Missing

7

Chapter Seven

The Next Day

The police had, at last, given back the diary and finally I was able to investigate every nook and cranny of it. The note was still an ominous presence in my head but I chose to just ignore it. Flicking a few pages from the last entry I reminded myself that I was going back two weeks before his disappearance; after all the last entry was written a whole four days before he was announced as missing.

The further you got back, the more writing/scribble appeared which was promising and I began to scan the words for any clues. I started with the page before that cryptic two lines and saw, to my surprise, a full page of writing.

Went to town today with Cece, man she's hot but she's also dating Brent so can't mess with her. We went to Starbucks cause she's a basic white girl haha, then a bit of shopping where I mainly checked out the staff.

I was almost bored to sleep at this point, I didn't really care .

Problem is almost solved, although they are still angry.

And with that dramatic ending he stopped, scribbled his name meaning that I was left with nothing more than an account of his shopping day and yet another cryptic message. If only he had written who was angry at him, what his problem was.

Setting it aside I got up to go to school, I place I dreaded more than the average student- mainly because I was always bombarded with questions. Despite gossip slowing down at him, people still want Mark Smith back and rather than asking the police they decided that I would know all the answers. For the first time in my mystery solving career I was in the dark to what happened- I had no clue.

The day slugged on, the minutes feeling like hours and the hours feeling like days. When the final bell rang I felt exhausted and exasperated, because I had assigned today as the day where I would go and check out where Mark was said to disappear.

It was a five minute walk away from school but it took me only two as I hurried through the eery alleyways; I didn't want to think that they had been walked on by the now invisible Mark. I kicked a stone as I walked, I was frustrated and angry that I had gotten nowhere with the case. It had been over a week and I was in practically the same position I had been in when I heard the news- confused.

As I approached the supermarket I saw the place was deserted which caused even more hairs to stand on end, I realised it was a dumb idea. Any evidence would have been taken or gone by the time I had came around to do it, the police had already covered the area. Trudging back I looked up at the stars as they twinkled in the jet black sky, they looked so beautiful on that night. Almost captivating enough to forget what was happening around me and just stop to think about the wider world. Mark was not everything in life.

"I wonder if you can see these too Mark," I whispered looking one more time at the stars before dropping my head again to look at the pavement. I hated to admit it, but Mark held a special place in my heart. A place I didn't want to admit existed.

Walking through my front door I wasn't surprised that no one came to ask where I had been like a normal family would- it was after twelve pm when I had got back. The time from leaving the place Mark was seen and the time I arrived home was spent drinking on a park swing- cliché I know.

Vodka had never tasted so sweet as when you were trying to drown your feelings that had surfaced, swallowing them back down where the belong. In the dark. I didn't want to feel anything for Mark, I didn't want to give him that privilege. But I couldn't just ignore what I was feeling inside.

Flopping on my bed I picked up the diary carefully and flicked back to the middle of it, where the entries weren't filled with mind boggling messages that I couldn't decode.

Today was pretty chill, just hung out with the guys at the park. Smoked a but of pot but nothing crazy, I mean my mum got so mad last time she found me high.

Can't help feeling happy right now, for once life is good. I hope it stays like this.

My heart broke for him, all he wanted was happiness.

"Maybe that's why he ran," I said to myself, " He was looking for happiness."