My stomach churns and twists and acid bounces against the lining like choppy water in the ocean. I feel sick and I’m mad at myself because he was telling me the truth. I need to find him. He needs to hear me out.
In a panic I stifle a look around the hall. “Well, where is he?”
“It gets worse.” Rosa lowers her voice.
“What do you mean it gets worse? Did they get back together?”
She clears her throat and looks down. “His Mom died.”
I let out a sob caught in my throat. “What?” The sound of her voice fades away and the hall blurs around me. “When?”
“Friday night.”
I want to punch myself in the face. No. The self-inflicted pain won’t even come close to the pain he’s feeling now. He really did need me. He came to me for support and I turned him away when he needed me the most. And I hate myself for it.
“He came to my house right after you left on Saturday. He told me he needed me. We got in a huge fight because I thought he was just playing games with me. He was crying. Rosa, what should I do?”
We walk down the hall. “Did you call him?”
I nod. “And texted. He won’t call me or text me back.”
“Well, if I were you, I’d go find him.”
“Rosa, I can’t barge in on a funeral. Plus based on our last conversation, I’m pretty sure he never wants to see me again.”
She reaches over and snatches the stack of books in my hand. “Go.” There’s an urgent undertone in her voice.
“What if I get in trouble?”
She smirks. “I’ll take care of that.” She grabs me by the arm and we duck into the girl’s bathroom.
“What are you doing?”
Reaching into her pocket she whips out her cell. She hands me the pile of books. “Riley Davis,” she begins, “this is your first lesson on devious behavior. Well, technically your second. I’d say your scandalous affair with Henry was your first. Rosa clears her throat, lowers her voice, and dials a number on her phone. A second passes. Then I hear the voice of Mrs. Gephart. “Mrs. Gephart,” says Rosa in her new huskier voice. “This is Riley Davis’s mother. I’m fine and you? Good. Good. She needs to come home right away. There is a family emergency. Yes. Thank you.”
Another second later that PA sounds off.
Riley Davis report to the office please.
I shake my head. “I can’t believe you just did that! What if I get caught?”
“Will you grow a pair and quit worrying about getting caught?” A devilish grin spreads across her lips. “Now get out of here. Go get lover boy.”
I unload the pile of books in my hand into hers. “I owe you.”
She laughs. “Oh, I know you do. And I will collect.”
Before she can get another word out, I dash out of the bathroom, hoping that when and if I find Henry, that he’ll forgive me.
Chapter 18
“Love is a symbol of eternity. It wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end.” ~ Author Unknown ~
I drive past the only funeral home our town has. There are no cars.
I’m flustered and in a panic. Heat sears through me and I start sweating. I have to find him. I need to find him. I turn on the air. Relief swirls through me as the coldness wafts over me, drying up the perspiration.
Henry, where are you?