?WINGLESS AND BEUTIFUL

?
?EPISODE 71?

I didn’t see Chaise all Monday. He didn’t come up to meto my locker in between classes, did not join Denise and mefor lunch. I didn’t see him even when I headed to work inthe afternoon.

Fortunately, for the whole day, I also didn’t see Hunter. Iguess it was just my day off from worrying about either of them.

That for once, I had the day for myself to figure outwhat I needed to do.
When I kssed Hunter again, it felt the same as before.

Electricity radiated from his lips to mine. It felt exhilaratingand exciting… tormenting and heartbreaking all at the sametime. It brought back all the memories of our time together.

He made me feel safe and secure… and even if the worldaround us was full of danger, he still made me feel like I shouldn’t care.

As long as I was in his arms everythingwas going to be okay.
Meredith asked me to quit my job at Alibri.

She said shewould help me find a job, as long as I only did it over theweekends and I should stay indoors at nights. I was stillarguing with her about this and we hadn’t reached aconclusion yet.

But Monday night, she picked me up fromwork. I was thankful because I wasn’t particularly thrilled towalk home alone.

“Thanks, Mer,” I told her as soon as I got out of the car.
“You actually shouldn’t have. I know you’re also tired from your work.”

“Don’t mention it, Alice. I’m your guardian. It’s my job tomake sure you’re safe,” Meredith said.

As we walked up the steps to the house, I turned back to the street just in time to see a black Porsche slow down infront of our house and then drove away.

I remember that car!It was Chaise’s. Did he follow us home to make sure Iwas home okay, like he used to in the past?But why didn’t he just show himself?

What was wrong
with him? I feel like he was deliberately avoiding me.

What did I do to him? And how can I talk to him if he wouldn’teven see me?

The next day, when Chaise did not show up again in school, I finally called him. He didn’t pick up. I must havecalled him more than a dozen times, but he just ignored mycalls. It was really bothering me.

I just wanted to know if hewas okay, that he was safe.I sent him a text message:Chaise, I wonder where you are. I’m getting worried.

Everything alright?I waited for about ten minutes but I didn’t get anythingback from him. I don’t know if he was sick or he was mad at me. But right now, as long as I know he was safe then everything else was fixable.

The next day, I didn’t see Chaise or Hunter again. I wishI could give Hunter my diary. I wanted him to know not only that I was just friends with Chaise…

I also wanted him tounderstand why. But right now, I don’t even know where mydiary is. I spent almost every day of the last one and a half years writing to Hunter on it.

And now… I haven’t evengiven it to him, and I lost it.It bothered me that I could have dropped it somewhereand then it fell into the hands of people who didn’t havegood intentions for me. It wasn’t fair.

Apart from myself,
only Hunter was the only other person who had the right toread it.

And it worried me that right now that somebody elsecould be reading about my deepest, darkest fears… mymost truthful emotions; reading the words that were meant for the boy I waited for—the boy I still wanted to come backto me.

Chaise did not show up to school the next day or the next.

And I knew something was really wrong. It was not likehim to just not show up for school, ignore my calls or mytext messages.

“Have you heard from him?” I asked Denise.
She shook her head. I could tell that she was worriedtoo.
“I just hope that nothing bad happened.”

“Let me call his house,” Denise said, flipping her mobileto scan for Chaise’s name. Then she dialed the number andI waited anxiously beside her.
“Hi. Good afternoon. May I speak to Chaise please?”

Denise paused for a while and then she said, “Okay,thanks.”
I raised a brow at her as soon as she hung up the phone.

She shook her head. “He’s not home. His maid said heleft about two hours ago.”
I sighed in relief. “Thank God.”

“Now you could breathe,” Denise said, smiling. “At least,we know he hasn’t gone missing. That we’re still looking fora living person and not waiting for a corpse to turn up.”
I gave Denise a disapproving look and she laughed.

“You’re right. I miss our verbal judos. If he was here, hewould have said something hilarious.”

“I just wish I know what’s going on with him. He’s noteven answering my text messages.”
“Did you have a fight in the lake house?”

I shook my head. “Not that I remember. But he was pretty quiet on the way back.”

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