Missing

A Scorned Ghoul

The day Camren was out of school, Jay tried everything to get Kayla to speak to Camren and to hear her out. Kayla wouldn't budge though. All she would say on the subject is that the people you once trusted can surprise you in big ways. Jay said that it wasn't fair to Camren and that L made her do it.

"Well was her secret more important than our friendship? Before Camren betrayed me I got a text from L. L who told me to steal Maple's idol."

"Did you do it?" Jay asks.

"No. And I don't think I have to since what happened with me and Caleb is all over the whole school."

"Well, will you tell me what happened with you and that doctor?"

"Fine, but not here. Maybe you can tell Caleb and he'll understand," and so Kayla led Jay down the school hallway to an empty janitor's broom closet.

The closet was about the size of two-bedroom closets. It was filled with buckets, mops, and brooms in the back corner. Neither of them bothered to turn on the light, in case anyone from the outside could see a faint light from the space under the doorway. Kayla then sunk against the wall and onto the hard, dirty floor. Jay sat beside her and wrapped a reassuring arm around her friend.

"Okay, What happened girlfriend," Jay says.

Kayla begins to tear up again, she's been crying a lot lately, and she's been thinking that this might become her new normal. Well, whatever normal was now.

"Well that day my dad got sick and the ambulance had to take him to the hospital," Kayla began, "While I was waiting I ran into Valentine and found out he was working at that hospital. He started to get to me and then kissed me...And I don't know who saw...but somehow L knows and L told Camren and now everyone knows. What did we ever do to this L to deserve this Jay?"

"I don't know but I think I know someone who can help us?"

"Who?"

"Rebecca," Jay says, "Out of all the werewolves I know she says the best sense of smell and the most cunning and intelligent. Plus now that Nicole and the rest of my family knows, Rebecca might as well know about this."

"Do you think she'll help?" Kayla wipes away her tears and Jay says that Rebecca probably will help.

"Now what do you say we blow the rest of the school day and hit the mall," Jay suggests, "I don't think the school's a good place for either of us right now."

"Okay. How about we see the new movie. The one about the talking bat and cat become best friends."

"Sure," and so Jay helps her friend off the floor and sneaks out of the school. They took the back way out. It was the back exit at the end of the drama hallway. Once in the parking lot they get into Kayla's car and head to the mall to catch the next movie showing.

At the cinema, they split a giant tub of popcorn with extra butter and each got themselves an equally large cup of soda with even more ice. Unlike what the television previews had claimed this film was a total flop. The animation and voice acting were terrible and the plot was nonexistent.

After the film was over Jay and Kayla decided to hit the shops. Jay decided to lay off the Kayla/Camren falling out for the time being. They just had fun at the moment trying on different clothes and accessories, making the store clerks angry for not buying anything yet trying on practically everything in the whole store. In-between stores and making the clerks angry, Jay texted Camren making sure that she was alright, she got no reply back.

Hours pass before either of them check their phones for the time. When they did check the time they realized that it was already half-past three. Both girls decided that they should head home. Kayla dropped Jay at her house first before going home. When she got out of Kayla's car Jay didn't have much time to figure out how to smooth things over with her sister.

In the living room, as Jay was entering her home, both of her parents were sitting on the sofa. Her parents looked disappointed and Nicole was smirking from the kitchen as she watched the whole thing. Jay's parents told her that they had received a call from Bloodgood that she(and Kayla) had missed school that day. Her father said that this was unlike her. Her mother asked why Jay was skipping class. She asked if it was because of Rebecca or if it was about Lia. Jay says no to her mother's guesses.

"Then why would you skip class?" her mother asked.

"Hogan High isn't the best place to be right now," Jay replied.

"Why," her father asks.

"We offered to let you stay home from school for a few days after Lia's funeral service," her mother reminds her daughter.

"Yeah, me, Maple, Kayla, and Camren missing school at the same time wouldn't be suspicious at all," Jay says sarcastically.

Her parents told her not to mouth off and to take that tone with them. Jay apologizes and says she's just not in a good mood lately. She then excuses herself to her bedroom and locks the door behind her so Nicole can't get in right away. She needs time to think about how she's going to explain things to Nicole, and how she's going to explain L to Rebecca. So Jay calls Rebecca and tells him to come over. Rebecca tries to be the "bad girl" by sneaking into Jay's room, she doesn't buy it though but she's glad that she didn't bother knocking on the front door. She sits on Nicole's bed opposite from Jay's and asks Jay what's going on, that she looks tense. She replies that she is.

"Why?"

"Someone is after me and my best girlfriends. They've been out since the start of the school year. That's how Nicole found out about us and how the school's talking about Kayla and my brother."

"Who is it?"

"I don't know but they call themselves L." Jay says, "At first we thought it stood for Lia but then we found out that she's dead. So I figured that maybe you could try and do some more investigating. I'll make it worth your while. Okay?"

"Sure."

Minutes later Rebecca leaves Jay's room and not long after Nicole bangs on the bedroom door demanding to be let in. Jay unlocks the door and Nicole storms inside giving her older sister the cold shoulder. Nicole just said that she only came in to get her journal and tried to leave. Jay goes over to the door and closes it putting herself between Nicole and the exit.

"Sit down Nicole and talk to me," Jay tells her sister, "You're not leaving here until we talk."

Nicole groans and stomps over to her bed and sits at the end of it.

"What do you want?" Nicole says in a mouthy kind of tone. She crosses her arms and tries to tune out her older sister. Jay just snaps her fingers to get Nicole's attention.

Jay sits beside her sister.

"I know you have a lot of complaining and anger so you might as well let it out." Jay takes her sister's chin and makes her look her straight in the eyes.

"How could you start dating Rebecca?" Nicole shouted, "You knew how I felt about her!"

Jay places her hand on Nicole's shoulder.

"Look, sis, I'm sorry for hurting your feelings but I'm not going to apologize for going out with Rebecca. Plus you have to understand that she didn't feel the same way about you. Can you understand that?"

Nicole pouts and says that it isn't fair. None of boys like her she claims. Jay says that Nicole's a catch and that one day someone will want to be with her. She tells her sister not to push it through.

"Easy for you to say. All the boys have had crushes on you since we were pups. And it doesn't help that you're so popular."

"Who cares about popularity. You can't be me. Besides as soon as you stop caring what others think of you and whether or not they like you, the sooner people will like you and even want to be your friend. Until then you have met, and your best friend Monique. You even have Camren, Kayla, hell even Maple."

"I guess. Thanks, sis." Nicole gives Jay a big hug and tells her that mom said that dinner was ready fifteen minutes ago.

"Then let's go."

During dinner, Jay sat across from her brother Caleb. When he was already having his second helping Jay told him that she had news from Kayla. She said that it was about what Camren had told him earlier.

"It wasn't her fault. Valentine forced Kayla to kiss him." Jay says, "You could have waited for Kayla to explain what had happened before jumping down her throat."

Caleb feels guilty now so he tells his sister that he will call Kayla and apologize. He excuses himself from the kitchen table and marches up the stairs to his own bedroom. He calls his girlfriend's number.