Radio Silence
976 Words
EM’S POV
Class sucked as always but today was worse. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong with Danni. I hated Rixon so much right now. I was never a fan of his. I always felt something was off, but I got along with him—for Danni’s sake.
I wish he’d just stayed away.
She’d texted me earlier saying she was okay, that she’d see me later. But something in my gut screamed otherwise. I planned to check on her when we had class together.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t until third period. And I know Danni—she would be spiralling by then.
I flicked Cole a message.
Em: Cole, when do you have a class with Danni next?
Cole: Hi, second period. Why?
Em: I have a feeling she’s stressing.
Cole: f**k, she messaged me saying she was fine. What if she’s not. God, this is my fault.
Em: It’s not your fault, Cole. It’s that asshole friend of yours, Rixon. She was nearly over him. He should have stayed away.
Cole: I’m going to hurt him. I’ll check on her in class and let you know.
Em: Thanks. You care about her, don’t you?
Cole: More than she knows.
After that, I shot Danni a quick message:
Danni, it’ll be okay, I promise. If you want, we can skip first period until Cole can be with you in second. We won’t let anyone near you.
The bell rang five minutes later—still nothing from her. Maybe she had a test and couldn’t use her phone. I told myself to wait for Cole’s update in second.
First period dragged. I couldn’t focus. Every time my phone buzzed, my heart jumped. When the teacher called on me, I panicked.
“23, Miss.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Miss Roberts, please pay attention. The tallest animal in the world is not 23.”
Everyone laughed. Hilarious.
Meanwhile, my best friend—who never misses class—was just…gone.
Finally, the bell rang. I bolted out of class, hoping to catch Danni on her way to period two. No luck. I sat down and barely opened my textbook before my phone buzzed.
Cole: Em, Danni’s not here.
Me: What? She must be.
Cole: She’s not in class. Unless she looks completely different from yesterday.
Me: She’s never skipped before. f**k. Maybe she got called to the office? I’ll see her third.
Cole: Let me know. I’ll keep watching.
Where the hell are you, Danni?
Period 3. She’ll be here. She has to be.
The bell rang.
She wasn’t.
“Where is she?” I hissed.
“She left early,” someone muttered.
“Said she wasn’t feeling good.”
“Bullshit,” I snapped. “She was fine this morning.”
But even as I said it, I knew that wasn’t true.
Danni had been off for days.
Snapping one minute, shutting down the next.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
I didn’t think—I just moved. I barged into Cole’s classroom and dragged him into the hallway.
“You saw her, didn’t you? Before she left?”
His face went pale.
His fists clenched.
“Yeah. She looked—” He swallowed. “She looked upset. I didn’t stop her.”
“Of course you didn’t,” I snapped. “You’ve been hanging around her like some lost puppy, and you didn’t even see—”
“Don’t put this on me!” Cole fired back, stepping closer.
“You’re her best friend! You didn’t even notice she was gone until now!”
The words cracked in the air like whips.
Sharp. Raw. Ugly.
But underneath it?
Fear.
Panic.
The kind that eats you alive.
Cole grabbed my arm before I could storm off.
Then he hugged me.
I stiffened. “What was that?”
“I thought you needed to calm down.”
“Well, next time, maybe don’t.” I wiped my eyes. “Let’s go find Danni.”
We rushed to her house and knocked. No answer. I knew where the spare key was.
Cole lingered by the door. I didn’t wait.
I sprinted to her room.
Empty.
“DANNI!” I screamed. “Where are you?!”
Nothing.
Panic took over. I broke down, right there on her floor. Cole held me this time—and I let him.
Then he pulled out his phone and made a call.
“I gave you the benefit of the doubt. But if you hurt her…”
“Have you contacted Danni at all?”
“She skipped school. She’s not home.”
“I will hurt you, bro.”
Pause.
“Fine. See you in five.”
Cole hung up.
I didn’t need to ask. I knew who he called.
“Play nice till we find her,” Cole muttered.
I nodded. “Let’s go.”
We waited in the driveway. I kept calling. Voicemail. Every time.
Cole eventually sat on the front step, defeated.
Then—
A car screeched up the street and stopped hard outside.
Rixon.
Cole stood, jaw tight. “We need him,” he said.
I sighed. “I know.”
I marched up to Rixon until we were inches apart.
“Rixon.”
“Emma.”
I brushed past him, shoulder-checking him as I climbed into the backseat.
Cole and Rixon exchanged a few tense words. Then they got in.
“Where to?” Rixon asked.
“The bridge,” Cole said.
We drove.
And drove.
And drove.
But no sign of her.
The sky was getting darker.
Then my phone rang.
I checked the caller ID.
“s**t… Danni’s mum.”
I hesitated.
The boys urged me to answer. I couldn’t.
I handed the phone to Cole.
He looked at me. Then picked up.
“Hello?” he said.
And everything started to fall apart.
- Writer
