You Have 86,400 Seconds To Find Me

9:00am (36,000 Seconds Remaining)

I stared blankly at Suzanna, unable to speak. A cold chill running down my spine. I thought the secret note portion of our journey was done and over with. 

Apparently not. 

"Uh, yeah. He's Maxwell," Sam said, reluctantly pointing to me. The expression on his face was nothing short of dumbfounded. 

Suzanna turned her attention over to me, a nervous smile creeping across her face. "Hi," she mumbled anxiously. "I'm Suzanna. I work at the Elephant Ears stand over there," she paused momentarily to point to the stand, then she looked down at her uniform, flushing crimson. "But, I'm sure you already figured that out, huh?"

"Uh," I began then stopped to clear my throat. "Yeah, I kinda figured. Um... How do you know my name?" It was a moot question. I already knew it's answer. 

"Right," Suzanna shook her head, remembering why she was here. "A girl came by the stand early this morning. She asked me if I could deliver a message to her friend. She said it was very important."

"Did she leave a name?" I asked, out of pure curiosity.  

Suzanna shook her head. "No, she didn't. She said she had to be somewhere so she couldn't stay long. She did give me this, though." Suzanna reached into her apron and pulled out a small photograph." She asked me to return it to you when I found you." 

I took the photo from Suzanna, my heart constricting when I looked down and saw Macy and I, sitting at a table in the school's cafeteria. I was holding a pencil in my right hand, a piece of paper laid out in front of me. Macy was sitting across from me, leaning forward on her elbows, looking down at whatever it was I was drawing. She had one hand up by the side of her face, pushing her auburn hair gently back behind her ear. And all the while, I was looking at her. God, she looked so beautiful. This picture was taken the first day of school, the day Macy and I met. I couldn't believe it. I felt a tugging deep inside my chest. 

"Thank you," I croaked, looking up at Suzanna again. She looked back at me quizzically, confused I think, by my intensity. She didn't know everything that was happening here. She was just delivering a message. 

"You're welcome," she replied, smiling softly at me as she got up from the table. "Here. She left you this, too. I didn't read it, just so you know." 

I took the note from her and nodded, my stomach dropping. What had Macy needed to tell me now? What had she written? Was it good? Was it bad? I almost didn't want to know. "Thanks, Suzanna. I appreciate you hunting me down like this. I know it's not exactly in your job description." I laughed, trying to ease the tension I could feel radiating off of Sam and Kelly's shoulders. 

Suzanna laughed. "It was no trouble, really. She was very nice. Anyway, I should get back to work. Enjoy the rest of your day!" Suzanna flashed us a farewell smile and with that she was off, leaving the three of us alone to mull over what had just happened. 

When Suzanna was out of sight, I handed the photograph over to Kelly, her breath catching. "Oh my God! I took this picture!," Kelly exclaimed, turning the photo over. I hadn't even thought to check if there was anything written on the back. "Look, see? I took this on your first day of school." 

Hey, M. It looks like the new kid has a thing for you. Shocker. He seems sweet, though. Maybe you should ask him out. If you don't, I will! -K

I looked over at Kelly, unable to hide my amusement. Turning to see the look on my face, her eyes widened. "Oh, no. Don't give me that look! You were new! We all wanted to date you back then. It was nothing, really."

"If you say so," I teased, earning myself a signature Kelly Moreno glare. 

Kelly then handed the picture over to Sam. "Well?" She turned her gaze toward the note in my hand. "What are you waiting for?"