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Zoe
“Dude! Where’s Chevon?”
Jason’s eyes widened. “Why, was I supposed to pick her up?”
Zoe threw her bag into the back. “Not that I know of, but Gramma said there was some drama at the game last night.”
“What are you talking about?” He was frustrated. Jason was never outside of the know.
“I don’t really understand it. Chevon’s parents were at the game and they came and hollered at Gramma and asked her why she was hiding Chevon or something like that.”
“No way.” He sounded worried.
“What? Do you think something is actually wrong? I figured she was hiding from them somewhere.”
“Yeah, that’s probably it, but she’s not texting me either. I haven’t heard from her since last night.”
“Last night? Whoa. Let’s all panic. Maybe she was, I don’t know, sleeping?”
He gave her side-eye. “You are so funny. I’m serious. Lately we’ve been texting each other right before we go to bed.”
Zoe braced herself, expecting this information to cause that familiar sickness of jealousy, but it didn’t happen.
“So I texted her right before bed, and she didn’t answer. No big deal. But I texted her this morning, and still no answer. I wasn’t worried until you just told me that she’s missing.”
Zoe felt bad for causing him more stress. “I’m sure she’s not missing. Let’s not be dramatic. Like I said, she’s just hiding from her parents.”
“That doesn’t explain why she’d be hiding from me.”
Zoe didn’t think this was that much of a stretch. If she were in Chevon’s shoes, she would be hiding from everybody. “I’m sure she’ll be at school and she can explain herself to you. But go easy.”
“Of course I’d go easy. I would never be hard on Chevon.”
Zoe heard a fondness in his voice, and again, her heart didn’t react the way she’d expected it to. If anything, she was relieved to hear him speaking fondly of Chevon instead of Alita.
“I know you wouldn’t. Sorry. I just feel bad for her. And I feel bad for you too. I know this isn’t easy on anybody. So I didn’t mean to scare you. Sorry. I’m sure she’ll be in first period. She’s probably already there.”
Except that she wasn’t.
And she wasn’t in second period either. Zoe walked into the classroom right behind Jason, who put his books down, looked around the room, and then picked his books up again. “I’m going to go look for her.”
“She’s still not answering your texts?”
He shook his head, and he looked pale. “No, and that’s super weird. I think something’s wrong.”
This time, Zoe believed him. “You want me to go with you?” As soon as she said the words, she regretted them. Why would he want her to go with him to check on his new girlfriend? But she’d only meant to be helpful. And maybe to get out of school. “Sorry, that’s stupid.”
He leveled a gaze at her. “No, it’s not stupid. Would you?”
She nodded.
“Okay, I’ll leave. Wait a few seconds and then follow me.” And then he was gone.
The teacher, a curious look on his face, watched Jason’s back until it disappeared and then looked at Zoe as if she were going to explain Jason’s departure. She quickly looked down at her notebook and waited for the teacher to become preoccupied with something else, and then she scurried out of the room as well.
She stopped at her locker to get her coat, and the hallways were empty. Where had Jason gone? Was he already outside? She tried to act naturally, which wasn’t easy in the empty hallway when she felt like a million eyes were watching her even though she couldn’t see any, but when she reached the cafeteria, she started speed-walking. Suddenly, she was sure Jason had left her.
She flew out the back door to find him idling just outside it, as if she were the bank robber and he the getaway driver. She jumped into the front seat. “Drive!” she cried, and he looked bewildered.
“Just trying to be funny,” she said sheepishly. “Drive,” she repeated in a more appropriate tone.
He shook his head and drove away.
She watched the school fade in her side mirror. She hadn’t gotten caught the last time she’d ditched school. But if she ever did get caught for one of these stunts, she was probably going to get suspended.
She looked over at her chauffeur. Or maybe not, if she was with Jason.
Suddenly, she missed Levi. She wished they’d invited him to come along.
