The End Diary - completed

Day 565

Three days later, search parties formed in the town square. I never thought I'd see anything like it. Everyone from school showed up. Deirdre made an appearance with her friends, though she wore her most fashionable boots for the occasion. They were all dressed up like they were about to go to a club, not search the wilderness for a lost girl. I clenched my fists at the sight of them.

Gavin and Adam hung out off to the side, neither of them approaching me. What would we have said to each other anyway? I stood by my parents. They each had placed a heavy hand on my shoulders, as if that would keep my world from spiraling out of control. I wanted to scream, but no amount of screaming would bring her back. And blaming them would accomplish nothing.

For once, they were attempting to be supportive.

Tentative death could bring families closer together. Who knew?

It had been three days, and no one had heard anything from Carly. Her cell phone was found on a bridge toward the outskirts of town, which meant she could still be in the area. It also meant we were less likely to find her without the "valiant search efforts of a small town coming together in the time of need."

Penelope stood at the head of the team, preparing for the speech the cops had prepared for her. Her dark skin gleamed in the light, reminding me of all the times the sun lit up Carly's face.

Our efforts felt fruitless. There were about a hundred people standing together in the open common, but no one had a clue where to start looking. And none of us knew if she was still alive.

I bounced on the heels of my feet as we waited for someone to say something. How do search parties normally operate? Should we have started days ago? Has too much time passed? Would one day, one hour, one minute make any difference?

Spoiler alert: No to the last question. Nothing would have made a difference after what happened. When someone disappears, we're left with a bunch of what if questions. Truthfully, those questions are useless; I know that now.

Besides, the circumstances surrounding the before are always more interesting than the after. That's what Carly tells me anyway, and I'm not sure I fully understand her yet. I will.

Adam shoved his way through the crowd. His dark eyes fixed on me. Gavin trailed right behind him. With a drawn face, Gavin somehow managed to look more upset than Adam. Adam's brows lowered in a challenge, and he stopped within a foot of me. My parents tightened their grip on my shoulders.

"Megan," he hissed. He glanced at my parents, narrowed his eyes, and must have decided he didn't care who I was standing next to. He was having this conversation with me, whether I wanted it or not. "You have to know something. You guys were best friends."

"I wish I did."

Adam's fingers twitched at his side.

"Adam," my dad warned. "Maybe you should go back to your folks."

Gavin grabbed his shoulder, giving my father an apologetic, sheepish smile. "This isn't going to help anything."

"She has to know," Adam growled, shoving Gavin's hand away. He turned back to me with a ferocious look on his face. "You have to. If you don't know, then—"

"You should know, too. She spoke to you every night, remember? Did she ever tell you how much she hated this stupid town? Did she ever tell you how much she wanted to get out? Did she confess how bored she was? Did she tell you her aspirations? Or was it always about sex?" My nostrils flared as I closed the gap between us, standing toe to toe with him.

"We talked about all of it," he said, lips curled. "She told me she wanted to head to southern California together, so she could try to make it in modeling."