Chapter 25 Zeke
twenty-five
Zeke
I’m just saying we have about two weeks before that stupid banquet, and you haven’t asked anyone,” Declan says, stripping off his gear.
“You haven’t asked Ember yet,” I reply.
“Yeah, according to Tate, she had no idea the banquet was even happening until Tate brought it up,” Fletcher adds.
“First of all, how every conversation directed toward Zeke ends up directed toward me is beyond ridiculous. Second of all, if you guys don’t lower your fucking voices, someone who shouldn’t hear about Ember and me will hear. Third, I can’t exactly ask her to an event that her brother will be at.”
“Bowman left already,” Brooks says.
“That man changes so fucking fast,” I begin. “How he gets out of here before us is beyond me.”
“I don’t think Bowman likes us very much,” Fletcher jokes.
“Maybe he feels like we don’t like him,” Declan interrupts. “How often do we hang out with the guy if we don’t have a game?”
“Well, when we don’t have a game, you’re screwing his sister, so it’d be kind of weird,” I respond.
“How many times do I have to tell you guys we aren’t screwing?! And I can’t ask her to the banquet, so I didn’t even consider bringing it up.”
“Even if we don’t hang out with Cam, he’s still one of us; he has to know that,” Fletcher adds. “But we could hang out with him more like we used to. I don’t want him to think we don’t like him.”
“Two problems with that,” I begin, lifting my hand to list them off. “Maia and Ember. We can’t invite Cam to hang out at the diner because then he’ll see his ex-girlfriend, and if he comes over to the house, I give it ten minutes before he realizes you two are scr—dating.”
“You guys didn’t know Ember and I were together for weeks. I feel like we could act platonic for a couple of hours.”
“That’s what you think.” I smile as my phone buzzes in my locker and pick it up before checking the caller ID. “Hello?”
“Zeke?”
“A—” I pause, realizing the guys are watching. “H-hi, hey, what’s going on?”
Avalon’s never called me. The only way we interact, if we aren’t together, is over text. Usually, it’s wildly inappropriate or a booty call.
“I’m sorry; I know you have a game, and I wasn’t going to call, and I wasn’t even sure if it was over, but—” she sniffles. “I just, I didn’t know who to call, and you were the person I talked to last—”
“Are you okay?” I whisper, making sure the guys don’t see the concern on my face, but I know they can tell I’ve picked up my pace. “Are you crying?”
“I haven’t heard from her,” she continues. “Zeke, I’m worried. She didn’t come home last night, and I told myself it was nothing because she was with Jay and that maybe she stayed with him, but I still haven’t heard from her—”
“I’ll be right there, okay? I’m on my way.”
I hang up the phone, throwing it back in my locker, before pulling on my clothes.
“You’re not gonna shower?” Jaxon throws his towel over his shoulder
“No, I have somewhere I need to be.”
“Is your mom okay?” Declan takes a step toward me.
“She’s fine, yeah—”
“So, it’s a booty call?” Fletcher asks.
“No.” I rub the back of my neck. “Just a friend in need.”
Jaxon points to himself, then looks at the guys, almost like he’s counting them. “All your friends are in this room.”
I grab my phone and slam my locker shut. “I have more friends than just you guys, dipshit. I’ll see you guys later.”
The door’s open when I get to Avalon’s place, but she’s not in the living room when I arrive.
“Avalon?!” I yell, dropping my keys on the kitchen counter. The house is a mess, flipped upside down, almost like someone was looking for something. “Avalon, are you here?”
Her bedroom door swings open, and her eyes meet mine, stopping her in her tracks like she didn’t expect me to show up.
She wipes away the tears running down her cheeks, but the puffy, bloodshot eyes are still there, proving she’s been crying for hours.
“How’d you get here so fast?” she whispers. “You had a game and—”
“And I left the second you called. I was pretty much out the door anyway, and I came right here.”
“Even if you were in your car when I called, there’s no way you could’ve gotten here this fast.”
“I might’ve run a couple red lights or stop signs.” I shrug. “What’s going on?”
She lets out a shaky breath, then bites her lip, trying to prevent more tears.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have called you.
” She rocks back on her heels. “That’s not what this thing is, you know?
You’re not my boyfriend; I shouldn’t be coming to you with these problems because you have enough going on, and it’s not fair for me to pile more shit on your plate and—” the tears begin to fall anyway, “and you had a game and the last thing you need is me calling you and taking away from your sleep and there’s another game tomorrow—”
I don’t say anything; I just grab her arm and pull her body into mine, and she just crumbles to the floor.
I run my hand over her hair, trying to soothe her, but I know there’s nothing I can say to calm her down, so I don’t talk.
I just hold her and let her cry because I know sometimes that’s all you need.
The comfort of knowing someone is there for you.
“She’s using again,” she mumbles against my chest. “I mean, I didn’t find proof, I looked everywhere, but I should’ve known when she didn’t come home last night that she fell off the wagon.”
I pull back, grabbing her face to get her to look at me.
“We’re gonna find her, okay? I’ll call every hospital if I have to. I’ll call anyone you can think of, I’ll drive anywhere, you just tell me what you need from me.”
“I’ve called the hospitals. They told me they'd let me know if someone matching her description came in.”
“Okay,” I whisper. “Is there anywhere your mom would’ve gone?”
She rubs her snot onto the sleeve of her shirt, “She was supposed to be with Jay, but when I asked him how AA went yesterday, he said she wanted to go alone.”
“Does he know she didn’t come home? And that she got home late on Thanksgiving?”
I can’t imagine the guilt Avalon’s feeling right now.
She told me on Thanksgiving that something was up.
I stayed here until nearly seven thirty; her mom wasn’t home yet.
I could tell she was worried, but I could also tell she didn’t wanna be that person.
The one who instantly thinks the worst of their parents, even though they’ve done nothing to prove they’re better than that.
“No. Jay’s busy, and he’s always doing stuff for us, and he deserves better. He’s been in love with my mom for years, and she can’t even see it. I thought she felt like we were finally a family, just like I did, but I guess I was wrong.”
I run my thumb against her cheek, brushing away her tears. “You should get some rest. Have you eaten anything today?”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You need to eat, okay.” I pick her up off the floor and bring her into her room. “But first, get some rest. I’ll wake you up when I get back with—”
“Please don’t go,” she whispers as I pull the covers over her. “Can you stay with me tonight? Please?”
“Sure,” I reply, kicking off my shoes and turning off the light in her room.
“If you need something to sleep in, I’m pretty sure I have a Rockford Hockey t-shirt somewhere.” She forces a smile, and I shoot her one back.
I climb into bed beside her, and she instantly scoots closer, wrapping her arms around my waist. I pull her closer, her head resting on my chest.
“Thank you for coming.”
I place a gentle kiss on the top of her head, “Always.”