Bad Boy's Queen

9; The Search For The Bad Boy

"Why didn't you tell your mum?" 

"What was I supposed to say? 'Hey, mum, I've been sneaking out with Hunter at 12 am in the morning.'" 

"Obviously not like that." 

"Yeah, thought so."

I lick on my ice cream, ignoring the stinging feeling in my nose whenever I inhale the cold air. Kaylin doesn't eat her vanilla ice cream, and instead just stares at it. "You know, I think you could get away with anything. Remember when you went to Grey Cove? Your parents didn't even ground you."

I reply with a quiet, uninterested hum.

Cain sits beside me, fidgeting with his inhaler. I offer him ice cream, but he only shakes his head, obviously more concerned about what Emily's parents might decide on. "What if Emily's parents ban her from seeing us?"

Kaylin snickers at Cain. "You think they're gonna just take away all her closest friends because one of them has been seeing her brother?"

"It's not like that," I defend, picking on my nails, suddenly not very interested in the ice cream anymore. "I barely hang out with him. We hung out last week because I got locked out."

My neck heats up at the thought of Hunter's graceful fingers grazing my legs. I recount the way he touched me, his palm squeezing my inner thigh so deliciously I wanted to rip off my clothes then and there. Sometimes at night when I'm laying alone in bed, listening to nothing at all, I imagine what would have happened if my brother hadn't interrupted me.

The sound of laughter snaps me back to reality and we all find ourselves listening to the family chattering by the bench near the ice cream truck. I watch as a little girl with chocolate covered mouth dips her finger in her chocolate ice cream and smears it over a little boy's face. He gasps, one hand flying to his face to wipe the mess.

"Maybe we should walk down to her place," Cain suggests. Kaylin is silent at first, and she looks at me with a questioning glance.

I purse my lips, weighing the pros and cons. "Let's go, but let's not stay for long. I have a chemistry test tomorrow."

Kaylin sighs as she hops off the ledge, biting into her ice cream cone hastily like she wants to finish it quickly.

I feel a pang of jealousy as we pass the family gathered on the bench. My eyes zero in on the little girl with the chocolate ice cream again. What do kids care about at that age? Nothing except fun and games. 

I focus on the crunch of gravel underneath my sneakers whenever I step to distract myself from the idea of seeing him again, simultaneously taking bites out of my ice cream cone, not allowing my mind to wander to a certain person. 

"You okay, Leah? You look really pale. You don't have to go if you don't want to."

I flash Kaylin a small smile, appreciative of her support. "I'm fine. I have to sort things out with her parents anyway."

We round a familiar corner, the silence between us almost unbearable. I see the house from a distance, small as an ant. As we get closer my heart starts racing. I glance at Hunter's bedroom window. The blinds are closed. He might not be home. Luck might just be on my side.

"You think they're home?" Cain asks.

Kaylin points to a black car. "The cars are here."

I swallow, gulping my fear. My blood runs cold at the thought of having to see Hunter after what happened. Ever since that particular incident, I haven't had the urge to see him, afraid that he might start ignoring me. He hasn't come to school at all this week, and a part of me was happy about that.

I grit my teeth to stop myself from screaming as we stand in front of the front door. Kaylin raises her fist to the door instead of pressing the doorbell button. Her hand hovers there in the air. Cain raises his eyebrows at her, but I don't do anything because I know that deep down I don't want her to knock. She sighs and finally builds up the courage to rap on the door.

We all wait. For someone. For anyone to come to the door.

I almost jump when it opens, but force a nervous smile when I see that Isabella was the one that opened the door. My smile dies just as quickly when I see the faint streak of mascara just underneath her eyes. There were dried tears on her cheeks. "Isabella, is everything okay?" I peek inside the house, but there's no sign of life anywhere.

"Emily's up in her room." Her voice cracks and she leans against the doorframe, one of her arm folded and the other free hand covering her mouth like she doesn't want us to see her lips quiver. "Hunter hasn't been at school has he?" I know just by looking at her that she already knows the answer to that question.

"No. Are you okay?" Cain steps forward and rubs her arm comfortingly. She looks away toward the distance, her eyes filling with tears.

"He left me a voicemail the other day. Said he's okay and not to call the police. I haven't seen him since." It feels as though my heart is in my throat and if I open my mouth to talk I would vomit it out. "He didn't even take the car." She points toward the black car parked in the driveway.

I start thinking of the day I came with him to that mysterious place. All I can think about is those three men dressed in all black and how Hunter had come back to the car all cut and bruised. I almost sink to the floor when a possibility springs to mind. The longer I think about it the more nauseous I get, and the more I regret ever having that ice cream. 

Kaylin sucks in a breath. "How come I never heard about this? Did you call the police?"

"I am a horrible mother." Isabella covers her face with her palms, her tears now streaming down her cheeks freely. "I should have called. What was I doing? I have to call the police."

"Have you tried calling Hunter first?" I question.

Her eyes snap to me and she glares fiercely. "You think I didn't try calling my own son?"

"I am sorry, I just wanted to make sure."

Isabella huffs and looks away. I shift, still not able to process through my mind the fact that Hunter's missing. Well, not really missing. I desperately want to think that maybe he just went rogue without any explanation. Maybe he started to realise that he made a mistake that night when he touched me in the car. It's a painful thought, but I would rather go with that theory than the other one where he has been kidnapped by the men in black. 

Isabella opens the door wider and steps aside. "You guys should come in. Maybe try to convince Emily to come out of her room."

"You guys go. I just wanna stay out here for a while. I'll catch up in a minute."

Cain and Kaylin only give me one last worried glance before taking Isabella's offer and entering the house that now seems more lonely and dead. Isabella's green eyes soften, and my heart tugs when I realise how much Hunter's eyes resemble them. "I am sorry I snapped at you. I just want him to come back. I'll leave the door open for you."

"Thanks, Bella."

I turn on my heels, walking down the porch and down to the middle of the empty road. Everything is quiet. I can't hear my footsteps. I can't hear my blood rushing through my head. I can't hear my heart threatening to beat out of my ribcage. The only thing keeping me awake and aware is the stinging cold air. My fingers feel icy. The sensation runs up from the tips of my fingers up toward my neck and up to my skull.

I fish my phone from my jacket pocket, pressing the home button to look at the time.

13:25

Then before I know it, I am staring at his name on the screen. I hesitate but I shakily press the call button and bring it up to my ear. I don't know what I am expecting, but it doesn't hurt to try. 

The phone continues to dial, and I wait, scraping the sole of my shoe on the rough asphalt anxiously. My fingers slightly shake as I press the phone to my ear harder. I don't think I am ready to talk to him, but if it means everyone knows he's alright then I'll take that risk. 

"Leah?" My eyes widen at the voice. 

_

Idk what the hell I am doing but oh well I'll continue