Breaking Ice

Chapter Twelve

"See you tomorrow?" Brooklyn asked Michael, kissing his lips goodnight. They had a good date night, went to the movies, ate dinner, and had a fun time in his bed.

He dropped her off back at her house, both of them standing awkwardly on the front porch.

"Maybe. I have a lot to do tomorrow, baby. There's hockey practice and the guys want to go over some plays or something like that," he mentioned, smiling at her as he kissed her cheek before rushing away to his car.

She stood by the door, seeing him disappear into the night, making her wonder if there was something happening with him. She doesn't remember the team having practice tomorrow, as it was the weekend. But it was too late to think, so she decided to ignore it and head inside.

Kicking her shoes off, she grabbed them and headed towards her room, feeling the coldness of the tiles in the foyer as she took her earrings off and made it upstairs.

"Brooklyn," her mother called from the living room, and she thought she was in trouble. Growing up, she was wild and not easy to deal with, but she was grateful for her parents' patience and understanding, giving her and Bexley the best life possible.

Despite them not being either's biological parents, they loved them profoundly.

"Yes, Mom. I know I'm late, but the movie ran late, and then we had dinner..."

"Brooklyn, whatever you and your sister do with your lives, it's none of my business. You are both adults and you deal with the consequences. Not to say I don't worry. Of course, I do. And right now, I'm worried about your sister."

She sat down next to her mother, who was on the couch, a small fleece covering her lap while she drank hot chocolate in front of the fireplace. Her blonde hair shone in the light of the fire and, for her and her sister, their mother was the most beautiful woman in the world.

"Why? Is she okay?"

"I hope so. She left a couple of hours ago, thinking I didn't notice. I don't know where she went, or what she's doing. Her phone rings, but then straight to voicemail. This is not like her. Your father leaves for a business trip tomorrow, and he's resting, so he doesn't know she's missing."

"I'll try again, and see if she answers," Brooklyn reassured her, hitting the buttons on her cell phone before calling Bexley. The phone rang a few times, and then she heard her sister's voice, telling her to leave a message.

"That's weird. She never goes out this late, unless it's with me. Any idea where she might have gone?" she asked.

"No. But I heard her tone of voice while she was talking on the phone. She sounded concerned about someone."

Brooklyn bit her bottom lip, trying to think of places where she could have gone. The first person in mind was Jeremiah, but she said she wasn't interested in him, so Brooklyn doubted she was with him.

It didn't hurt to try, though. Right?

She tried calling him. Straight to voicemail.

"Nothing. Let's just wait a bit and maybe she'll show up. Unless she fell asleep at a friend's house."

"You know your sister doesn't have any other friends but Nabanji," her mother cleared. They both leaned on the backrest of the couch, thinking, but nothing was coming to mind.

"I'll call Michael. Maybe he knows if Jeremiah is with her," she said, trying his phone. No answer either.

Brooklyn suddenly gasped as she remembered Michael telling her Jeremiah's room had been trashed earlier. How he knew so quickly, beats her, but maybe that's where Bexley had gone.

Without waiting any longer, she rushed up from the couch, kissed her mother on her cheek, and hurried out the door, getting inside her car.

She needed to find her sister.

Shortly after, she arrived at the dorms, trying to get in, but it was locked. Only residents could go in unless guests were invited by them.

"Hey, you!" she called, seeing a boy walk inside. "Have you seen Jeremiah Redd?"

"The hockey player?"

"Yes, the one and only," she giggled.

"I think he headed that way," he replied, pointing in the direction where the skating rink was. "He left with a pretty girl. Maybe they're together." The boy wriggled his eyebrows, making Brooklyn roll her eyes at his perverted thoughts as she made it to her car and drove off again.

As soon as she arrived at the rink, she stepped out of the car, the light posts were shining down brightly on the parking lot and she noticed her sister's Beetle parked underneath one of them.

Rushing to the doors, she tried to pry them open, but to no avail. It made her wonder why they hadn't left the rink when the door could be opened from inside anyway.

That thought made her smile. Maybe Jeremiah was trying to be with Bexley a little longer, but she would not be happy to know they could have been out of the rink a while ago.

"Bexley! Jezzah!" she called, knocking on the glass on the door. There were no windows low enough for her to see if they were visible, but she kept knocking until they heard her.

"Bexley!" she tried again, this time walking around the building to see if she could find an open door. No luck.

She kept trying on her cell phone, but this time, it didn't even ring. It went straight to voicemail.

A security guard was passing by in his golf cart, pulling right in front of her.

"Can I help you, miss?" se stepped out, looking at her curiously.

"Yes. My sister and our friend are there. They got locked in," she pointed at the building while holding her phone tightly in her hands.

"Strange. Even if it's locked outside, they can still get out. Why haven't they?" The security guard came to the realization. "Ahh. You, young people," he chuckled. The man seemed to be in his late fifties, with graying strands spread all over his dark hair.

"I know. But in their defense, they look cute together. And... I'm sure they're not doing anything inappropriate. My sister doesn't "see him" that way," she mentioned, quoting with her fingers.

"No worries, we'll get them out." He took his keychain off his waist and proceeded to find the right one amongst the many keys, finding it not long after. He opened the door and Brooklyn rushed inside, looking around to make sure she found them.

"Bexley, Jezzah!" she called them a third time while opening the locker rooms. Not a chance. She walked back out to the ice, and they weren't there either.

"Where could they be?" she asked herself, picking up the phone to call Michael once again. Maybe they were able to get out, but seeing her car outside didn't make sense, as they would have to take it to drive back to wherever they went.

"Hello," he answered, his voice sounding sleepy.

"Michael, sorry to bother you so late. I know we just saw each other earlier, but I need your help in finding my sister."

"Where is she?"

"Well, if I knew where she was, I wouldn't be asking you for help, now, would I?" she snapped, a sudden silence meeting her on the other side of the line. "Sorry, baby. I'm just worried."

Michael cleared his throat, trying to wake himself up. He had a long night already, and he didn't want to deal with more. Especially since...

"Who's on the phone, baby?" A husky female voice sounded on the other side of the line, and Brooklyn had clearly heard it. She froze on the spot, her phone still on her ear as a lone tear fell down her cheek.

She knew it. She didn't want to admit it, but she knew it.