Written in the Stars (W.I.P.) (Book 1)

Chapter 9

Dean
The next few days came around, and I hadn't seen Rhys at school for any of them.
In fact, I hadn't seen him anywhere.

When walking home from school, I got a call suddenly.
I looked down at the number and recognized it immediately.
I answered the call and put the phone up to my ear.
"What the fuck have you done with my son?!" The British accented voice blared through the speaker, making me wince.
"What do you mean 'what have I done with your son'?" I asked, puzzled.
It hit me then, exactly what Moon Dawn was talking about.
"Don't play dumb with me, Silvers boy! I know you have him with you!"
I contemplated how to get out of the situation, but I decided to be honest with him and keep up a calm voice.
What Rhys would do.
"I'm really sorry, sir, I don't know where Rhys is. I wish I did, really." I thought of a way I could sound a little more helpful to him. "I could help you look for him, though."
Moon Dawn was quiet for a moment, thinking up a proper response.
"Are you... sure?" He asked slowly, like he was really sacrificing something in him to let me do this.
"Yes, I'm very, very sure." I said with a certainty and determination in my tone that reminded me of Skye.
Moon could hear the longing in my tone, and I could guarantee to you that he knew.
He knew I was in love with Rhys, his son.
But he said nothing of it.

I looked everywhere.
Everywhere.
And I didn't find him.

As I laid back in my bed, I got a sudden idea.
Gage and Rhys were very good friends a few years back, but they were separated because of Gage taking a fancy to the dark-skinned Dawn boy, and Rhys didn't like him back.
Gage knew everything about Rhys.

Like where he would go if he ran away.

I picked up my phone and tapped onto the top number.
I realized quickly that Rhys's number was no longer on the list anymore, which was strange.
Then it hit me.
He deleted my number.
Because I got angry at him... for me letting my guard down...
I shook my head swiftly and texted, 'Hi Gage, I need your help.'
The reply came immediately, 'I'm on my way.'

"So let me get this straight, Rhys actually ran away?" Gage asked, keeping his voice down so my father didn't hear.
By the way, he snuck in through my bedroom window and landed on top of me.
It sucked until it didn't.
Now we were sitting across from each other on my bed.
"Yes, he did. I didn't quite believe it either when I noticed he hadn't been at school... but it was confirmed by Moon."
"Seriously? Do you know if anything happened before he went... wherever he went?" Gage asked.
Yes, actually, I do.
The last interaction I had with Rhys Dawn played throughout my mind, the last thing he said before he kissed me...
His lips on mine.
'Are you okay?'
I swallowed and composed myself, looking him in the eyes.
"No, I don't."

Rhys
I sat on the cliff edge, my legs hanging hundreds of feet above a tiny trickle of water at the bottom of the canyon on the edge of town.
The sun setting before me, I laid my hand upon the play button of the radio, letting it play whatever it wanted.
I was sure there had been missing posters, I'd seen at least thirty-seven of them on my way out here.
Let them worry.

I didn't need anyone, anyway.
Not my parents, or my little sister...
Or Dean.
I didn't need any of them.
Though I wanted so much to believe that, I longed even more for Dean's lips back on mine.
But it was all a trick.
He never liked me and he never felt anything at all.
It was selfish, I know, to be angry at him.
But I didn't care.
I was selfish and I was stupid, and I didn't care.

The slow romance music that blared from the speakers of the radio filled my ears, and I closed my eyes.
I finally, after all of these days, let myself think of Dean.
I thought about the rollerskating when we were younger, the bag exchange at the school, when he was driving me home and he told me that Charlie and Fred bullying me was making him angry, when I kissed him at the boat, and at the swings.
And I thought about when he pulled away, taking my hands off of his body, got up, and ran off.
I thought about how cold his tone was when I admitted my mistake at the swing set.
Tears rolled down my face and I let them.
I cried for hours, and hours, and hours until I couldn't take it anymore.
I didn't want to live like this anymore.
Expectations and depression and the fear of being the very human that I was.
I wasn't even sure that I wanted to live at all at this point.
The temptation to just let go of everything and anything that had been holding me back...
I got up and didn't bother dusting myself off.
My eyes had been opened when Dean left that parking lot with his drunk sister.
And they would stay open.
I took one more step toward the edge of the cliff, letting the wind rustle through my hair.
My hands twitched slightly at my sides as adrenaline rushed through my veins.
I heard grass crunching behind me, but I didn't care.
I didn't care.
I closed my eyes, a singular tear running down the side of my face.

I held my breath... and jumped.