Kiss of Life

Part two: Missing / Chapter two: Dan

*Dan*

I wake up from an unsuccessful night of sleep after being up too late studying for a test.

I think it will be a messy hair and glasses kind of day.

I shower, skip contacts, get in my uniform, and put on my glasses. Wow, I'm really going to attract the girls today.

When I get to school, I feel...weird, off. Come on, anxiety, not now. You creep up literally at the worst of fucking times. When you're not needed.

After going to my locker and chugging a coffee, I head to our usual meeting place. But when I get there, no one's around. I double check I'm at the right place and I am. Genevieve's locker. It's a ghost town.

I wait anyway, it's only 7:15, she has time, so I lean against a locker next to hers, checking my watch too often probably.

At 7:20, Beth arrives, seeing me on the way to her own locker before meeting Genevieve at hers.

"Good morning," She smiles.

"Morning," I smile.

"I wonder when Leigh will show up today," She laughs, "My bet is on...hmmm, 7:24."

"7:23," I reply.

"Oooh, you have faith in her, that's nice," She laughs.

I laugh, and she leaves to go to her locker. When she comes back, it's 7:22. I'm never usually this into keeping time. But today, my watch is coming in handy.

7:23.

7:24.

I'm sweating.

7:25.

7:26.

7:27.

Beth texts.

7:28.

7:29.

"Maybe she overslept," Beth assures me, and probably her too.

7:30.

The bell rings. We have to go to class.

At lunch, we realize that she never texted Beth back so Beth texts again.

Me and Beth only have one thing in common really, Genevieve.

They were best friends when I came here and met Genevieve. Then I met Beth through Genevieve. We get along, all of us do. It's not like I have any problem with Beth, we just usually only really talk around Genevieve and with Genevieve. We've all been having lunch together since the beginning of the year and we plan on doing something for Halloween.

But me and Beth talk now, the usual small talk. And on our way out of the cafeteria, we plan on going to Genevieve's house after school.

The knot in my throat gets bigger and bigger throughout the day. An anxious day or test anxiety perhaps...who knows.

Me and Beth meet at her car. I only know it's hers because of all the stickers on the back. She lives a little further than us, and has more of a need for a car than me. It's a small enough town though, and sometimes it's just easier to save gas. I mostly drive in the winter.

When we come up to the house, I immediately see a police car and the lump jumps into my stomach.

Beth parks and looks at me as I look at her. How are we supposed to react to this other than just shock? She takes out her keys, we get out, and we rush to the house.