Wasn't Expecting You

He will be ok?

After Ali collected me from work, she brought me to the stadium where the basketball team and emergency services had convened. Harper was already here, Ethan and Ryan with her, huddled together. I bee-lined for my friends, desperate for answers.

"What happened? How is he missing?" I shakily demanded before the boys had even turned around to see me coming.

"Morgan," Ryan sighed, like he had been preparing himself for this moment. "Try not to panic- "

"Ryan, don't tell me how to react. Just tell me what happened," I pleaded.

He took my hand, and led me to the bleachers to sit. "We got hit by the storm last night," he started explaining. Emotion rarely seen on his face now evident. He was always the joker, the class clown, now, he looked broken and lost.

I studied him properly for the first time, seeing the bags under his eyes, worry lines evident, mud still splashed on his face and clothes. This was hard on him too, Joey and him have been best friends for over 10 years.

"A large tree branch came down on one of the tents. It landed on Austin's leg. He was in a bad way Morgan, he needed urgent medical attention. It was decided that Joey and Martin, one of our assistant coaches would go together to get help. We had no cell signal where we were. But after hours passed by and daylight broke, they hadn't returned and help hadn't come. We packed up camp and all of us got out of there, we carried Austin ourselves. There was no sign of Joey or Martin the whole trek back. They didn't get to the bus. We don't know where they are."

"Didn't they check the forecast before you left?" I asked the question that had been bugging me since I woke in the early hours that morning.

"We did, it was meant to miss the forest, but it changed direction. We ended up caught in the middle," he explained.

"I still don't understand. How can they just disappear?"

"The ground was unstable after the storm, we don't know but we assume they slipped down an embankment. The storm made a real mess of things out there," he explained as best as he could. In reality, he had no answers and I had to stop expecting them.

"They will find him Morgan," he said after a moment, squeezing my hand that he was still holding.

I let my eyes sweep around the room, seeing groups of players huddled together, Coach talking with the police rescue coordinator, and eventually my eyes landed on my friends. Joey meant a lot to them too and they were just as worried as I was.

Harper was a mess. Joey is her cousin, they grew up like siblings. I was in love with him now, but she had loved him her whole life. Her eyes were red rimmed from the tears she had shed, her face red and blotchy. She caught my eye and the both of us instantly had more tears come to our eyes as we shared a look of unspoken fear and worry.

We all sat there together, nothing changing, no news, the day scarily drawing to an end. We didn't speak, there was nothing to say that would help anyone.

An hour or so later the door burst open and Sophia and David rushed through, closely followed by the twins and then Harper's family, Harper instantly ran to them. Engulfing herself in the safety of her family.

David strut straight to Coach and demanded to know exactly what happened and what they are doing about finding his son. I think I heard him offer to pay for a private search team, the offer declined by the police, deemed to be unnecessary at this stage. Sometimes, money can't fix everything.

Sophia approached me, the worry clear on her face. She pulled my into a hug, whispering in my ear that it will be ok, we will find him. I think she was trying to convince herself more than me. Once she let me go, she did the same to Ryan. I wish I could say her embrace brought me comfort, but it didn't.