I Miss You

N I N E

     It was about 10:00 pm before I managed to get out of the house unnoticed. My drive to Ace's home was short, and quiet. I wasn't feeling well after the days earlier events, but that was the reason I was seeing Ace. I started to knock on Ace's door but stopped as the door was jerked open before my knuckles could even hit the hard surface.

"Hey sweetie, sorry I just got the little ones to sleep, didn't mean to scare you." Ace's mother smiled as she let me in the house. "He's up stairs like always, hunny"

     With a nod I walked up the steps leading to the second floor and made my way to his room. I walked through the door with a soft knock. Ace sat at his desk in front of his laptop with his head laying right in front of the keyboard. I began to close the door when the heading caught my eye.

Car wreck ending in two missing and three hospitalized.

     I paused, with out even taking a second to dwell on the pain pinging threw my chest. I scurried to Ace's bed room door.

"Cam?" His voice was groggy as he raised his head from his desk and  looked at me with a smile.

"I'm sorry it's late, I should have not come" my voice cracked as I turned around once again.

"No, you should stay" Ace stood up and stretched.

"No, I'm tired" I lied as I headed towards the door.

"Cam? What's wrong? You never go to bed this early. You have stayed at my house till 3:00 am for like 3 days in a row last week." Ace placed his hand gently on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry Ace I have to go" I turned around, but I didn't look at him. My eyes met the article on his computer screen. Ace fallowed my eyes before his face filled with panic.

   Ace rushed to shut the computer "I'm sorry I didn't want you to see that." He muttered.

"How long have you known" I rapped my arms around myself.

"I just searched your name tonight" he looked down at my vans.

"Why?" I had to ask

"Your such mystery, I can see it in your face your in pain. I needed to know something. I expected divorce papers, maybe an absent parent, I didn't expect something like this." He couldn't look me in the eyes.

     I gave him a bitter laugh. "Bye Mason" I said before he grabbed my shoulder once again.

"Please, I was scared. Your so absent, cold, guarded. I was scared you would..."

"What! Kill myself! What do you think I'm going to jump off the cliff. Do you think I'm going to be found weeks later surrounded by innocent and now scared teens!" I didn't scream. I was calm, and my voice fell to a whisper.

"No, Celeste I really care about you. I don't want you to shut me out or. "

"Care about me? You don't know me, or what I do. You don't know the innocent or guilty. Maybe I'm not innocent, maybe I'm not a victim. What would you do then? What if I watched her die and didn't tell a soul." My voice was sinister maybe even evil.

"Don't say that, Cam" he took a deep break and grabbed my hand. "I may not have known you long, but there is something about you that kept me here" he looked in my eyes.

"What do you mean by 'kept me here' why the hell am I so perfect? I am nothing, you don't need to be around me" I warned him

"I'm not what you think Cam, I moved here for a reason. My life or my record isn't squeaky clean, I have have a fucked up brain." He was inches away from my face.

What the hell are you doing? What am I doing? Don't lean in, don't fall for this shit.

     I was seconds away from Ace's lips on mine. Our mouths were inches apart. I pulled away just before his lips could meet mine. "I'm sorry" I mumbled before running out of Ace's room.

     I found myself sitting on the cliffs edge by 11:30pm. The waves crashed against the sharp edges of the rock. "Hey" Jason's sharp voice cause me to jump.

"You know Oli would kill you if he saw you." I mumbled looking down at the water.

"Yeah, but I don't really give to shits" he laughed as he sat next to me. He brought a flask to his lips. I eyed the flask as he took a long drink. I grabbed it from him once he offered and took my first of many drinks. I did not want any thing to do with Jason, but I felt so weak. I could not stand the thought of arguing right now. 

     I remember laughing and joking with Jason. We drank till the flask was gone, and after that we switched to the vodka's original glass bottle. Drinking out of the battle was the last thing I remember before waking up next to Jason the next morning. My head pounded, but of course that was to be expected.

"Celeste!"  I herd Oliver's voice echo from a distance. I hoped up from my spot and grabbed my backpack.

"Hey, Oli" I said in my horse morning voice.

"Were have you been?" Oliver looked slightly panicked.

"Here" I answered emotionless

"Why didn't you come home last night?" Oliver pulled me into a genital huge. "I was worried"

"I'm sorry, I spent the night with Ace" I lied "then I came here this morning" I told my brother.

"Ace, do I need to have a talk with him?" Oliver raised his eye brow. I raised my eyes causing a small smile smile to spread across his face, the first in a while. 

"Has grandma been looking for me?" I asked the obvious 

"she is a little angry, you missed the meeting with the lawyer this morning." Oliver Informed me.

"Has the case changed at all since they found the body?" I asked 

"yeah, but not much." Oliver said looking down at me. "Margret did not die from the crash, they said it was the fall from the cliff that had killed her." Oliver informed me.

"So maybe he pushed her off" I said 

"No, according to the autopsy there was no sign of struggle....Margret most likely jumped."