Worst Impressions

Bonus Chapter - The Phone Call

It was selfish to hope that Beth would ignore the call for my sake. It didn't stop me from wishing that she would, though. I didn't know if we could entirely capture the mood again, but I was willing to give it a try if she was.

The moment her expression shifted to one of concern I knew it was unlikely. Whoever was on the end of the line had higher priority than a few stolen kisses atop a cliff.

At least there was sincerity in her voice when she said, 'Sorry, I'll make it quick.'

Despite knowing that it hadn't been her fault, I still rolled onto my back and sighed. I'd been seconds away from showing Beth the true depth of my feelings for her and in finding out if she felt the same, and it had all been snatched away. It was impossible not to be disappointed.

'Jenny?' she asked into the phone.

At first, I could hear very little. Beth had her back to me and the phone pressed firmly to her ear. Assuming that this was a private conversation, I did my best to focus on the rolling waves beneath us and the cries of the gulls circling overhead.

It didn't escape my notice that she said, 'It's fine. Is there something wrong?'

Not only did I disagree with this being fine, but I did quickly grasp that the only reason that Beth had taken the call was that she believed that there was some kind of emergency.

'It's... Oh, Beth, you were the only person I could think to call!' Jenny wailed through the phone at such volume that I couldn't miss it.

There was no going back to the kissing, and I doubted that I'd get to hear Beth speak my name so tenderly for quite some time. Whatever was going on, it was far more important than all of that. I sat upright and met Beth's gaze when she turned around. Understanding that I, too, wanted to know what was going on, she hit speaker and held the phone between us.

'What's going on?' Beth asked. 'Are you hurt?'

Already I was wondering how I would break the news to Charlie if something had happened to Jenny. I'd still not had a chance to speak to him about their relationship. If he found out that she was in danger and that he wasn't there for her, he'd be heartbroken.

'No, no, I'm not hurt... I just... I need to know. Is Lisa there with you?'

'No, why? Did she say that she was coming here? Did she leave the trip early or something?'

Of course, it was Lisa. Of the group, she was always the one to start trouble. I imagined that Beth's other friend, Chrissy, was almost normal without Lisa's influence. If anything had gone wrong, it would be down to that girl and her ridiculous behaviour.

'I don't want you to panic. Oh, this feels like it's all my fault. I should have been –'

Even without knowing the full story, I could have told Jenny that whatever had happened was not her fault. I'd never met a girl so responsible in all my life. She was more sensible than Beth and my sister, and she didn't have the capacity to do anything mean spirited or cruel. No matter the situation, I couldn't imagine Jenny bearing any blame for it.

'Jen!' Beth interrupted. 'Stop freaking out and tell me what's going on! Why did you think Lisa might be here? What exactly happened?'

'Everything was fine on our first night. We went to the street market together yesterday, but she vanished for a while during free time. She was back in the evening, so we didn't ask. Then, this morning... Oh, Beth, she's gone! She left a note for Chrissy and now we can't find her!'

Jenny began to sob on the end of the phone and Beth looked at me with such helplessness that my heart broke for her. They were all adults in the eyes of the law. If Lisa wanted to run off from the group then there was very little that they could do about it, but it was always a risk for anyone to be alone in a foreign city. That Lisa was a teenaged girl elevated that level of danger ten-fold. When I pictured Beth doing the same, well, I shuddered to think what might happen to her in the dark.