Where We Fell

Part One. Chapter 3.

Dallas

"Hello?" a deep voice answered the phone. I froze, not sure what to do.

"Uh, hi," I finally answered. I realized I needed to explain why I was calling. "I saw your paragraph about, uh, Austin Renam." I took a sharp breath.

"Yeah, do you know anything about him?" He asked. He sounded like he was in his twenties, clearly not happy with his job.

"Yes, I was his girlfriend, Dallas Grady." I told him. He didn't say anything for a second. I started to wonder if he hung up.

"Oh, yes. Your brother was the Quarterback for Lamberque High School. I'm sorry. Um, I'm Conner Davis." Conner's voice softened as he introduced himself. I've always been addressed as Dallas Grady, the football player's sister.

"Is there anything you know about Austin, other than the short biography?" I asked Conner. I prayed that there was something he knew.

"Not really. He is one of the most suspicious cases we've received, actually." He answered. My hope sunk.

"Okay, thank you, have a good day." I responded, thinking there was nothing else he could tell me.

"If you want more information, I would go to the police." Conner suggested.

"Thanks." I hung up feeling low on luck. There was no way he would just go missing for no reason. There has to be a reason. I laid back on my bed and took a deep breath. I heard my door open and I sat up. I saw my mom in the doorway.

"Hi Mom. Is everything alright?" She barely came into my room without knocking.

"Oh yes, I just was letting you know dinner is ready." She informed me. I smiled and walked past her downstairs. I saw Cash and Dad sitting at the table as well, talking. Our family usually had dinner together so I sat next to Cash.

"Hey, how was the first day of senior year?" Cash turned his attention from Dad to me.

"Alright, how was your first day as Coach Cash?" I poked his arm. He pretended to look wounded but smiled.

"Alright," he smirked, copying my answer. Small talk passed between us while we readyed our plates. There was fried chicken and mashed potatoes and green beans, mine and Cash's favourite. As soon as we sat down, we dug in.

"Mom, I never get sick of your fried chicken." Cash complimented Mom. I nodded my head in agreement.

"Why, thank you." She smiled.

"So, Dallas, good first day of school?" Dad asked me. I could see Cash out of my peripheral vision, rolling his eyes. Cash always thought Dad tried too hard to get close to us. Dad worked a lot so we don't see him much.

"Okay, a lot of people with sad smiles, I guess." I bit back a smile. Dad smiled and returned to eating. Cash kicked me under the table and I grinned. We finished eating and washed our dishes.

Cash went back up to his room and I walked to the hangout. It was mostly white tinted windows with a few bookshelves, a TV, a long, leather couch and a loveseat. I sat on the couch and clicked on the TV. Suddenly, I felt a wash of loneliness. Usually, Austin and I would binge watch a certain Netflix series or watch a movie until we could recite the dialogue. I would rest my head in his lap and he would play with my hair. I shook my head and found a movie. About ten minutes in, I heard a knock on the sliding doors. I turned and saw Cash standing there.

"Hey, what's up?" It wasn't unusual for Cash to randomly come up to me. We had a strange brother-sister relationship, but it worked. He walked over to me and relaxed on the couch. I looked at him suspiciously.