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Do it! Just do it Baz, this isn’t about you or her, it’s about Damien and you need to know where he is. No one else can tell me besides Eddie, and since he’ll never say 2 words to me, my best bet is to make Silver ask him for me.
Knowing her schedule as if it were my own, I wait outside her social studies class before lunch, when it’s finally done everyone starts walking out and I don’t see her until everyone’s gone and she’s the only one left still packing up. Walking in as the teacher leaves, the door shuts and we’re alone. Throwing her bag over her shoulder, Silver doesn’t see me until she turns
Looking around she realizes we’re alone “hi,” she smiles even though I’m maintaining a straight face.
“I need help and I can’t really go to anyone else with this”
“Okay”
“That’s the only reason I’m coming to you nothing else”
“I understand”
“Seriously I mean it this isn’t me giving you another chance, or thinking about it. Me talking to you is purely circumstantial.”
“I get it Baz,” she puts her bag back on the desk. “What’s going on?”
A week’s worth of shit and I had to go through it alone, thank fuck I can finally divulge because I feel like I’m about to explode. “It’s Damien I haven’t seen him all week and his phone isn’t working, I’ve been to his house and his car is there but no one answers the door. I’m really freaked out about it and I’m not really sure what to do.”
“Ok um” after I finish talking she stops for a second and thinks, “well people were saying that he got jumped maybe he’s just laying low somewhere.”
“That rumor’s fake he didn’t get jumped”
“How do you know?”
“Because he wouldn’t ignore me over a stupid fight! And why doesn’t he have his car? His phone doesn’t even work at all look,” taking out my phone I dial his number like I’ve been doing the past week.
Putting it on speaker for Silver to hear the phone doesn’t even ring, just the same fucking message, “the number you are trying to reach is not a working number, please check the number and dial again.”
“Every fucking time!” I hang up, “no texts go through… nothing.”
“Ok well don’t panic we can figure this out, maybe we can go back to his house after school and ask a neighbor or something” silver suggests
“No that won’t work”
“What else can we do?”
“Can you ask Eddie?” I finally ask
The expression on her face changes the second I say his name, “Baz I don’t know…”
“Silver please I’ve been spiraling all week I need to know he’s ok,” I beg and she still isn’t sure she wants to talk to him. “I’m asking you for this one thing Silver”
Shutting her eyes tight Silver takes a deep breath, “fine come on.” Letting out a relieved sigh I watch her pick her bag back up and head for the door.
“What’s the plan exactly?” I walk next to her as we head to the lunchroom
“We’re gonna go ask Eddie… I make no promises he’ll tell me anything, but if this means so much to you then, of course, I’ll try.” We walk into the door and she heads straight for his table with me behind her, when Eddie and his friends see us coming their talking and laughing stops.
With serious demeanors, Eddie and Silver stand in front of each other “what do you want Silver?” He doesn’t even address me
“We’re looking for Damien, where is he?”
“What no hi? Or I’ve missed you?”
Rolling her eyes, “I didn’t come here for that Eddie we need Damien”
“For what?” He looks at Silver confused
“For none of your business, I know the whole him getting jumped thing was fake so where is he really?”
Taking a moment Eddie turns to his friends then back to Silver, “fine I’ll tell you… alone,” his eyes finally make their way to me.
“One sec,” she turns to me before walking away with Eddie, and I’m left with everyone else at the table who’s staring at me like they hate my guts as much as Eddie does.
After a couple of minutes of a hushed conversation in a corner, Eddie and Silver come back “remember what you promised” Eddie smiles sitting down.
“Yeah shut up” Silver walks away. When we’re out of the lunchroom we stop walking and Silver turns to me, “so Eddie didn’t know much but this is what he told me. Apparently on Monday Damien got into a fight with his dad, his little brother called the cops and his dad got arrested, so they took him and his little brother away.”
“Away? Away to where?”
“He doesn’t know, he just said Damien called him for like a couple of seconds Monday night to explain why he won’t be around, and he told him not to tell anyone.”
“What the fuck?” I look around puzzled, “none of that makes sense”
“Maybe if we break into Damien’s house-” I look at her weird and she stops, “ok too much, what about his car? What if we-“
“Thanks for your help” I walk away not letting her say another word.
Confused and discouraged I drag myself to my dad’s office to pass the time until lunch ends, I walk in to find him typing on his desktop. “Hey Ewan,” he stops as I drop in one of the chairs in front of him, “everything ok?”
Shaking my head “what are you supposed to do if someone disappears off the face of the earth and you don’t know how to get them back?”
Thinking my dad answers, “ask for help Ewan”
How do I even begin to do that? Thinking about my dad’s reply I realize he’s right, who can help me better than he can? “Damien Allen hasn’t been at school for an entire week, and something’s wrong with him but I don’t know what it is.” I frown leaning back in the chair and sliding down
“I know what’s wrong,” my dad says with an unbothered tone as his eyes stay on his computer screen.
“What do you mean?” My interests peek
“I got a letter a few days ago from a local CPS office, it said he’s been pardoned from school until further notice.”
“What?” I sit up, “why didn’t you tell me?!”
“Because as I recall you and Damien aren’t associated, remember? You made that abundantly clear”
Groaning I shut my eyes, “Jesus dad obviously I was lying!”
“How was I supposed to know that?”
“What else did the letter say? Can I read it?” I start lifting files on his desk looking for the letter
“Stop that!” He taps my hand and I move away, “and no you can’t read it.”
Throwing my head back I whine, “dad please I need to know something I’m tired of being in the dark.”
“Okay Ewan,” he finally agrees and I move my eyes from the ceiling to him. “There was a number on the paper to call in case I had questions.”
“Oh my god, what are you waiting for call it! And put it on speaker”
“All right,” taking the letter from the drawer next to him, my dad turns to his desk phone putting it on speaker and dialing the number.
After 2 rings the phone is answered “Melanie Jones speaking, how may I help you?”
“Hello my name is Walter Basilton I’m the vice principal at Southview high school, I received a letter from your office regarding one of my students.”
“What is your student’s name?”
“Damien Allen”
“Ok, one second” we hear her type and my dad will occasionally look at me as I listen to the conversation. “There he is, Damien Allen is new and yes we sent out that letter to inform you he wouldn’t be at school.”
“Yes I understand, would you mind answering why? Just so we have an understanding because we’re pretty in the dark here.”
“Well to make a long story short, early Monday morning Damien’s younger sibling called the police because their father attacked them. When the police got there they took dad away and now he’s in jail for ongoing child abuse…” holy shit my jaw drops. “Damien and his little brother are now in the care of the state since there isn’t any immediate family to take them in.”
“Wow,” my dad reacts
“Ask if he’s ok!” I mouth to my dad before he can continue talking
“Are the children all right?”
“They’re perfectly fine”
“That’s good to hear, and when can I expect Damien back?”
“Well placement takes time and we like for the kids to be available as soon as we find them somewhere to live, so it might not be until then, which could probably take another week.” Another week?! I barely made it through this one without seeing or talking to him, another week will kill me!
Quickly finding a pen and a random piece of paper on my dad’s desk I write something and show it to him. “Miss Jones before I end our conversation, would you mind telling me if there’s any way to get in contact with Damien himself?”
“Well until he’s ready there isn’t much contact to be made with anyone who isn’t family, but I do see him tomorrow can I relay a message?” My dad looks to me for an answer and I just shake my head
“That’s all right thank you so much for your time Miss Jones,”
“No problem thanks for the call,” they hang up.
“There’s your answer,” my dad says looking at me
“This isn’t happening,” I drop my head on his desk shutting my eyes, “we’re supposed to be together and now he’s locked up in some CPS hellhole.”
“At least you know he’s ok Ewan, and he got away from his crazy father, that’s a good thing trust me.”
“I know,” doesn’t mean I don’t wish he were here with me instead.
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