What You're Missing

Chapter 13

Henry sullenly treaded the path from his house to Junk 'N Stuff, his hands sunk into the pouch of his hoodie and his footsteps echoing against the pavement. The ominously cloudy and dark midnight sky along with the chilling autumn breeze sent a shiver down his spine, and he pulled his hood over his head. Returning his hands to his pocket, he felt the tube of bubblegum and a frown appeared on his face.

After Ray had fired him, Henry wasn't exactly sure of where to go. It was Saturday, meaning he had no school, and he usually spent any time outside of school in the Man Cave. He wanted to talk to Charlotte, but figured he needed to give her enough space before doing so. He could've gone home, but his parents were out and so was Piper, and staying in bed where he would just sleep or wallow in sadness all day did not particularly appeal to him.

So, Henry took a walk.

He walked all throughout the streets of Swellview, stepping into any and every shop or building that caught his eye. He skimmed countless racks of clothing, tried every free sample at a Japanese supermarket, and pet every dog he came across, namely golden retrievers. And for a few hours, he was content in being by himself. It wasn't as if his solo field trip allowed him to forget his current situation; it remained in his thoughts throughout the day. But he was able to say he spent a day on his own and did not once feel lonely. And that felt pretty important.

So it wasn't until he got home late that night, plopped onto his bed and rolled over to see his tube of Kid Danger bubblegum blanketed by his covers that he remembered he had to return it. And now he was going to drop them off.

On his way, he imagined what the interaction with Ray might be like. Perhaps it'd be silent; Henry would simply hand the gum to Ray or place it on the table. Or maybe it'd be really awkward and Ray would try to make small talk or something. He definitely did not want that to happen. He couldn't imagine having small talk with someone as close to him as Ray.

Maybe he'd try to get Ray to come to his senses. He was angry before, acting on impulse. Maybe after having the day to think about it, he changed his mind.

But he knew it was silly to get his hopes up, so Henry proceeded towards Junk N' Stuff without a clue in mind of what to expect.

As he passed by the shops he had visited earlier, he looked to see that their previous welcoming and full-of-life aurora had disappeared, leaving them dark and vacant behind locked doors with signs that read CLOSED. The only source of light that filled the otherwise pitch-black streets came from the tall lampposts that stretched across town. As he walked further, he was surprised to notice one shop with its lights still on, allowing it to stand out amongst the other unlit stores. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. The only shop he knew of to remain open this late was Junk 'N Stuff, and he still had a few means to go until he got there.

It wasn't until he approached closer that he heard loud sounds of breaking furniture and gut-wrenching screams that he started running towards the lit shop. When he was finally a block away, his heart dropped to his stomach when he noticed the sign above the store: Swell Café.

Charlotte.

He took off towards the store as fast as his legs could take him when her name captured his thoughts and all he could think was please don't let her be hurt.

When he reached the outside of the café, he looked through where the glass window used to be and noticed what looked like to be a million shards of glass on the floor. He saw three tall men in masks searching for something (most likely money) and breaking whatever they came across while doing so. And then he saw another man in the same attire, firmly holding the girl who had his heart with a gun positioned to her head, and Henry felt as if his whole world suddenly came crashing down.