[The Next Day]
I awoke with a splitting head-ache. I won't say I escaped a hangover, but I could still remember everything that happened last night and the pain in my head wasn't too bad.
Rubbing my eyes I sat up, swinging my legs over the side of my bed, and grabbed my phone. It was 8:15, so I still had time to get ready for school. Who throws a party on a Tuesday? Better question, who goes to a party on a Tuesday? Apparently me and Dustin.
Shit, Dustin.
I quickly check my phone for any new texts from Dustin. My heart skips a beat when I see one unread message, but it fell when I notice it's only from Chase.
C : You coming to school today?
F : Yeah. I actually feel alright. :D
C : Awesome
I smile. I'm glad Chase had helped me last night, I don't know what I would have done without her. Then I text Dustin.
F : Hey, you alright?
F : I'm so sorry about last night
F : I understand if you don't want to talk to me
F : I deserve it
F : I assume you don't want to walk with me today?
F : I'll take your silence as a yes
F : I'm going to be in the cafeteria today at lunch okay?
F : In case you want to talk
F : Dustin?
F : Bye...
My smile is gone by the time I send Dustin those texts. I pray that I didn't screw up out friendship. I was so terrible, I don't deserve his apologies. Not like he's going to give me any though.
I sigh, and change out of my clothes into some nicer smelling ones. The ones that I wore to the party reeks of alcohol and cheap perfume from those girls. I shudder, thinking about the girls, it makes me sick to my stomach to think about what I had done with them.
I grab my bag and jog downstairs. There I take an apple from the fridge for breakfast, and grab a variety of random foods for my lunch. By the time I have enough food, it's 8:25. So I'm left five minutes to get to school, and run out the door all the way to the high school.
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I'm late by ten minutes by the time I get to class, panting and covered in sweat, and end up getting a detention slip. Fantastic. I plop down into my seat and hear a couple kids laughing at me, confused I look at my reflection in the window next to me, and nearly gasp in horror.
I look like shit. My normally neat hair is completely messy, there are bags under my eyes, my face is still red from last night, and the cherry on top? My shirt's on backwards. I try my best to subtlety fix my hair and pull my hoodie over top of my shirt. Glancing back into the mirror, I see that I look a bit better.
After that problem is over, I examine room. Searching for the blond bush that is Dustin's hair. I'm out of luck though. He's nowhere to be seen. That worries me. Is he late? Sick? Hurt? Dead!?!? I start panicking and whip out my phone, to see if he responded to my texts.
Unfortunately I was spotted before I could even unlock my phone. I was startled when a sharp cough came from the left of my desk. I slowly twisted my head to the sound of the noise, and was met with the angry gaze of the teacher towering over me.
"Would you like to tell me what you're doing Mr. Harpe?" she demanded, grey hair bouncing after every word.
"I-I'm just...um...just, y'know...uh...checking my phone?" I stutter.
"Why?" she barks sharply.
"To-to see if....if I got a text." my voice has gone higher out of embarrassment.
"No texting in class!" she almost yells "I'm extending your detention!" then pulls out a piece of paper, scribbles something down on it and hands it to me "Give me your other one." she commands, and I oblige, slowly giving the little slip to her.
She storms back to the front and resumes teaching the lesson. I sneak a peak at the detention slip. Instead of having to spend half of lunch in the detention room, I have to spend all of it in there. I quietly groan and begin to try to understand whatever I'm being taught.
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After Math is finally done, I trudge to my next class while checking my phone. Still nothing from Dustin, so I send him another text.
F : You weren't in class, are you okay!?
F : Please let me know if you're alright
I want to scream. Please just let him be okay.
I arrive at the class, and check my phone one last time before entering.
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It's now lunch, and I'm dying of boredom. There's no phones allowed, no talking, and I've finished my homework, so I'm left with just my thoughts. Which is not helping.
Guilt is eating me, and all my thoughts are Dustin related. 'I'm so stupid. Why did I drag him along with me to that stupid party? Why'd I even take my eyes off him? Why did I accept that stupid drink from Tyler?!?!' I yell at myself repeatedly, if something happened to Dustin I would never forgive myself.
I sit there, slowly scaring myself more after every thought races through my head, as the clock slowly ticks on.
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By the time the day is over, I've heard nothing from Dustin. I called his house three times and was sent to voice mail each time. I've been wandering around the school for thirty minutes now asking anyone that I recognise from the party, if they had seen what happened to him. Most people don't know who he is, and the ones who do hadn't seen him.
I give up and decide to go check his house. I walk as fast as I can possibly go to Dustin's house. When I arrive, I'm out of breath and a small line of sweat has formed on my head. I immediately walk to the front door and ring the doorbell. When I get no response, I ring it again, and again. Then I resort to knocking on the door, then banging on the door.
I wander around back to the garden and see no sign of Dustin. I then check all the windows to see if any lights are on, or if any thing is broken, signs of a robbery. I make my way back to the front door, and knock a few more times, then try to open it.
It's locked.
"Dustin!" I call "Dustin are you there!?!" no response.
I think, did Dustin ever mention leaving? A memory appears, it's when we were walking to school yesterday and Dustin is telling me his parents were leaving town and returning next Monday. Did they leave at night? Did they leave today perhaps? Did he go with them?
I don't want to believe that idea is true, but it seems like the only reasonable answer. His family would have let me know if he was hurt, I'm like a second son to them.
I stand there for a bit longer, listening for any signs of someone inside, but I hear nothing. Tears prick my eyes, and I accept defeat, so I turn and walk to my home, glancing back occasionally, but nothing changes.
"He's okay." I say to myself, chanting the words over and over "He's okay."
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I barely touch my dinner tonight. I barely speak. After I helped clean up, I just went to my room. Flopping down on my bed, I take my phone and text Chase. The conversation is mostly one-sided on her part, but I don't mind. Eventually,she has to go. I text Dustin one last time.
F : I'm so sorry
And then I close my eyes and allow myself to get some needed rest.
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Boom! Another chapter! The next one is also going to be in Fisher's Point of view, cause you're not ready for Dustin right now. Also, bad chapter name is bad. I can't make any promises that the next chapter will be up tomorrow, but I'll try my best! I want to say something else, but I'm out of ideas, so BYE!