your best american girl ✓

11 | oral fixation/tiger mom

Soft, baby blue Blanket wrapped around me, I watch as each of the D'Medicis and Lulu take turns making police statements. Fortunately, I already made mine, and I didn't completely have a breakdown. Most of the questions they asked were pretty standard like:

Where were you when she left?

What time did you guys leave?

Has she been showing any signs of discomfort?

Why did you leave her alone?

Where do you think she is?

Of course, I answered each of them to the best of my ability, but I still had my doubts. Two things were boldly apparent: some sort of foul play was involved, and I am becoming increasingly suspicious of Lulu Jiang. Standing in front of me is her, face twisted in fake concern. In fact, I could smell the awkwardness from her a mile away. From what I've gathered, she only answered the questions thrown at her as vaguely as possible. She knows more than she lets on, that's for sure, so what is she keeping a secret? What did she have to lose? Why isn't she being cooperative? This was the first time I've ever seen Lulu and Hunter's dad in the same room, and there is an unmissable flicker in her eyes every time their gazes connected.

Is that a look of fear? Or worse, guilt?

Red and blue siren lights laser their way through the window's blinds, reflecting off of the glasses set on the table. Nearby, a bowl of still-warm ramen sits in its ceramic bowl, waiting to be eaten. A walkie-talkie's static sounds, and with that, the officers exit the door almost as fast as they came, a grave atmosphere saturating the room. The tension is palpable, almost solid. 

Guess that's it. Halle is gone, without a trace, just like her sister.

From my place on the couch, I watch as Hunter purses his lips, bringing his hands to his head, and exhales loudly. His parents are whispering in hushed voices in the corner of the adjacent room, his dad pulling his phone out of his pocket and making another call. When whoever they're calling answers, they both leave to their bedroom. Don't get me wrong, the whole family seems distraught, but I have a gut feeling their son is taking it the worst. I get it, it's already happened once, and the police weren't competent enough to find Kass, so there's no way in hell they're finding Halle.

More pressure for us to find both of them ourselves now, I suppose. Swallowing the jitters lodged in my throat, I sink further down in the leather cushions.

"Are you gonna leave me next?" I ask him, trying to lighten the mood.

"Hilarious," he mutters, moving a pillow so he can take the seat next to me, "now's not exactly the time for jokes, though."

"Everything's so...similar. Down to the dresses, except Halle didn't leave her phone..." I rush out, at a loss for words to finish the sentence.

"God, Leighanna, stop talking please," he groans, burying his face into his hands, sandy hair falling in front of his face.

"Sorry," I mutter, rubbing his back, the flexed muscles firm against my palm. "I was trying to help."

"I said shut up."

"Okay, okay."

"You never listen."

"I said I was sorry."

Drawing his hands away, he takes a moment to consider me, inching forward so the tips of our noses are brushing together. Heart rapidly beating in my chest, I take a moment to savor the feeling of his cool, minty breath against my skin and the view of his pupils dilating. Reaching to smooth a thumb over my brow, he puts his other hand around the base of my neck.