Chapter Four
Just Dipping Toes into a Kiddie Pool…
The morning came with the blue skies raining in through Cher’s window. Sunshine poured through the window frame, blinding her as she pulled back the covers on her bed. It was time for school. School. All the memories and worries came flooding back to her. Plus, the panic over her biology test tomorrow. At least it was a Thursday, meaning that the weekend was so close to arriving. Then, there would be that party where things could be straightened out. Cher could show up with a modest dress and get the girls to dress in the same fashion. They would make a statement to promote self-love. Of course, it didn’t really help that the people that Cher was making a statement against happened to be a part of her “girls”. Why did life have to be so hard all the time?
She could start her quest for self-love by first dressing as she wanted to. Instead of pulling out her mini skirt and polo, Cher ventured through her closet, and pulled a flowy dress with a bohemian vibe. It seemed comfortable and care-free, something that Cher was all for. She threw it on and curled her hair into messy, wild curls. She would look like a wild child and that idea excited her ever so much. Why be tamed and proper when you could express yourself through your true vision of you? Besides, this was her teenage years. She can’t just redo them later on life – it’s was now or never, and she needed to enjoy being a teenager while it lasts.
Leaving the house looking like she did made Cher feel just a tad rebellious. It wasn’t like she did every day, and it was giving her a true sense of radicalism. This was exactly what she was looking for – something new, different, and completely real. It was brilliant actually, so why hadn’t she bothered to think of this before? Perhaps she would be set free now that she was willing to let her true self shine through. Maybe everything was about to become so much better. She hopped into her BMW and smiled into the little mirror. She looked absolutely stunning, and her looks pleased her far too much for it to even be considered vain. It was too bad that Amrissa wouldn’t be able to experience such a feeling of strength because they were confined by stereotypes. That was until they saw Cher looking the way she did. Then, of course they would follow in her footsteps, and claim to anyone who would listen that they and Cher had all decided together that this was the best way to go about doing things from now on. They would lie and do whatever it took to make them look just as smart.
Cher passed Sasha walking again, and she filled with anger but comfort. Sasha smiled and Cher gave her the tiniest smile, but nothing that could hardly register as noticeable. Cher was still denying the fact that she had befriended Sasha, but Sasha couldn’t deny it. She considered herself everyone’s friend, whether or not they liked to agree with that statement. She was universal Miss Happy, and no one was to take that title away from her. However, Cher was not allowed to associate with her and that was final.
It was like déjà vu, parking in the school parking lot again with Marissa knocking on her window. Except, it was only Marissa and Amber outside of Cher’s BMW. Where was Iliana? She hadn't bothered texting Cher at all yesterday, so Cher had only figured that she was alright. She had to be, right? Wiping that worry from her mind, she slid out of the car and saw the expression on Marissa’s face go from “happy-to-see-my-friend” to “what-in-the-world”, and it couldn't have pleased her more.
Cher smiled triumphantly. It was a victory that she had shocked Marissa in such a way. She eyed Amber, who seemed shocked but far more reserved about it. Cher flipped some of her wild hair behind her shoulder. “So, what do you think?”
Marissa shrieked. “What are you – a caveman?”
Cher’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?”
Marissa looked horrified. “Did the water get turned off at your house?”
It was at this point that Cher really started to feel offended. “Marissa, I chose to wear this today.”
“Why?” Amber looked at her in disgust.
Cher shrugged her shoulders. “Thought it was time for a change.”
Marissa immediately shot her down. “Well, you thought wrong.” There was an icy look in Marissa’s eyes that seemed to intimidate Cher, who just looked down at her shoes. There was absolutely nothing preppy about her outfit, and she loved it. Marissa must have saw that Cher felt a bit hurt because she tossed her arm around Cher’s shoulder. “Come on, darling. I have some extra outfits in my outfit. I guess that I could forfeit my sixth period outfit for you, and I can wear the same outfit fifth and sixth.” Cher smiled appreciatively, but Marissa’s words were no comfort compared to that of Sasha. Cher didn't want Marissa to forfeit an outfit for her – she just wanted to wear what she picked out. After all, it was her life, wasn't it?
“Thanks,” Cher mumbled, anyways. She and the other two walked over to Marissa’s locker – a double locker that she had fashioned into a wardrobe because she wanted to be like Sharpay from High School Musical. Marissa needed to open her eyes and realize that life wasn't a movie – it wasn't always going to go her way. Cher accepted the outfit, but only with a promise to herself; Marissa can't take control of my life anymore. I'll abide by what she has to say, but as soon as I can – she's out of the group.
****
Cher walked over to the normal lunch table, where Amrissa had already been sitting. All day and there was still no sign of the fourth amigo. “Has anyone heard from Illy?” Cher questioned, plopping her tray down in the usual spot.
Marissa popped a fry into her mouth. “Nope,” she responded.
Cher narrowed her eyes at Marissa. This was her chance to show Marissa that she didn't deserve to be in the group – an indirect ultimatum. “Ew, ‘Rissa. Gross.” Cher made an indication to the french fry, and Marissa quickly blushed. She basically invented the diet rule, so breaking it was way problematic.
Cher cocked her head to the side. “Ew, fatty. Get rid of it.” Marissa gave her a twisted look, but she got up and threw out the fries. It was a sweet, twisted victory, but Cher didn't mind if it gave her a sense of control. When Marissa returned, she had a scowl on her face, but she didn't say anything.
Now it was time to show Amber that she could also be kicked to the curb. “Amber, haven't you had enough carbs this week?” Cher looked at her out of disbelief. Amrissa just exchanged embarrassed glances and returned to eating their diet suitable food.
“Just trying to keep us in check,” Cher snickered. “It's not like we would want to go outside our rules – that's preposterous!”
Marissa threw her head back, chuckling to herself. “Well, now I see where this is going. You're upset about earlier!”
Amber laughed along. “Hold a grudge much?”
“Yeah, what was the point of that anyhow? What were you trying to achieve?” Marissa laughed again.
Cher only shook her head. “Only self-identity.”
“What does that mean?” Amber tossed her fork down into her salad.
Marissa scrunched her nose up. “Literally.”
Cher tittered. “Nothing.”
****
The last bell of the school day rang and Cher couldn’t have more relieved by the sound of it. After a long day or worrying where Iliana had been all day, and having to fake such an awful friendship with Amrissa, she was utterly exhausted. Cher hopped into her BMW and dialed Iliana, but it went straight to voice mail. She tried again, but that didn’t change the result, so she decided to leave a message. “Hey Illy, so I just wanted to call to make sure that everything okay. Where were you today? We all really missed you. So yeah, call me when you get this!” Cher hung up and put her phone down on the passenger seat. She didn’t move her eyes from it and didn’t bother driving out of the school parking lot quite yet. Her eyes were glued to her phone, and she waited for Iliana to return her call. Except she didn’t.
Cher’s mind was made up. She would just drive to Iliana’s house and see what was up. It’s not like Iliana wouldn’t let her in or anything. They were best friends – and they had that pact. Iliana was probably dying to see Cher again for comfort and consultation. No matter what the problem was, Cher always had the perfect solution – a shopping spree and Starbuck’s fest. “Starbuck’s hurt my soul,” said no one ever. It was the ideal resolution for any situation, and Cher abided by that through all of her problems.
She pulled out the parking space, ignoring Amrissa as they tried to flag her down. Who needed fake friends? She was on a mission to help a real friend in need. It took a good ten minutes to drive to Iliana’s house, but it was well worth the drive. Iliana needed her. However, when Cher pulled up to Iliana’s house, something was way wrong. Police cars were lined up against the curb, while a few officers were congregated in Iliana’s driveway, speaking into their walkie talkies. Cher’s heart seemed to have stopped beating. What in the world was going on here?
She parked on the side of the curb and ran out of her car towards Mrs. Atkinson who also stood in the driveway. Her face was sullen and distant, which only caused Cher to panic even more. This definitely had something to do with Iliana. In a desperate rush over to Mrs. Atkinson, Cher had forgotten to shut the car’s door, or take the key out of the wheel. Someone could easily steal her BMW and her purse that was in the car, but that was the least of Cher’s worries at the moment. Besides, what idiot would steal a BMW in a place that was swarming with police officers?
Cher rushed to the side of Mrs. Atkinson. Her face was dry, but she looked like she had been crying all day. Cher put her hand on Mrs. Atkinson’s shoulder. “Mrs. Atkinson, what happened here?” The police eyed Cher wearily.
Mrs. Atkinson shook her head and the tears came rushing back to her eyes. Cher shook her head. “No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset!” she apologized.
Mrs. Atkinson gave her a small smile in an attempt to show Cher that everything was alright, though she failed miserably. “Iliana came home from school early yesterday, as I'm sure you're aware of, and she looked so distressed. I tried to talk to her, but she only pushed me away. I was confused, but I let her be alone. It's always best to just give Iliana what she asks for – and at that moment, she needed time. I had no problem giving her a little space, but perhaps I should have. She went to bed, not having done any homework and barely having eaten anything. Still, I let her alone, but I tried to encourage her to eat.”
“Did she eat?” Cher asked, still confused about what was going on.
Mrs. Atkinson shook her head. “Sadly, no. She went to bed and in the morning, Iliana refused to go to school. I let her stay home – she looked so tired and pitiful. Her eyes were red and tired, like she hadn't slept in days. Anyways, she went back to her room, as did I. You know that I don't work, so I decided to fall back asleep. When I woke up, Illy wasn't in her room. She's missing.”
Cher’s ears stung from those words. Missing? What did that even mean? How could she be missing? Besides, what was so bad that she couldn't tell Cher about anything? Just a few days ago, Iliana had been happy and bright, talking and laughing, mainly about Danny. This couldn’t possibly have something to do with Danny, could it?
“Mrs. Atkinson, what do you mean by missing?” Cher asked out of disbelief.
Mrs. Atkinson sighed. “She's gone, and we can't find her.” It was at this point that a police officer walked over to Cher.
“We’ll need to ask you a few questions, Miss,” the one police officer said to Cher. She looked at his name tag – Officer Jake. “So who are you and what’s your relationship to Miss Atkinson.”
“I'm Cher Coleman – Illy’s best friend,” Cher stated.
Jake nodded. “Alright, then maybe you can help us.”
Cher shook her head. “I'd be happy to, but I'm not allowed to be interrogated without the guidance of a trusted adult, Officer. I'm a minor, remember.”
He nodded. “Of course, of course. Let's walk back to Mrs. Atkinson, then.” Jake took the lead towards Mrs. Atkinson, and Cher followed slowly behind, playing with the threads on Marissa’s clothes. She wished that she hadn’t changed and just did what she wanted. Who was Marissa to control her life? As she approached Mrs. Atkinson, she decided to think that perhaps Iliana missing was all her fault. Had she not been a good enough friend to Iliana?
“Mrs. Atkinson, I would like to ask Miss Cher a few questions, but I cannot without an adult around. Apparently Cher has been reading up on the legal system.” Jake raised an eyebrow suspiciously, as if Cher shouldn’t have known that. It was almost as if she had been prepared for this moment, he thought.
Mrs. Atkinson nodded. “Go on, then.”
“Miss Coleman, was it?” Jake asked, waiting for some sort of response from Cher, and she nodded, noting that it was correct. “So have you noticed anything strange about Miss Atkinson lately?”
Cher chewed on her bottom lip. Sure, there was a lot of weird things happening lately, but she didn’t know what would be considered completely out of the ordinary that would make Iliana want to disappear. “Well, one day she is all obsessing over this guy, and the next day she looks like…” Her voice trailed off, not sure how to phrase how Iliana looked yesterday.
Jake snapped at her. “Answers, come on. How did she look?”
Mrs. Atkinson jumped in at this point. “Excuse me, but if you are going to act like a jerk to Cher, then you can just leave.”
Jake turned to her. “I’m just trying to get some answers, Mrs. Atkinson.” He returned his gaze to Cher. “Now, how did she look?”
Cher held an air of annoyance, since he hadn’t bothered to even apologize. She shook her head, trying to put that out of her mind, and remember Iliana’s state from yesterday. “Her eyes were red and drowsy… She looked terrified, and almost like she were… I don’t know… On drugs.” Mrs. Atkinson perked up at the sound of this and Jake just furrowed his eyebrows together.
“Drugs?” Jake repeated, either not buying what Cher was saying or finding it hard to believe. He turned to Mrs. Atkinson, “Has Iliana been on drugs?”
Cher shook her head. “No, no – I didn’t mean that she was on drugs, but that’s just what she looked like.”
Jake nodded. “Yeah, yeah, but we have to explore all of the possibilities. Now, Mrs. Atkinson?”
Mrs. Atkinson shuffled about in a curious manner. “She had been a bit anxious a few years back so I took her to the doctor, and they prescribed her some pills for anxiety. She had to take them about twice a day within a twelve hour span, but she stopped taking them about two years ago. We keep the extra pills in the cabinet in our upstairs bathroom. I even remember how many pills are left – seventy nine.”
Jake sighed. “So is it possible that she has been overdosing?”
Mrs. Atkinson looked a bit uncomfortable. “I suppose that it’s possible, but the idea is absurd. Cher, wouldn’t you agree?”
Cher nodded. “Yes, Officer. Iliana is definitely not the type to take any sort of drugs or drink alcohol – she rolls with the crowd that does so, but she would never partake in any activities like that.”
Jake laughed. “People surprise you. Now Mrs. Atkinson, you said there were seventy nine pills left? Why so many?”
“She needed a lot, and that was just how many pills the doctor gave her.” Mrs. Atkinson shrugged, not knowing how to respond better than that. “We have never had a problem with the pills before.”
Jake nodded, acting in an irritated demeanor. “Yeah, yeah, let’s just go up to the bathroom and count the pills, why don’t we?” Mrs. Atkinson led him and Cher to the bathroom, and threw open the wooden cabinet door. She scrimmaged through the cabinet, looking for the prescription bottle. She turned back around to them and looked as pale as a ghost. It was apparent that she couldn’t find the bottle.
“Oh, Illy,” Cher whispered, horrified. What had Iliana done?
Jake talked into his walkie talkie. “This is just another case of a stoned teenager.”
Mrs. Atkinson looked pale and concerned. Her breathing was staggered, and she didn’t know how to deal with the situation. Should she be mad at Iliana for doing the drugs, or worried that something so horrible had happened to Iliana that would lead her to take drugs? Should she blame herself for not having caught on to it sooner? Cher pulled herself closer to Mrs. Atkinson in an attempt to comfort her, but it didn’t seem to help much. Mrs. Atkinson wasn’t ready to be comforted by anyone, unless it was Iliana.
Cher’s forehead sweated with panic. Should she have caught on earlier that Iliana was under the influence of drugs? Had Amrissa really been acting strange, or had drugged Iliana just come up with that? Did Iliana really trust Cher that much, or was that just something she had said under the influence? Was her love for Danny legit or not? How could Cher trust anything that Iliana had said under the past few days, if she truly had been taking drugs? When did the drug dosage even begin? Questions ran through Cher’s mind. Questions that she shouldn’t need to worry about. Questions that she didn’t want to worry about.
Jake turned back to Mrs. Atkinson and Cher. “Has she had any sort of new contact with anyone lately?”
Mrs. Atkinson shrugged her shoulders, as if to say that she wouldn’t know. Cher gulped. She had promised not to tell anyone, but she needed to help Iliana. “She has been meeting with this boy that she has a newly formed crush on. I don’t know what his last name is, but she refers to him as Danny. He’s in the year below us, and they met during a drama club meeting.” Cher scolded herself. Why didn’t she just tell them all of Iliana’s secrets? Then again, this was to help her friend – not hurt her.
Officer Jake nodded. “If I came to your school tomorrow, do you think that you could point out this Danny to me?” He was scribbling everything they said down onto a notebook. Great, now Iliana’s secret boyfriend was recorded into an officer’s notebook. Cher was definitely the best secret keeper ever.
“Well, yeah, but Officer, why wait until tomorrow? We need to find Iliana right now!” Cher yelled at Jake. How could she just sit around, do her homework, and wait for tomorrow to come when her best friend was out there somewhere, possibly unconscious?
Jake only shrugged his shoulders. “It’s all that we can do right now.”
****
The roads were dark and the street lights didn’t give her much light to see, so Cher was left basically trying to guess where the road was. It wasn’t that she was a particularly bad driver – she was just a new driver on the road, so driving in the dark wasn’t exactly her area of expertise. She strained her eyes to see the road as her mind traveled elsewhere. Why had Iliana been taking drugs, and why hadn’t she ever come to Cher for help? She should have known that Cher would always be there for her, if she ever needed help or guidance with absolutely anything. What had caused Iliana to even get onto drugs in the first place? Besides, was the drug-theory even concrete? Was it possible that Mrs. Atkinson has just misplaced the bottle?
Cher reached the spotlight and slammed her forehead against the steering wheel. She needed to find Iliana, and as quickly as possible, too. She pulled her phone out of her purse and dialed Iliana’s number. She waited patiently as the phone rang, but no response came from the other end that wasn’t Iliana’s answering machine. Cher groaned and tried to think of where Iliana could be. There was that local café at the corner of Main Street that they liked to go often, if not Starbucks. The café was cleverly named the Main Café. Indeed, how clever. She decided to take a drive down there to see if Iliana was staking out there by any chance. If not, at least Cher had an excuse to buy some coffee. I mean, she was already at the café, anyways, so why not take advantage of the situation?
She parked her jeep in front of the café and strutted in. Frantically she looked around, but didn’t see Iliana. The only people she saw were Marissa and Amber, chatting away in the corner of the café. Amrissa and Cher seemed to notice each other at the exact same moment. Amrissa gave Cher guilty looks, as if they shouldn’t have been there without Cher. She didn’t seem too comfortable by seeing Amrissa, but still she made her way over there by them.
“Hi,” Marissa said, shifting her eyes to the ground.
Cher smiled awkwardly. “Hi.” Why were things so awkward between best friends?
Amber giggled quietly. “So… Fancy meeting you here!”
Cher laughed. “Yeah.”
“We tried to catch your attention,” Marissa said, quickly. “After school, but you seemed like you were in an awful hurry to get out of there.”
Cher nodded. Was she supposed to tell Amrissa that Iliana was missing, or was that not her place? Besides, Cher still wasn’t fully convinced that this was the work of drugs. However, if that was the cause of Iliana’s disappearance, then what had triggered it? Amrissa? Cher didn’t know who to trust. “I went to see Iliana.” Cher gave them a small smile. “She is doing great!” Cher lied.
Marissa smiled. “Great! What was wrong?”
Cher tucked her hair behind her ears. “Um, stress,” she lied.
Amber let out a sigh. “That’s the worse.”
“Yeah, she might not be in school tomorrow,” Cher let out an exasperated sigh.
Marissa nodded. “Totally understandable – she needs her time off. Oh, poor Iliana!”
“Yeah.” Cher smiled through her lies. “Well, I’m just going to grab a quick coffee and head home, then. That’s why I came – to pick up coffee. Like, why else?”
“Of course,” Marissa smiled, narrowing her eyes at Cher. It was almost as if she could see through Cher’s lies.
“Bye!” Cher waved to them and rushed off to the counter to pick up a coffee. Where else could Iliana be? This seemed like the only probable place. Not wanting to run into anyone else who might ask questions about Iliana, Cher grabbed her coffee, hopped in her car, and headed home. For all she knew, Iliana could be home safe right now.
****
Author's Note:
DUN DUN DUN! Where could Iliana be?
Love you all!
And thanks for getting my poetry novel to rank - you all rock !!
Ali xoxo