Chapter 32 - A Short Meeting

-Dean-

 

The couch was warm, as if someone had been sitting there recently. I clasped my hands together and waited patiently for someone to start talking. I heard some muffled talking from down the hall. Skye nudged me.

 

“So, what do you think of Chase?” she asked me, her eyes big and wide.

 

I wanted to tell her the truth, that he looked like he was broken and aching to say something he’d never had the courage to before, but I didn’t know what kind of hope that would give her. I could tell just by the way she’d looked at him earlier that she still had strong feelings for him, and I didn’t want to nurture that feeling anymore. It was time for her to move on. Skye was a great girl, and I knew she’d find someone who she really deserved someday, and Chase was not that guy. I’d heard the stories: the guy was a jerk.

 

“He seems okay. A little upset, maybe.” I hoped that didn’t give her any ideas.

 

To my horror, her eyes lit up a little, and the small smile she had grew a little bit. “Oh, well, he’s going through stuff.”

 

I moved closer to her so I could whisper. “Why are you defending him, Skye? He’s done nothing but hurt you, and yet you stick up for him.”

 

She turned away. “I don’t expect you to understand, Dean.”

 

I threw my hands up in frustration. “No, you’re right. I don’t understand. I don’t understand how such a smart girl like you can act so stupid and stay hung over the same guy for so long!”

 

Skye didn’t reply for a minute, and I wanted to take it all back. But I’d said it, and that was something I couldn’t change.

 

Finally, she murmured, “You’re right. I’m stupid.”

 

I touched her arm. “Blue, you aren’t stupid. I’m sorry I said that, but it’s just I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

 

I met Skye on a very terrible night. She was out crying in the field behind the school where we learned how to fly broomsticks. She was lying on her back, staring up at the stars. I never told her this, but I had come out into the field to cry, too, but I had stumbled upon her before I had the chance. I had literally tripped over her.

When I noticed she was crying, I lay down next to her and asked what was wrong. My mother had taught me that whenever a girl is crying, despite when she says she wants to be left alone, she doesn’t. So even when she pushed me away, I stayed. When she screamed at me, I stayed. If she had really wanted to get away, she would’ve stood up and left, but she stayed there.

 

Eventually she started talking about Chase, and how messed up her love life was. This was still at the point in time when she and Chase hadn’t spoken since their breakup. I asked her why she was crying now if it was an old problem.

 

“It’s my birthday, and he hasn’t called,” she said. Then she turned to me, her blue eyes luminescent in the dark. “I miss him so much.”

 

Skye turned back to me on the couch and gave me a weak smile. “Sorry, Dean. I’m being a terrible friend.”

 

She hugged me, just long enough that when Pricilla walked in, we were just detaching ourselves. Pricilla was Andrea’s grandmother, and seemed like a sweet old lady. She gave me a little nod, and I wondered what she was approving of.

 

A blonde boy walked in right behind Pricilla. His cheeks were a sickly colour, and he looked like he wanted to vomit.

 

“Hi, Nate,” Skye said. “Are you okay?”

 

“I’m sick,” he spat. “I told you on the phone.”

 

Skye slumped into her seat. “Oh, right.”

 

“I’m Dean,” I offered after a moment of awkward silence. “Skye’s friend.”

 

Nate gave me a curious look. “Do you even know Andrea?”

 

I shook my head. “Nope.”

 

Nate didn’t respond, but I could see the disapproval in his eyes. He must be her boyfriend.

 

Chase stomped back in, his head down, his hand stuffed into his pockets. He gave everyone in the room an angry look, then went back to staring at his feet.

 

“Okay,” Skye began. “Where could she be?”

 

“We haven’t even looked around yet,” Chase muttered. “She could’ve just wanted some alone time.”

 

Skye put her hands on her hips. “We were supposed to meet up tonight. Why wouldn’t she tell me if she was canceling?”

 

Chase didn’t say anything.

 

“Maybe she forgot,” I offered. “And her phone was behind the school, so she may have just dropped it.”

 

I got a weird look from Nate, as if he were asking why I even cared.

 

“Maybe,” Pricilla said. “Or maybe she ran away.”

 

Pricilla hiccupped to hide a sob. Skye stood up and hugged the elderly lady, and comforted her until she had controlled herself.

 

“I think we should wait until the morning, and if she isn’t back then we can call the cops,” I suggested. Everyone looked at me.

 

“So you mean to tell me I dragged myself out of bed for nothing?” Nate asked, annoyance dawning on his features.

 

I nodded. “Basically.”

 

Everyone was silent for a moment. Probably because none of them had expected me to answer his rhetorical question, or because they were absorbing my idea.

 

“Okay,” Pricilla said. “That’s what we’ll do.”

 

We all stood. Skye asked Pricilla to call her in the morning, and then so did Nate. Chase seemed to debate whether to ask or not, but eventually said to call him as well. We all left, and started walking our separate ways. Except for Nate, who hopped into a nice, warm truck.

 

After walking in silence for a few minutes, I spoke up to Skye. “Are you okay?”

 

“Not really. My best friend is missing.”

 

I took her hand and squeezed it, letting her know I was there for her. I started to slide my fingers out of hers, but she tightened her grip. Our hands remained joined.

 

“It’ll be okay, Skye. Really,” I told her. “She’ll come back and everything will be fine.”

 

“But what if she can’t come back? What if she’s been kidnapped or something?”

 

I hadn’t really let myself think that far. I didn’t like thinking on the negative side of things. I scratched my head and searched for a good answer. Found none.

 

“What if she’s dead?” Skye whispered.

 

I squeezed her hand again. “Don’t think like that, okay? Try and stay away from negative thoughts.”

 

“I can’t, Dean. I’m scared.” She sounded like she was going to cry.

 

I stopped walking, making her stop too. I pulled her into a hug and she let it all out into my shoulder. We stood there for at least five minutes, her crying and creating a pool on my shirt, and me standing there silently. Her body wrapped around mine kept me warm, but she started shivering. I shrugged off my jacket and handed it to her, and she took it graciously.

 

“Thanks, Dean. You’re the best.”

 

“I know.”

 

She let out a short laugh. It didn’t last two seconds, but it still made me feel a little better. 

Author's Note

yay for Dean's perspective:)! hope you like it, because it will be the last one you will get until after January 3rd. I'm going on vacation, and I won't have time to write. I'll most likely be able to read messages and such if you want to talk to me (hah, who am i kidding:P) but that's it. My flight's at four, so I don't have much time today, but maybe i'll be able to squeeze in one last chapter, but probably not, which is why i told you all that stuff. enjoy:)

Reviews

[SwagMaster]

ANDREA WHERE ARE YOU?!?!?!?! If you leave, I might not be able to take the fact that I'll be stuck with a cliffhanger!:'(

[emma]

To Maddie: I completely understand, I'm seeing the tired feeling the last few chapter have had, too. But I wanted to do 'the meeting' in lots of perspectives just because I wanted to introduce all of them in an easy but still somewhat interesting way. My next chapters are going to be faster paced for sure. Not to give anything away, but Andreas perspective is back next chapter, and it definetely won't be slow. And don't worry, you did not offend me in the slightest: it's nice to have some criticism. Thansk for your input :)

[Maddie:]]

it was enjoyable. another nice, and slow moving chapter!:D
you definitely have me hooked though, im very intrigued to see what's going to happen with Andrea.

the only suggestion i have is to pace the chapters a bit quicker, just because you have been replaying the same scenes, just all in different perspectives. which is some ways is good, because it makes readers want to read more, but in some cases it gets to the point where it's tiring, to the point where people want to see what happens next already.

Sorry if i offend at all, in the end it's really not that big of a deal, but it was just an observation i've noticed in the last couple chapters.

anyway, still loved it. keep up the good work!