Hazed (Palm South University)

Bear talked some sense into me, too, during family weekend, and I told Kip I needed a no-distractions date night. He was more than happy to oblige, and he booked us a fancy dinner reservation and scored us two tickets to a musical at the theatre downtown to celebrate our one-year anniversary.

Yes, we consider the night of the tournament our true anniversary date.

So here I am, all dolled up and ready for a very adult night out. It sounds like a date my parents would have, dinner and a show, but I love the way it feels to put on a sparkly black dress and do my hair and makeup to perfection.

I especially love the way I feel on Kip’s arm when I’m done up the way I am tonight.

I can already picture it, the way his eyes will pop open wide when he sees me, his jaw going slack. I can hear him whistling without him even being here yet, can feel his hands on my waist as he says something along the lines of hot damn, woman, I can’t believe you’re mine.

My cheeks heat at the thought, and I sigh, impatiently waiting for him to pull into the driveway.

Except he never does.

Ten minutes goes by, and then another ten, and then another, until it’s been a half hour since the time he told me he was picking me up. I try texting a few times with no response, and when I call, I get his voicemail.

That’s weird.

I know I shouldn’t panic, but it’s the first thing my traitorous body does, heart racing and chest tightening with thoughts of what could have gone wrong. Maybe he slipped and hit his head in the shower. Maybe he got in a car accident on the way over. Maybe he’s laid out on a stretcher right now and I’m sitting here all impatient when he’s fighting for his life.

The anxiety is too much to bear, so when it’s been almost forty-five minutes without a response, I get in my car and drive straight to his apartment on the outskirts of campus.

It’s the same building he was in last year when we first met, close to the beach and a little rundown but charming in its sixties glamour. It’s a nice fit for the Hollywood posters that always decorate his walls. I slam the car into park and jog up the stairs two at a time, knocking on his door for a full minute without an answer.

“Okay, he’s not here,” I say out loud to myself, heart racing. “That doesn’t mean anything. I didn’t see any car accidents on the way over. Where else could he be?”

Jumping back in my car, I continue my search by checking the route it would take him to drive to the sorority house from here. I double back and check another when that route comes up empty, and both times, the sorority house is still without a sign of him.

I try calling again, and when I get his voicemail, I can’t hide the worry in my voice. “Kip, please, it’s been an hour and a half now. Where are you?”

My throat is thick with emotion as I drive around aimlessly, and in a last measure of desperation, I decide to swing by the auditorium. Kip and his crew have secured an office there for the show, a sort of home base, and I hope like hell he just fell asleep while working or something.

When I get to the office, I fly through the door and find a surprised Dina sitting at the long table with one of the producers. They each have their laptops open in front of them while dub-step music plays softly on the speaker next to them.

“Hey, Sky,” Dina says, tilting her head. “You alright?”

“Is Kip here?” I ask, still out of breath from the chase. “We were supposed to go on a date tonight. He was supposed to pick me up almost two hours ago now and… and I can’t… he never showed, and I can’t find him and…”

I’m breathing so hard now I’m pretty sure I’m going to have a panic attack, and Dina jumps up out of her chair, the legs squeaking against the tile as she does.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, breathe,” she says, grabbing my arms and leveling her gaze with mine. “Kip is just fine. He’s with Natalia and Jameson filming a scene at my apartment.”

My next breath is a little slower than the last, and the next slower still, until the dizziness starts to clear, and I comprehend what Dina’s just said.

“He… what?”

Dina balks. “Shit. I’m sorry, Sky. I didn’t know he had any plans tonight. Earlier today we were going over tape, and the shower scene just didn’t come out right, so Kip wanted to refilm it. He called Natalia and Jameson right away and then he left, and I haven’t…” She swallows the more my worry turns to anger right before her. “I haven’t heard from any of them since.”