Kirstie's P.O.V
I found it hard to focus on school. All day, a voice kept telling me that he was in serious trouble, that Mitch wasn't just with some boy.
You know he isn't just skipping! Do something about it!
The same nagging voice screamed at me during my last class of the day. I was so nervous, I couldn't focus. I was so out of it that my teacher, Mrs. Steck, called me out on it.
"Miss Maldonado? What is the year that Shakespeare died?" She growled from the front of the room, her voice sharp and condescending, as if she had better things to do than teach a bunch of high school kids.
"I do not know, Ma'am. I wasn't paying attention." I said sheepishly, still not fully paying attention to her.
"See me after class." She ordered in her clipped voice. The class did the 'Oh!'s they always did and then fell silent.
"Yes, Mrs. Steck."
"Now, Shakespeare died..." Once again, my attention slipped. I sat there, feeling like, well, I couldn't describe it. It almost seemed like I had Butterflies in my stomach for no reason.
I had kind of explained to Avi over lunch my current situation, but he stuck with the 'He is just fine, don't worry.' route of reassurance. I loved his dearly, but never have I wanted to strangle anyone as much as him right then.
Finally, at long last, the bell rang and people began to file out of class, chattering and joining the masses of people outside the room.
Nel must have known when school got out because she called me almost immediately.
"Kirstie?" She questioned hesitantly,a s though unsure if you had the right person.
"Have you heard from him? At all?" I asked, worrying the fabric of my shirt with my free hand, perfectly aware of Mrs. Steck's beady eyes on me.
"No. Nothing at all. Not contact, no indication that he wants us to know his whereabouts. His father and I are heading to the station to submit a Missing Persons file. You will probably have to come with because you talked with him last." She sighed, a unnameable emotion in her voice.
"So Mitch is still missing? No sign of him?" I knew in my head I had already had this confirmed to me, but my heart was trying to convince itself that this is all just a joke.
"No. Nothing. He hasn't contacted any of us. I think he either disconnected his phone, or is somewhere where the service isn't possible." I could hear her trying to stifle the sobs that wanted to escape. I sat down, my knees no longer able to support me.
"Ahem, Miss Maldonado?" There was Mrs. Steck, standing in front of me, arms crossed over her pin suit clad body.
"Hold on." I said to the phone and looked up. "Yeah?"
"Get off your phone. You and I are going to talk." She growled, tapping her foot on the ground.
"Give me a minute." I held up a finger. "Any clue where we would be? I could go drive along his route and take a look, but I don't know if I can find-" Before I could finish my sentence, Mrs. Steck took my phone and ended the call. She kept her phone in her long fingered grip.
"Now that you are done so rudely ignoring me, I want you to tell me right now what is with your attitude today. And no 'oh, well there's this guy' stuff. That is the oldest trick in the book." Her voice was sharp and that seemed to only make me angrier. She thought that all teenage girls had boy problems. Granted, mine was a boy problem, but not in the manner she meant it.
"You want the honest answer?" I responded, folding my own arms. I tossed my head to the left, throwing the blonde hair out of my eyes.
"Yes."
"Fine. You know Mitchell Grassi. Well, he left my house last night and didn't show up back at his house and didn't return any of my calls last night. And finally this morning, he called me and told me he wasn't coming to school, but he called me princess, which is a code. So I tried to get him to tell me where he is and why he was gone. And that was his mother, giving me updates on any news on my Best Friend, who was possibly kidnapped. All day I have been focusing on that, trying to assure myself that he isnt in danger or dead!" I said, glaring up at her.
Never before had I seen an adult so lost for words. I reveled that moment. "Now. I need my phone. And I am going. I have to find my friend." I grabbed my phone, which she had set on the desk, collected my things, and left, hurrying to the doors of the school.
There was Mrs. Grassi, sitting in their small car with Mr. Grassi sitting in the passenger. I ran over and tapped on the window. It slid down with a noisy protest.
"I will meet you at the station. I am going to go down the route to see if I can find something." I informed them them before turning and leaving to head to my car.
Climbing in, I set my stuff down in the seat beside me and sighed, hoping that I would find him, but I knew, in my secretest heart, that it was a long shot.
I drove from the school to my house and started there, driving slowly along his route. I knew it like the back of my hand. We had lived here our entire lives, in the same houses, so we knew every possible way to each other's houses.
I kept my eyes out as I drove through the particularly rough part of town. As I drove past an alley, something caught me eye. It was the all too familiar school bag that Mitch used. It was carelessly thrown into the alley, the contents, papers, books, pencils, spilling out. I stopped the car and climbed out, taking the keys with me.
I bent down and lifted it up, arranging the contents how I knew he wanted them. Then I returned to my car, fighting back tears. This crushed my hope that he was at someone's house. He wouldn't just leave his bag. Not when that Bag was his pride and joy.
Something terrible has happened to him. You knew it all along and yet, you decided to ignore it. If he is hurt, it is all your fault! My head screamed at me as I began to drive the the police station.
I stole glances every now and again at the bag, letting myself imagine the spunky teen sitting next to me, belting out song lyrics.
I fought back tears, chanting my mantra of "You'll only smear your Mascara and Eyeliner!" repeatedly as I pulled into the station. I left everything but my phone and keys in the car. As I pushed open the door, I was immediately met with a flurry of people of all ages, genders, and races racing around, papers flying in the air at one point off one of the desks, followed by a string of none to quiet curses.
"Kirstin?" The familiar voice of Mr. Grassi asked me as I looked around at the confusion. I saw them both and walked over ducking out of the way and murmuring apologies.
They were seated, watching a sharp faced woman work at her computer. "Tori!" She eventually called, her voice as harsh as her features. The name sounded familiar and I say there and pondered it until a familiar head of blonde curls aproached.
"Yes ma'am? What can I get for you?" I vaguely remember Tori telling me she got a job as an intern, but it wasn't until now I realized it was at the Police Station.
"Take this couple and their...companion back to Chief. Oh, and tell Travis to come here as well." She never looked up from her computer screen, typing away busily.
My classmate shook her head up and down before facing us. Her mouth dropped open as she took all three of us in. "Kirstie?" She gasped as she walked around the counter and pulled me into a hug.
"Tori! Now!" The woman snapped and my school mate nodded and beckoned for us to follow. As she lead us through the building, she finally posed a question.
"Who are they? Their not your parents. I know that." She bumped my hip with her's and cast a glance back at Mitch's parents.
"Those are Mitch's mom and dad."
"There is only one reason why parents are back here..." She said quietly and looked up at me. "He was kidnapped, wasn't he? Wait. No. You don't have to answer that. I'm not supposed to ask that." She ducked her head in shame, silent until we passed a certain door with a boy scribbling and typing faster than I could even process.
"Travis!" She called and the boy lifted his eyes to her, pausing his work. He watched us with brown eyes, his blonde hair styles up.
"Yes?" He asked, almost irritated to be bugged, I guessed, by the sound of his voice.
"Receptionist wants you." I couldn't help but smile at how they called her by her occupation.
"Great!" He groaned and muttered something about a 'whore' and 'Alex' as he stood and brushed past us.
"Now that that is taken care of..." She drifted off as we reached a door at the end of a long hallway. She knocked and a voice commanded their entry.
"See you at school." Tori smiled and headed back down the hall.
"Tell Toddy I say hi!" I yelled after her and then followed the older couple into the room. There, as a desk, sat a burly man with bushy eyebrows and a bushy graying mustache. His gaze was close together and all around severe looking.
"So, a missing teenager is your report?"
~°~
Please, I would love feedback to know what to improve upon. If you guys really want me to, I can stop writing Chapters from Kirstie's P.O.V.
Oh, and stay Sexy!
-Scomiche ❤🍓❤