From The Choices We Made (Book 2)

~4~

"I heard Sano had been absent all last week. When I asked what happened, no one knew except for my teacher that we have the project in. She said that he would be gone until next week. Then I heard little rumors that the last people he talked with were you and Jennifer. I heard other little things, but that's besides my question. So before I ask Jennifer about it, I'd like to ask you, do you know why he hasn't been here?"

The teacher told him that he was coming back next week but didn't say why he was gone. If his teacher didn't tell him, then maybe he doesn't want people to know.

"Well?" Ken wanted an answer.

"Why does it matter to you where he is? I thought you guys still weren't that close."

"Well, seeing now, he is the one who has our project that is due, anyone would like to know his whereabouts."

"He never turned it in?"

"No, she didn't want them early since there wasn't space for them," he said.

"How do you know he had the rocket?"

"I guess he tried to turn it in at some point. Our teacher said she will excuse us until he comes back with it. But that's assuming he does. I don't know what's going on, but if he's been gone for over a week, then I wonder if he will. Firsthand experience, I know It's easy for him to disappear without a trace." Ken said. Then it suddenly hit me why he was a bit serious about wondering where Sano went.

I forgot that he left the mansion when he found out the truth about his mother. Could he have tried that again? Where would he go? Sano wouldn't just up and leave now that he has kids to look after. But his mother dying might have triggered something. He would go see her all the time, not to mention he didn't know her the first half of his life. It probably hit him really hard.

"You know something, don't you?"

"W-why would I know anything? It's obvious that he didn't tell anyone where he is."

"So he didn't tell you anything when he came to get the project?"

I almost said, "Well he did tell me that he liked me." But I don't think this is the time to bring that up.

"He didn't tell me anything when he came to get it. He just got it and left."

"Really? I guess I have to wait and see then," he sighed, "See what Jennifer has to do with this that is. I know she doesn't particularly favor him, so how she came in to play has gotten me curious. She's been awful strange lately." He isn't the only one that's curious about that.

"You must be really concern about him." I said.

"Even though we have our differences, he is still my brother. And it is kind of strange for him to suddenly stop showing up without a serious reason."

"M-maybe something came up for him."

"Maybe. But now, on to something else I came across so quickly when only being back for one day. I heard that you have been quite the topic of attention and the target the past couple weeks." He must have set his differences aside with John to be getting all this information so quickly.

"I don't know why the students there get so attached to others so easily. When you came over that time and mentioned something about admirers, I didn't even realize that I had so many of them." He honestly said that. Not knowing all the girls have been watching him since day one.

"Well, apparently you're more popular than you think."

"I wonder why."

"What do you mean why? You're-" I stopped when I realized what I was about to say. Was I really going to tell him that he's, well, cute and not bad looking? It's something I didn't try to think about seeing as he's always in my face and acknowledging his looks wouldn't help that situation.