Troubled

THIRTY TWO

KYLE GARCIA

She told me see you in school tomorrow, but I don't. First, I think she is hiding from me again but I see Xander I don't plan on calling him Alex any time soon. Or like ever. He was bringing his tray into the cafeteria and looked awkward. He wasn't with her.

"Seriously, what is up with you and cafeteria food?" Dawson eyed the thing on his plate that was supposed to be pizza I think.

Ray gave me a pointed look, he wanted to know the reason but he was going to figure me out, he took pride in figuring me out before I spilled the information.

"One sec." I tell them before swinging my legs out of the table and making my way to Xander and her's usual table.

He looked relieved to see me, I had to plop down opposite him just so he won't feel bad. I could feel the student body look at me, but I don't turn.

"Where is Cora?" Both of us asked the same time.

My chest deflated. He slumped visibly.

"You don't know either?"

"No, I sat through physics alone. It was torture." He complained.

There was a gloom in the air once I find she wasn't in school. Like the whole place became dull to me. Everything was in black and white. Which was weird because the only color that girl wore was black. She wasn't so cheerful to light up the place wherever she went. That wasn't her. So why was it so gloomy?

"Has she skipped school before?"

He gave me a sheepish grin, reminding me that he just became friends with her as well.

I felt the itch to smoke. I blink. I haven't felt that itch in a while, was it because she wasn't here?

"Well, you have her phone number, why aren't you calling her?"

He pulled his phone out of his pockets, dialing her number, he put it on loud speaker and set it on the table. Both of us inched forward together.

'the number you're trying to reach is switched off, please try again later.'

We both groan.

"You think she forgot to charge the old thing?" He asked me.

That was a possibility. She doesn't even want a new phone because she doesn't care for phones.

"Do you by any chance have her address?"

"No, she never told me, or invited me over."

"Me neither."

We both slump on our seats. I really needed to smoke, or else I would go crazy. Seriously what is wrong with me?

"What if something is wrong with her?"

I sit up immediately. He was chewing on his nails as he frowned in thought.

"What could happen? She went home." I say it like I was convinced, but my heart is racing. I didn't get to see the cab driver's face, or his license number yesterday. What if she never got home? What if she was dropped on the road because she did that spacing out thing that she did earlier, and he didn't know what to do, he freaked out and dropped her along the road.

"Yes she did, didn't she. But something could happen to her. I know for a fact that she never skipped school before because she never got sick."

I look at him. He smiled.

"I asked around. Nobody had any valuable information. That was all I got."

My brain was working over time. I could ask miss Suzie, but I don't even have her phone number. I should really start to take people's phone numbers.

"Call her one more time."

I start to dial my grandma, she has to have Miss Suzie's phone number. She was the one who found her.

"What do you want? I'm in church." She disconnected as soon she finished speaking.

Why was she in church by this time? I scoff. Xander shook his head, telling me the phone was switched off.

"Who else would have Cora's information?" I ask Xander.

"She never kept any friends, I am her first friend, and I have no idea."

"I think we already established that." I say.

"The school!" He almost jumped.

My eyes widen too.

When we registered here, the school took all our information, surely they have Cora's information as well.

"How do we get it?" He asked.

"The school's manual records are kept in the information room. We could try there." I tell him.

His eyes widen.

"There's a staff there." He tells me like I don't know.

"Don't worry about her, I'll take care of her, you just go in there and snatch the file we need. Can you do that?"

He gulped.

"Why can't you snatch it?"

I sigh. I really needed to smoke.

"Done eating that?"

He hadn't touched his plate of what I assume was tacos. He grimaced.

"Then follow me."

I start to head out of the cafeteria, with him in tow. I take to the back gate, where I first saw Cora.

"Mind if I smoke?"

"No, where is this place?" He looked around in awe.

I fish out a stick and light it up.

"Can you distract the woman in the information room?"

"I have moves." He defends.

My nerves calm down instantly when I take a drag.

"Nobody disputed that, Cora might be in danger and this is the only way we can help. Can you say with certainty that you can't f**k it up?"

He shook his head.

I puff out a smoke.

"Okay good, I'll distract her, I've got moves. You swipe whatever file they have on Cora, you can take pictures of them if you can't take the whole file."

He took a deep breath. Tainted by my smoking but I was it was going to help calm him down.

"I'm ready." He said it in a way you know he watched too many super hero movies.

I crush the remaining part of my cigarette and pop a mint in my mouth.

Obviously I lead the way, when we get there the lady we both wanted to out our moves to isn't even there. Her desk is empty.

"What the hell?" Xander whispered.

I don't stand around wondering why luck was on our side, I move quickly. Her surname is Philips, so it should be at the back. When I find it, I almost give Xander a hug. But I take the pictures hurriedly.

"Let's go. We got it."

"Are we going to her house now?"

"Of course."

"We will be skipping?" His voice sounded so excited.

"Yep."

He whooped the air. But I can't say his excitement wasn't infectious. When I start my car out of the school compound, his eyes were round and wide.

"You can do that?"

"You can get away with anything once your parents sponsor the school."

"My parents have to start sponsoring."

I chuckle.

We are coming to help you Cora, please hang on.