Missing
962 Words
The next morning, Bethany arrived at school as usual. Her father had just dropped her off when another car pulled up beside the curb—a sleek black sedan that immediately caught her attention. It looked far too expensive compared to the other vehicles scattered around the parking lot.
The passenger door opened, and a young woman stepped out, clutching a notebook against her chest. She looked neat and composed, almost too put together for an ordinary school run. Her dark hair was tied into a low bun, and there was something youthful about her appearance.
Bethany watched curiously.
"Evan!" the woman called. "You forgot your notebook!"
Her eyes immediately followed the direction of the voice.
Evan was walking toward the school entrance.
That's his sister, right?
The thought came naturally.
As Evan approached the woman, Bethany couldn't stop herself from asking.
"Is that your sister?"
Evan paused.
Only for a second.
But in that brief moment, something unreadable crossed his face.
"No."
He took the notebook from the woman and glanced back at Bethany.
"That's my mom."
Bethany froze.
"...What?"
Her gaze snapped back to the woman.
There was no way.
She looked far too young.
Before she could stop herself, a small laugh escaped.
"She looks so young—"
The moment the words left her mouth, she realized how they sounded.
Evan simply rolled his eyes and walked away.
Just like that.
Leaving Bethany standing there with burning cheeks.
"Okay..." she muttered under her breath.
Great.
That probably sounded much worse than she'd intended.
The rest of the morning passed quickly, and before long, the lunch bell rang.
The cafeteria was packed with students.
Voices overlapped from every direction. Laughter echoed through the room. Chairs scraped against the floor while the smell of sandwiches, fries, and cafeteria pizza filled the air.
Bethany balanced her tray and scanned the room.
No Evan.
She checked near the windows.
Nothing.
The vending machines.
Still nothing.
Finally, she stepped outside.
The breeze was cooler out there, carrying the scent of freshly cut grass across the courtyard. The noise from the cafeteria faded behind her, replaced by a welcome sense of calm.
And that's when she spotted him.
Sitting beneath a large oak tree.
Alone.
Headphones resting over his ears.
His eyes remained fixed on the grass in front of him as though it held all the answers to life's problems.
Bethany smiled to herself and walked over.
"Hey there."
Evan looked up immediately.
His expression became guarded almost instantly.
"What now?"
Bethany ignored the tone and sat down beside him anyway.
"I was looking for you."
His brows furrowed.
"Why?"
She shrugged.
"I don't know."
Silence settled between them.
Above their heads, the leaves rustled softly in the wind.
Then Bethany studied him for a moment.
"You seem upset."
Evan's jaw tightened.
For a while, he said nothing.
Then, surprisingly, he answered.
"Yeah."
The admission was quiet.
Barely audible.
A moment later, he added even more softly,
"No... I'm not okay."
Bethany blinked.
That was new.
Honest.
Raw.
The first real thing she'd heard from him since he'd arrived.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No."
"Oh."
Another silence followed.
Then he looked away and said flatly,
"Just leave me alone."
Bethany opened her lunch container.
"Okay."
Evan turned sharply toward her.
"Okay?"
She nodded.
"I said I'll leave after I finish eating."
For a moment, he simply stared at her.
Like she was the strangest person he'd ever met.
Bethany merely smiled and took a bite of her sandwich.
The silence lingered between them.
But somehow, it didn't feel uncomfortable.
Not really.
The next day, Bethany tried again.
And the day after that.
And the day after that.
She never stopped.
Every morning brought another conversation attempt, another random question, another cheerful smile.
Sometimes Evan answered.
Most times he didn't.
But Bethany stayed anyway.
Slowly, the novelty of the mysterious new student began to wear off.
Students stopped seeing Evan as intriguing and mysterious.
Instead, they saw him for what he seemed to be.
Difficult.
Quiet.
Closed off.
One by one, people stopped trying.
Eventually, most of the class gave up altogether.
Most people.
But not Bethany.
Bethany never seemed to understand the meaning of giving up.
Then one day, she wasn't there.
Evan noticed immediately.
The seat beside him was empty.
He frowned.
Maybe she was late.
But Bethany wasn't the type to be late.
The first bell rang.
Then the second.
Still no Bethany.
By lunchtime, her seat remained empty.
For reasons he couldn't explain, it bothered him.
More than it should have.
Later that afternoon, he found Ava in the hallway.
Bethany's best friend.
"Do you know why Bethany isn't in school?"
Ava looked surprised by the question.
"She's sick."
"Oh."
That should have been enough information.
But somehow, it wasn't.
The next day, her seat remained empty.
Then another day passed.
And another.
One day became two.
Two became three.
Without realizing it, Evan began looking toward her desk every morning.
Expecting to see her there.
The classroom felt different without her.
Quieter.
Emptier.
Off.
And he hated that he noticed.
But he did.
His mind kept drifting toward things he didn't want to think about.
Her voice.
Her endless questions.
The way she refused to leave him alone whenever he told her to.
The way she smiled as if nothing in the world could ruin her day.
And for the first time, something unfamiliar settled heavily in his chest.
Concern.
Without realizing it, Evan had grown used to her presence.
Used to hearing her voice every morning.
Used to her random comments.
Used to the smile she always gave him whenever he walked into class.
Now that it was gone, the silence felt impossible to ignore.
- Writer
