Status: Completed
Someone out There Loves You
It's Hard To Say
Mikey was right. My body was somewhat healed by caffeine and nicotine, but my emotions weren’t. We ducked into every vintage record store we went by (you’d be surprised just how many there are in Chicago), but we didn’t find Clayah in any of them.
My phone buzzed. Mollers. I answered it, praying for good news. I didn’t even say hello but then again neither did she.
“Did you find her?” Mollers said.
“No. Have you had any luck?”
“Okay… I understand you’re stressed Gerard, but based on my last question, do you think I did?”
“Sorry.”
I could picture Mollers rubbing her temple. “If we find her, she’d getting a tracking device installed in the back of her neck.”
Something clicked in my head. “Mollers, meet us at—Python Records.” I gave her the street address. Lucky she was right around the corner. I hung up immediately.
“What are you doing?” Mikey asked.
“Do you remember that whole GPS thing we set up at the beginning of the tour so none of us could get lost?”
“Yeah—“ Mikey’s eyes widened. “…Wow. We’re slow.”
Mollers ran around the corner, dragging a very tired looking puppy behind her. “What’s up?”
“I’m finding Clayah,” I answered, violently beating buttons on my phone.
“Elaborate please?”
“Clayah may not be answering our calls,” I said, “But she still has her phone on her.”
“Duh, it’s Clayah.”
“And all our phone are connected by GPS.”
Molly’s jaw dropped. “Oh, my God.”
“Yeah. Only problem is that this goddamn WiFi is being a bitch…”
I ran down the street with Mollers and Mikey trailing me, trying to get any bars that I could from fucking OnStar. I stopped under a street light.
“Mollers, grab a stanger and ask them for this address.” I showed her the screen.
She looked around in the street, panicking, and grabbed some business dude by the arm. He raised his eyebrows, but sympathized when she explained.
“That’s a Barnes & Noble. Go down this block, make a right, go three more blocks… know what, get a taxi.”
“We don’t really have time for that so please go on,” Mikey rushed. The business guy finished giving us directions and I came this close to kissing his feet. Not kidding. We thanked him and ran for our lives.
“A Barnes & Noble…” Mollers shook her head as she ran. “That is so like her.”
“Yeah, well, we all feel stupid right now.”
We took two rights, a left, a right, all in silence between us. Besides gasping for air.
“Hey… guys?” Mollers said.
“Yeah?” Mikey’s voice kind of wavered in fear. I could understand that.
“I’m sorry. I know she’ll be pissed at me too when we find her. And I’m sorry I wasn’t more sympathetic all this time.”
“We understand, Mollers.” I looked quick over my shoulder as we ran. “We’re sorry too.”
“And Mikey? Despite how much of a whiney bitch you were, I’m sorry about your… gonads.”
“I’ll forgive you for that later.”
We ran in through the door of Barnes & Noble.
“Mollers, go to music,” I snapped. “Mikey go to books. I’ll check comics.” No one answered, we just went.
Unfortunately this was the biggest Barnes & Noble I’d ever been in. Three floors, to be exact. I momentarily loathed Chicago. She wasn’t in comics. But since it was right by the café I checked there, too. Nothing.
The three of us met back at the customer service desk. Molly was already asking.
“Have you seen a girl in here?” Molly said. “Shoulder length black hair, bangs, about fourteen, brown eyes, tall?”
“Uhm…” the guy behind the desk though. Bro, you work in a bookstore, you should think a hella lot faster than that. “No,” he said. “But do you know what she was wearing?”
“Jeans,” I said. “Tshirt, leather jacket.”
“OH!” His memory clicked. “Uh, she walked out the door about fifteen minutes ago.” I cursed under my breath. “But,” the customer service guy continued, “I think I saw her go around back.”
My phone buzzed. Mollers. I answered it, praying for good news. I didn’t even say hello but then again neither did she.
“Did you find her?” Mollers said.
“No. Have you had any luck?”
“Okay… I understand you’re stressed Gerard, but based on my last question, do you think I did?”
“Sorry.”
I could picture Mollers rubbing her temple. “If we find her, she’d getting a tracking device installed in the back of her neck.”
Something clicked in my head. “Mollers, meet us at—Python Records.” I gave her the street address. Lucky she was right around the corner. I hung up immediately.
“What are you doing?” Mikey asked.
“Do you remember that whole GPS thing we set up at the beginning of the tour so none of us could get lost?”
“Yeah—“ Mikey’s eyes widened. “…Wow. We’re slow.”
Mollers ran around the corner, dragging a very tired looking puppy behind her. “What’s up?”
“I’m finding Clayah,” I answered, violently beating buttons on my phone.
“Elaborate please?”
“Clayah may not be answering our calls,” I said, “But she still has her phone on her.”
“Duh, it’s Clayah.”
“And all our phone are connected by GPS.”
Molly’s jaw dropped. “Oh, my God.”
“Yeah. Only problem is that this goddamn WiFi is being a bitch…”
I ran down the street with Mollers and Mikey trailing me, trying to get any bars that I could from fucking OnStar. I stopped under a street light.
“Mollers, grab a stanger and ask them for this address.” I showed her the screen.
She looked around in the street, panicking, and grabbed some business dude by the arm. He raised his eyebrows, but sympathized when she explained.
“That’s a Barnes & Noble. Go down this block, make a right, go three more blocks… know what, get a taxi.”
“We don’t really have time for that so please go on,” Mikey rushed. The business guy finished giving us directions and I came this close to kissing his feet. Not kidding. We thanked him and ran for our lives.
“A Barnes & Noble…” Mollers shook her head as she ran. “That is so like her.”
“Yeah, well, we all feel stupid right now.”
We took two rights, a left, a right, all in silence between us. Besides gasping for air.
“Hey… guys?” Mollers said.
“Yeah?” Mikey’s voice kind of wavered in fear. I could understand that.
“I’m sorry. I know she’ll be pissed at me too when we find her. And I’m sorry I wasn’t more sympathetic all this time.”
“We understand, Mollers.” I looked quick over my shoulder as we ran. “We’re sorry too.”
“And Mikey? Despite how much of a whiney bitch you were, I’m sorry about your… gonads.”
“I’ll forgive you for that later.”
We ran in through the door of Barnes & Noble.
“Mollers, go to music,” I snapped. “Mikey go to books. I’ll check comics.” No one answered, we just went.
Unfortunately this was the biggest Barnes & Noble I’d ever been in. Three floors, to be exact. I momentarily loathed Chicago. She wasn’t in comics. But since it was right by the café I checked there, too. Nothing.
The three of us met back at the customer service desk. Molly was already asking.
“Have you seen a girl in here?” Molly said. “Shoulder length black hair, bangs, about fourteen, brown eyes, tall?”
“Uhm…” the guy behind the desk though. Bro, you work in a bookstore, you should think a hella lot faster than that. “No,” he said. “But do you know what she was wearing?”
“Jeans,” I said. “Tshirt, leather jacket.”
“OH!” His memory clicked. “Uh, she walked out the door about fifteen minutes ago.” I cursed under my breath. “But,” the customer service guy continued, “I think I saw her go around back.”
♠ ♠ ♠
Another chapter FIRST THING tomorrow! Promise! Love you guys!-NLWP</3