and head toward Hanger 221. Calliope rushes to the sales rack while Danielle runs towards the shoes.

  A yellow bat signal across the room catches my eye. I walk towards it. My fingers slide over the smooth surface of the seat belt buckle, before flipping over the price tag. Would Ian wear this? I’m just about to pull it off of the shelve when I realize what I am doing. Mason is your boyfriend. I shove the belt further back nearly knocking over the rack.

  “Hey,” Danielle calls to me from the fitting room. “Can you get me a size 7?”

  She's holding up sleek black heels. There are ten different pairs of shoes already scattered in front of her. I smile at her and head towards the back wall lined with shoes. As I’m grabbing the shoes for Danielle, Calliope peeps her head out of the fitting room. “What do you guys think of this dress?” She asks, stepping out in a baby blue halter dress.

  The dress goes to her mid-thigh and has lace at the bottom. “It really makes your eyes pop.” Danielle says, “You have to get it.”

  “Yeah,” I agree. “Liam will love that on you!”

  Calliope blushes, mutters thanks and then ducks back into the fitting room. When she finishes changing, she heads to the counter and starts paying for her things. Danielle glances at me as we make our way to the front of the store and wait for Calliope. “Is everything okay?”

  I force myself to smile, but my voice is an octave higher as I reply. “Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?”

  “Don’t take this the wrong way,” Danielle says, holding her hands up in the air like she’s trying to talk down a deranged criminal. “But, you’ve seemed a little off today, like you’re trying too hard to please everyone.”

  I close my eyes and sigh. “Is it that obvious?”

  “Yeah, just a little,” she says, rubbing my shoulder. “What’s going on?”

  Talking to my mom last week didn’t go as smoothly as I had hoped, but maybe talking with Danielle will be different. I can’t bring up Ian, I'm not sure where her loyalties lie and I'm not ready to have another catfight over a boy, so instead, I skirt around for a variation of the truth.

  “Things have been pretty rocky with Mason since I’ve been out here. We haven’t talked in two weeks, and lately when we find time to talk all he wants to talk about is himself. I guess I’ve been a little bad at that too lately. I still try and ask him how things are going, but whenever I try telling him about what’s happening in my life he gets angry like I’m being burdensome or something. And . . .” I hesitate, biting my lip. “He sent a picture of him with another girl.”

  Danielle's jaw drops.

  “Are you serious? What a dickhead.”

  I cringe, staring at her. “They weren't doing anything, he probably didn't mean anything by it.”

  She shakes her head. “Emily, he sent a picture to you of him with another girl . . . that's a power play and a total douche move. He's saying he's in charge.”

  “No, he wouldn't do that.”

  “Let me see the picture,” Danielle says, holding her hand out.

  I pull my phone out of my pocket, powering it back on. “He's probably just adjusting to Africa still. It's a big change and I'm sure he just wanted me to see some of his friends.”

  “Listen to you!” She says. “God, are you seriously going to say he’s justified for treating you like a doormat? How is it okay for him to make you feel inferior like you don’t matter?”

  I don’t know what to say, it feels as if everything Danielle is saying is broadcasting on a different frequency and no matter how hard I try I can’t get my brain to switch back to FM.

  The picture loads on the screen and I thrust my phone at Danielle. She purses her lips, wrapping her arms around my shoulder. “This isn't innocent,” she gestures to the picture. “Mason took this with the intent to hurt you. He . . .”

  She clears her throat.

  “Look, I know I barely know you. I admit that. But what I see is a girl any guy would be lucky to have and if this boy can’t see that then I’d say dump his sorry ass. What makes him such a great catch anyway?”

  “He’s Mason,” I say as if that’s all the proof I need.

  “Well, he’s a shithead.” Danielle adjusts her purse strap. “Any guy who can make you feel that bad about yourself isn’t worth the time or effort.”

  “He doesn’t make me feel bad about myself.” My voice is barely audible. I know as my lips form the words that this is exactly what he does or better yet, what I let him do.

  Danielle gives me a sad, almost pitiful look like she can see through the lies spewing out of my mouth. “Emily, you deserve someone much better than Mason. You deserve someone who’s going to take you for who you are, without judgment.”

  Just then Calliope joins us. “Sorry guys, the line was brutal. What do you guys want to see?”

  I mull over my conversation with Danielle as we make our way back to her car. We drop off our shopping bags, fill our purses with goodies we got from Walmart and then head to the theater.

  A gust of wind hits me, and I shiver. Is Danielle right? If she is, what does this mean for Mason and me? Tonight was supposed to be fun. A night to keep
my mind off of things, but all I’ve managed to do is tangle everything into an even bigger knot.

  Santa Monica 7 comes into view as we round the corner. The building arches in a semicircle, raindrop streetlamps line the sidewalks and AMC Entertainment flashes in bright red lights. The inside of the movie theater is spectacular. Bright yellows and reds cover the floor and walls. An escalator stands in the center of the room leading to another floor of theaters.

  As we walk to the ticket counter Calliope squeals. “Sarah!” My face flushes and my heart accelerates as my eyes land on him.

  So much for this being a quiet evening out.

  Ian bounds over to us, his fingers laced with a small petite brunette. Her tight, little black dress makes it look like she’s about to attend the Oscars, not see a movie at the Santa Monica Pier. Flawless brunette curls cascade over her shoulders, framing her heart-shaped face.

  “Hey,” Ian says, staring at me. “This is Sarah. Sarah this is Emily.”

  Sarah makes me look like an old Raggedy Ann doll that’s been sitting out in the rain too long. She looks completely flawless, almost angelic, standing next to Ian.

  I shift my feet, feeling a little uncomfortable. “Hey.”

  She looks me up and down, then smirks. She walks past me, without a word, towards Calliope and Danielle. It’s as if I don’t even exist. She leans in and kisses them both on the cheeks. “Girls it’s been way too long. You must tell me everything.” Her eyes flutter back to me as she says everything as if I’m a stubborn puzzle piece that won’t fit.

  Then, she saunters off towards the theater room. Calliope follows after her eagerly, but Danielle hesitates. She shoots me a pleading glance, before following them.

  Ian shoves his hands in his pockets, leans down and whispers in my ear. “Sheesh. What’d you do? Tell her to wear plaids and stripes together?”

  I let out a shaky laugh. He glances at Sarah one last time, before wrapping his arm around my shoulder. He rubs my arm. “Come on.”