Finding April (gxg)

Part 15

After the New Year, everything was feeling like it was at a stand still for me in terms of finding April. In the middle of January, Katie went back up to college for her final semester.
The week after she left to go back up to school, I kept on wanting to visit her. I wanted to see her. It felt like over this winter break that she was home, we got even closer. I wasn't sure if it was due to the absence of April, or that the two of us had just matured more, but I liked her presence.
I also thought that maybe if I went back to a place where April lived for a while, up at her former college, it could spark something within me. Possibly a clue to where she could be. Or just to feel closer to her.
I asked Ava if she wanted to go with me on Friday up to the University Katie went to for the night. She said that she happily would go with me. It's pretty damn nice having a built in best friend and girlfriend all at once.
Katie had lived with both Candace and April the last two years of college, but since they both graduated she now lives in an off campus apartment with two guys that she is friends with- Connor and Aidan. Connor and Aidan are cousins, and Katie has been friends with them since the beginning of college. I've always also suspected that she is into Connor.
It was about an hour drive that night for Ava and I, and I drove us.
Katie greeted us at the door of the apartment, both with a hug.
"Come in! I'm so glad to have you two stay tonight." Katie said as we followed her into the apartment. It was quite spacious- with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. My parents were of course helping her out with paying for it.
Connor and Aidan were in the living room, playing video games. They greeted us both with a wave and a hello. The two of them were both tall, but Connor had dark hair and Aidan had red hair.
Ava and I put our bags down in Katie's room. It was immaculate, of course. Katie has always been extremely organized and keeps everything pristine. April was always the opposite, which I know was something they clashed about when they lived together.
"So, I figured we could go out to a bar tonight since we are now all over 21." Katie said, sitting on her bed.
"That sounds great." Ava said to her. I nodded in agreement.
It felt like old times- getting ready with Katie up at college with her. Usually April would be with us too though. It always feels like something is missing without her.
This time though I had Ava with me, and that meant everything. I loved how she was now being more integrated into my family. I looked at Katie applying red lipstick to Ava's lips with a mini brush and smiled.
"Red lipstick looks amazing on you." I said to her.
"Doesn't it? I know pink is your color girl, but you look hot in red." Katie said to Ava.
We were able to walk from Katie's apartment down to a local bar called Brü. I'm not the biggest bar-goer, and this place especially had a ton of people. But the three of us were able to get a table in the corner, we decided we didn't want to sit at the actual bar.
"You should come back up here for your birthday in a couple of weeks." Katie said to me, taking a swig of her beer. My birthday, February 1st, was in about two weeks.
"I think that would be really fun." Ava said, and then looked at me. "What do you think?"
"I'm down." I said to Katie and Ava.
I was scoping the bar, as I do whenever I go anywhere new. I know it's ridiculous, but I always have this hope that April will be somewhere I go. That would be surreal- and I know it just will not happen like that.
However, I did see two people sitting at the bar that I did not want to see that night.
Candace, in a tight black turtleneck sweater and jeans and Kenny, in a blue sweater and dark was jeans. They were talking to each other and laughing. Like they didn't have a fucking care in the world. Meanwhile, April was gone. Missing. Katie was trying to talk to me, but I kept on looking over at Candace and Kenny. She put her hand on top of his and my blood absolutely boiled.
"Josephine, you look distracted. What's wrong?" Katie asked me.
I snapped my head around and looked at her. "Candace and Kenny are over there at the bar."
"Oh...just ignore them. I don't want you to start anything." Katie said.
"It's okay. We don't have to pay attention to them." smiled sweetly at me.
And I tried. I really tried as the night went on to not pay attention to the two of them. But when I saw Kenny lean over and kiss Candace with more passion than I had ever seen him kiss April with before, something in me snapped and before I knew it I was up and walking over to them.
"Josephine! Get back over here!" I heard Katie say, but I just ignored her and kept walking.
I was standing right by them and they didn't even notice. The two of them were way too busy tonguing each other and looking into each other's eyes right in the middle of the bar.
"You two are real cute, you know that?" I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
Candace's eyes went wide when she saw me. She pulled away from Kenny, who just turned and looked at me.
"What is the purpose of you coming over here?" Kenny asked me.
"You know, I don't actually know. But it felt necessary." I said back to him.
"Josephine, I know this is weird for you to see. But I promise we don't mean any harm." Candace said to me.
I looked at her. "I don't care. Do you two not realize how absolutely fucked up it is that you two are dating each other? That you live together?"
"We know this didn't start out in the most ideal way. But we love each other. It just happened." Candace said.
I couldn't help but laugh. "In the most ideal way? You've got that right. Your best friend went missing and then not even a few weeks later you're moving in with her boyfriend? Sounds pretty fucking weird to me."
"I know it's messed up. Believe me, I know." was all Candace said.
"How can it not make me look at you two a little side eyed?"
"I'm not sure what you're trying to suggest here, but I would stop while you're ahead." Kenny said to me.
"You can't blame me." I said.
"Josephine, please leave us the fuck alone. We are just trying to have a good night together." Kenny looked at me.
"And who even gives a fuck about April, right?" I said.
That set Kenny off. He slammed his fist down on the bar. "I said leave us alone!"
"Kenny!" Candace gasped.
I was a bit shaken up from his outburst, but wasn't about to let it show. I was going to start going off on him, when I felt an arm gently pull me away.
"Josephine, come on." Ava's voice said. I followed her back to the table where Katie was sitting, looking at her phone.
"I need to get some air." I said, and then made my way outside. Ava was following me the whole time. I was feeling a lot at this moment. Anger, sadness, confusion, hopeless.
Ava stood in front of me and I leaned against the window of the bar.
"Why did you go up to them?" she asked me.
"Oh, so this is somehow my fault?"
"I didn't say that. Just answer me- why did you go up to them?"
"It was making me sick, okay? Sick to see the two of them just so...happy." I said, and I could feel myself getting choked up.
"I know it's so hard. But you have to try your best to ignore them. And I know it's so completely fucked up that they are together." Ava said, and she stepped forward and gave me a hug.
I could feel tears brimming in my eyes. "It just makes me feel like I am the only one that gives a fuck about April." I said.
"Thats not true. I promise you, so many people care. And we are going to find her." Ava said, hugging me and rubbing my back.
"Thanks." I said as I pulled away.
Ava looked at me in the eyes. "You can't keep lashing out and being reckless though. I love you, and I don't want anything to happen to you. I don't want you getting in any kind of trouble."
"I love you too. I promise nothing will." I said, "I won't get into any trouble."
More untrue words have not been spoken.