Hard To See (Gawsten)

twenty-two

I think I've finally figured out the ending of this book- don't worry though, there's still a few more chapters :)

***

Awsten wanders around the dimly lit park for a few hours. He tries not to cry, knowing that there are people on late night runs that would see him. He can't bring himself to go back to Otto's house, and he really doesn't want to go back to his own, so he tries to figure out what to do. He can't stay outside all night, and he has school tomorrow.

The thought of going to school makes his tummy flip. Maybe he won't go. He doesn't want to run into Jawn, Otto or Geoff. He can't stand the thought of facing them- them telling him that they've been working with Patty this whole time would hurt so bad. Maybe this has been the plan all along- Geoff having a crush on him was just a cover.

He'd finally found a home, and now he's looking for one again. The blond boy wonders if he'll ever find a permanent one. He felt like he sort of did- not just at Otto's house, but with Geoff.

That didn't turn out too well- the brunet is a great actor.

At this point, he doesn't need a home- he just needs to get out of the cold. He's shivering, and the park isn't the best place to be at night. He takes his phone out and checks the time. He had gotten a few notifications and calls within the past few hours, but he'd ignored them.

According to the clock on his phone, it's one in the morning. He begins walking, a destination now in mind. He ignores the messages showing concern that pop up, and puts his phone back in his pocket. He walks shakily until some familiar lights come into view.

Maybe this is as close to a home as he'll ever get.

***

"Should we be this worried?" Otto asks, and he receives incredulous looks from both Jawn and Geoff.

The overall energy in the downstairs apartment is made up of worry and panic. Even Otto is anxious.

"Why would we not be?" Jawn retorts, sending Awsten another text.

"Well, I mean, he is his own person. We aren't his keepers. He doesn't have to ask us permission to go places, or answer the phone every time we call. It's only eight- what time did he leave school?" Otto responds, rolling his eyes.

"Otto, his tutoring ended at four. He hasn't texted or called any of us or Kellin, no one at Gaskarth's has seen him, and he has an abusive parent living within walking distance of the school and here," Jawn explains quickly before pressing the phone to his ear. It rings for a while before he hangs up.

"Well, when you put it like that..." the curly-haired boy says, and takes his phone out to try his own luck at getting ahold of the missing boy.

Geoff, who hadn't stopped pacing since Jawn had asked where Awsten was at six o'clock, paused on the pathway he's been wearing into the floor.

"Do you guys think he went back to his mom's house for some reason?"

Jawn and Otto look at each other silently as a weight descends onto the room.

"Kellin gets off of work around midnight. I'll call him and we'll go to Awsten's house and see if we can see him through the window," Geoff says, knowing that the other boys' silence means they think it's a possibility.