Run Away Fathers Best Friend

“Come on,” I muttered low, tapping my foot as I started to get antsy. “Almost there…” My vision went red and the sound of gunshots filled my ears. “Damnit!”  I dropped the controller out of frustration when the screen before my eyes read, “mission failed”.  “Third time’s the charm my ass.” Slouching back against the couch, I knocked my headphones off. Man, I was so close to the checkpoint too, stupid ass game.  Who knows how long I had been playing, there was no light coming from the window anymore. Attempting to stretch my arms out, I looked around for my phone.  It’s around here somewhere, I thought, failing at trying to see through the dark. It was on the arm of the couch when I started but it’s possible I knocked it off when the horde of zombies raided the basement.  I found it after a second under the couch, almost choking on my breath when I saw the time. Well… it wasn’t Saturday anymore. Leaning across the couch to turn on the lamp, I squinted in attempts to actually see.  “Jesus,” I muttered, looking at the three missed calls and seven texts all from the same person.  I rolled my eyes, not even bothering to listen to the voicemails. It was pretty clear as to what they would be just by seeing the very blurry pictures in the texts. Abigail Rue just loves drunk texting her best friend. To be fair, she did warn me this time. As she was leaving she asked if I wanted to go and I said no, just like all the other times, so she said she would blow up my phone. I thought I put it on silent after that… eh, oh well. I switched the t.v off and started slowly for the stairs. First-year of college started in a little over a month, I really needed to get my sleep schedule under control. Most of the summer had been late nights and early mornings. The problem was I couldn’t really find motivation. This whole college thing seemed more a waste of money than anything at this point, I was just going into it blindly. I knew my mom would kick my ass if I decided not to go though.  “I thought I heard you down there.”  I blinked as I turned towards the kitchen to see my mom sitting at the table, her laptop open and her glasses halfway down her nose.  “I thought you weren't supposed to be back till tomorrow?” I asked, slouching back in the chair next to her.  “I didn’t want to stay in a hotel.” She shrugged simply. “All of the employees started getting drunk and I couldn’t hear my own thoughts.” “What time did you get here?” “Just an hour ago.” She went back to her computer.  My mom worked for a million-dollar company in the middle of Chicago. She was the assistant to the CEO, more like his right-hand woman. She did most of his busy work, and she did it very well. She was a very organized and sharp woman, always on top of everything in front of her. It was just me and her in this house. Personally, I liked it that way.  “You should go to bed, babe.” She glanced over at me. “You haven’t been getting a lot of sleep lately.” “Says you.” I smiled slowly.  “Hey.” She pointed. “I stay up late, I sleep late. I get plenty of sleep.” She sheepishly grinned. “But, I am tired from all the driving. How about we call it?” “Why not.” I let out a long breath, stretching out as I stood.  She shut her computer and we both made our way upstairs, into the bathroom. She started to take off her makeup and I grabbed my toothbrush. “Got anything going tomorrow?” She asked.  “Boxing from 11-2, and then I go into work at 5:30. I should be home around 11.” I started teaching kickboxing over the summer for extra cash. Middle school was when I started and teaching to kids was as simple as it got. On top of that, I worked as a waitress at a sports bar. It was loud and mostly idiots ate there, but the tips were better than most places.  “I’ll pick you up at three, we can go to lunch?”  “Sounds good.” I smiled at her through the mirror, brushing roughly through my hair before turning towards my bedroom. “Goodnight,” I called over my shoulder.  “I love you.” She leaned out of the bathroom.  “Love you too.” I yawned, closing the door to my room behind me.  My mom and I were very close, even though we didn’t always see each other 24/7. We have been on our own since I was five and my dad got up and left. It was hard at first, it was hell at first. My mom had me when she was 18, so she was only 23 when she was left to fend for herself. She didn’t have a steady job, no house, no parents to stay with. Well, her parents were still alive and kicking, but that’s all they did. Kick her out.  Luckily, her close childhood friend Westly let her and my five-year-old self stay at his place till we got some stuff together. She got a low-level job at the building she is now bowed to in. I respected and admired my mom too much to be anything but sincere and kind to her.  I think she likes me a lot more knowing that there is no way I could ever end up in her situation, which would be the last thing she could ever want for me. All I do is shoot animated monsters, punch sandbags and sing really loudly in the shower. No chance of teen pregnancy there. Plus there’s always the fact that guys don’t talk to me very often. I would put my money on that being because I don’t talk very often. English is hard.  It’s been years since I’ve even thought about my so-called father. I don’t know much and I frankly don’t care. He was an asshole, that’s good enough for me. My mom never talks about him, for good reason. Westly doesn’t either. Finding him wouldn’t be too hard for me, but I’ve never wanted too. It’s pointless.  My phone went off as I was about to close my eyes. With an annoyed grunt, I glanced at the new picture I had received. This one was at least visible. Abi was standing with a rather tall guy. His arms were around her. His phone was in one hand, a cup of something in the other.  I rolled my eyes, falling back against the pillow. She’s having fun at least.  ***  My mom’s door was still closed when I dragged myself out into the hallway. This is how most mornings are. I woke up early, got a quick snack, went out running if I felt like it, and by the time I was back she was up.  I chugged down a shake from the fridge and pulled on leggings and a light sweater from the laundry pile on the couch that I was supposed to fold the other day. Lacing up my shoes, I made sure my headphones were securely in before starting music and jogging down the driveway.  Running honestly wasn’t my favorite thing to do for exercise, but it did get my mind off of things. The steady rhythm of my feet made it easy to level out my thoughts. It was an odd way to relieve stress too. It was tiring, yes, but full-on sprinting to a f**k you song was the best therapy. The brisk air was always welcome as well. That’s why I liked earlier mornings, or even later at night. Cold has always been better for me, I sleep better in the cold, feel more comfortable when it’s cold outside. Maybe it just reflects my cold personality.  Na, just kidding. I’m not that bad.  I only went for ten minutes this morning, seeing as I would most likely end up working out later today. The shower was going when I stepped into the house, but nothing down here was different, so she must have just gotten up.  I kicked off my shoes and went straight to the fridge to grab all the fruit I could find, throwing it in a bowl and tossing on some sort of seed.  “Nice.” I smiled to myself. Pinterest would throw a fit. The fork I was holding fell back into the bowl when my phone buzzed unnecessarily loud. I glanced over the table to see who it was and almost cursed out loud. “She’s not still drunk, is she?” I muttered, sliding open the message.  “S.O.S need you to come get me.” I raised an eyebrow as I stuffed my mouth full of very cold fruit, flinching at the slight sting. “Where are you?” She texted back faster than humanly possible. “Carson Anderson’s house.” I scoffed, my mouth still full, ending with me spitting out onto the counter. Clearing my throat awkwardly, I wiped it off with my sleeve.  “You think I know where that is?” It was another second before she texted just a location. “15 minutes,” I huffed, abandoning the fruit bowl for now and grabbing my keys. “She’s gonna have to buy coffee or something.” It took no detective to figure out this was the house the party she was at was held. She must have gotten so drunk and passed out, just now waking up. Did she not drive there last night? Why did she need me to come and get her? More importantly… Who the hell was Carson Anderson? I finally pulled up to what I was pretty sure was the house. I mean, this was the only one on the block with a bunch of s**t scattered throughout the front lawn. Like really, this was a little ridiculous. There was trash everywhere, a few bikes, two swings that were broken off of somewhere, and a couch. How the hell did that get out here? I didn’t bother pulling in. I stopped in the middle of the empty street, texting Abi I was here. She came running out seconds later, wearing nothing but an oversized jacket. She stretched it down over her legs and kept the hood over her face. I bit down on my lip, trying and failing not to laugh. “The hell happened to you?” I snorted as she closed the passenger side door.  “Don’t.” She snapped, pushing down the hood to reveal her blonde hair in a rat's nest. Her makeup was all over the place and her clothes were obviously MIA. As her best friend, I should probably be more concerned than I am, but if I had a dollar for every time this had happened, I could make it rain.  With, you know, like six dollars.  “So, you want me to drop you off at your house?” I asked after a second.  “No,” She sank down in her chair. “Can I stay with you for a few hours?” “I’ve got boxing at 11. You can stay as long as you’d like, but my mom is going to be leaving pretty soon, so you’ll be in the house by yourself.” “If you could drop me off at home before you go to the gym I would love you forever.” She tried to pull a smile.  “Yeah yeah.” I rolled my eyes at her. “I’m going to lose another shirt, aren't I?” “It’s possible, yes.” “Gosh, I feel more like your boyfriend then your actual one.”  “Actual one?” She c****d an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?” “Why don’t you check the messages you sent me,” I smirked. “You sent at least five all with the same guy. At least, I think it’s the same guy. I can’t really tell honestly.” She fumbled for her phone and started frantically scrolling through it. “God.” She breathed, shaking her head. “I don’t even remember him. I can’t even tell who he is.” She held the screen closer to her face.  “Do you remember whose that is?” I nodded over at the sweater she was wearing. “Because it’s not yours.” “Umm,” She chewed on her bottom lip. “Uhh…” “Jesus Abs,” I shook my head. “You always say going out and doing these things is fun, but if you can’t even remember anything that happened, how the hell is it fun? You wake up feeling like crap and that’s the part you start remembering.” Abi brushed it off as she averted her eyes to the window. It really made little to no sense to me. What made my head really spin though was looking at the state she was in. It was very possible she got intimate with this guy, and she had no idea who he was, and most likely would never see him again.  I pulled up to the house and got out of the car, waiting for Abi who was moving ten times slower. She held the jacket tight around her legs, shuffling like a penguin.  “How come we’re friends?” I huffed, unlocking the door.  “What do you mean?” She finally made it up to the porch.  “I guess you normally wouldn’t really put our personalities together.” I gave her a smile over my shoulder.  “You love me.” She made a face.  “Sometimes,” I muttered, closing the door and dropping my keys on the side counter. Abi made her way to the stairs, but not before my mom popped out of the kitchen.  “Hello, Abigail.” She said smugly.  Abi froze on the stairs. “Hi, Miss. Cory.” She muttered between clenched teeth.  “Have fun last night?” She raised her eyebrow at her.  “Sort of,” Abi grumbled.  “Hum.” My mom nodded with a smile, getting a snicker out of me as Abi ran the rest of the way upstairs.  I waited till I heard the door to my room close before sitting myself down at the kitchen island. “I’ll take her home on my way to boxing,” I said, resting my arms on the counter.  “You know I don’t mind her here.” My mom said while watching the coffee pot slowly start to fill. “Does she have any plans on telling her mother?” “What do you think?” I mumbled, flicking around a small crumb in front of me. “If she was willing to tell her mom she wouldn’t have called me.”  “You know I'm not the type to tattle tail but,” She turned and leaned back on the counter. “This is, what, the third time in the past two weeks? I don’t have to tell you that this is not a good habit to get into.” “I don’t understand what’s going through her head.” I ran my tongue over my teeth. “And I tell her constantly, but she just brushes it off.” “She might not be taking you seriously.” My mom shrugged. “You two are going to be college students soon, and having this type of background going into a community like that,” She shook her head. “It’s not going to end up well.” “Yeah, I know.” I snapped.  “I’m not nagging you.” She put her hands up. “I’m just saying.”  “I get it.” I kicked my feet back and forth. “But what am I supposed to do? She doesn’t listen to me.” “I guess she might have to learn the hard way.” I narrowed my eyes at that. “What do you-” The sound of Abi coming down the stairs echoed through the kitchen, silencing us both. She had changed and attempted to brush out her hair. She had taken off her makeup too, showing the very noticeable bags under her eyes. “I’ve got to get going.” My mom said with a quick smile to Abi and me. “We're still on for lunch?” “Yep, three right?” “Yes, mam.” She gave me a quick wink before grabbing her bag, the sound of her heels apparent through the halls. “Your mom knows more about me then mine does,” Abi huffed.  “She’s got some sort of superpower I think.” I poured her a cup of coffee. “And your mom would know everything if you just told her.” “Like I could.” Abi scoffed. “I’d be grounded for life.” “Maybe that’d be a good thing,” I muttered under my breath. “What?” “Nothing.” I brushed it off quickly, turning to avoid eye contact. “Nothing.” *** I sat tapping my foot on a bench, watching the park in front of me. This was where I always waited for my mom, it was just right outside her office. My phone was starting to bore me and I figured counting how many black cars there were would be more entertaining, but an unnerving sound made my ears twitch.  I glanced in the direction of the noise and saw a kid crying and turning around in slow circles. I watched for a second, waiting to see if someone would come and claim the kid, but I couldn't sit for very long until I started towards him.  “Hey,” I said gently.  He jerked his attention to me and took a step back, blinking as he only started to cry more.  “Hold on,” I put my hand out, giving him a smile while bending down to his level, keeping my distance. “It’s alright, I won’t hurt you. Are you lost?” He slowly started to quiet down, taking a minute to get his breathing under control. “I-I can’t f-find my b-brother.” He stuttered out.  “Okay.” I soothed. “How about I help you find him?” I stuck my hand out, waiting for him to slowly take it. “Does your brother have a phone?” “Yeah.” He nodded.  “Do you know the number? Or your mom and dad’s number?” He shook his head. “We don’t live with our mom and dad. We live with my aunt, but I don’t know the number.” “That’s alright.” I moved to stand up. “We can look around, you came here with your brother?” “Yeah.” “Then it won’t be too hard to find him.” I gave the kid the best fake smile I could come up with but I had a bad feeling. It was a small park, and if this kid couldn’t find him just by looking around, then he wasn’t here. “What is your name?”  “Kobi.” His voice finally started to relax. “Kobi,” I nodded. “Where was the last place you saw him?” “Well,” Kobi took in a deep breath. “I was going to go down the slide, and he was at the bottom, but when I got there, he was gone.” “What does he look like?” “He has dark hair and dark skin like me,” His hand became less tense in mine. “He’s tall, he was wearing a grey jacket and a hat.” Odd, a kid of his age remembering exactly what his brother was wearing. My stomach started to sink seeing no man of the description anywhere. Unknowingly, my hand tightened on the kids. “Kobi!”  Both Kobi and I turned in the direction of the voice. There was a man running towards us, the description fit. Tall, dark skin, grey jacket, hat. Hot as hell too, his brother failed to mention that part.  Kobi ran towards his brother, letting go of my hand. I watched him for a moment with hard eyes. His brother bent down to eye level and took his shoulders in his hands, looking him up and down with frantic eyes. He seemed alright now, but there was still something off about this whole thing.  I turned to leave, but the voice of his brother stopped me. “Thank you.” He called out as I looked over my shoulder. “For helping him, I mean.” “Sure.” I gave him a curt nod. “Just don’t lose him again.” The boy narrowed his eyes at that, but before he could say anything else I started forward, walking a little faster than normal. It took me a second to shake the pit in my gut. I honestly thought we weren't going to find him, for reasons I absolutely couldn’t stomach. “There you are.” My mom was standing by the bench I was waiting at minutes ago. “You’re never late, did something happen?” “I just saw a friend at the park.” I pointed behind me. “She called me over to say hi.” I made it sound believable, knowing my mom would call me out if I said I went over there by myself. “I see.” My mom smiled, meaning she bought it. “Well, you ready?” “Hmhm.” I nodded, following her back to her car.  I spared one last glance behind me. Kobi and his brother were still standing there, his brother looking directly at me. I quickly turned back around, taking in a deep breath. Being that harsh was a little out of place, I didn’t know anything about him. For all I knew Kobi could have run off to the park and his older brother had no fault at all. But… I don’t know, the situation didn’t seem that simple. The fact that Kobi knew exactly what he was wearing, to the look in his older brother's eyes when he found him. An older brother would be worried if he lost his younger brother, but there was pure fear like something truly bad had happened to him. I clicked my tongue at myself. Stop thinking about it, Dani. I shook my head. Stop now while your brain will let you.