Chapter 69
Kirsten
@ClarissaBobcat, TikTok
You know, the girl just didn’t show up for a YouTube Live. It’s not that deep, guys
I yank open Maple’s closet doors. I need to work out what’s missing. Because there must be something. Maple wouldn’t run away without taking anything with her, and that is definitely what has happened. Because no one could have taken her. Harmed her. This is Provo, not Chicago, for God’s sake.
I rifle through her clothes. Her big hoodie has gone, which is a good sign because it was hot yesterday; she’d only need a thick jumper if she was planning on staying out after dark.
Those rancid sneakers aren’t here either, the ones she claims are too comfortable to throw out.
It’s the uniform of a runaway, for sure.
I quickly turn to her vanity and pull open her drawer.
Her money has gone too, all those twenties that I’ve given her over the years that she never spends because she gets everything she wants for free.
She could have taken it for her trip to the mall, but my gut says something different.
That this is the final act of a teenage girl who’s been getting more rebellious with every passing hour.
And with that thought, a fresh wave of anger builds in me. Does she not realize the fallout this will cause? A girl with her profile choosing to leave her family? Especially with her current content being all about another missing girl!
I blink back tears. We have always been close, Mom and Maple, forever. But no one will believe that now, or ever again. This one thoughtless act of hers will destroy everything I’ve built.
I need to get her back. I mean, she’s fourteen, of course I do; she can’t survive out there alone. But I also can’t let this become a story for our followers to devour.
The slam of a door downstairs makes me jump. Garrett and the twins are home. My heart speeds up again at the thought of the inevitable confrontation. But this is his fault too, I remind myself. Alongside Maple’s. He’s responsible for the killer migraine that floored me last night.
‘Mommy?’ Ash calls out.
‘Maple!’ Aspen shouts.
I close my eyes, transport myself to a tropical beach for a few blissful seconds, then take a long, slow breath and head downstairs.
‘Hey guys, how was Nana and Papa’s?’
‘It was good,’ Aspen says, but her tone is cold, dismissive. It would be typical of Garrett to have spent the evening poisoning them against me. ‘Papa made a fire, and we ate smores,’ she adds matter-of-factly.
‘Wow, sounds fab,’ I say. Then I turn to Garrett. ‘Can I have a quick word?’
I close the kitchen door before the twins can join us. ‘I think Maple’s run away,’ I say, making sure I don’t sound defensive.
His eyes widen. ‘What? How long ago? Is she on foot? Will I go find her?’
I lean against the counter. ‘I got sick last night. After how you spoke to me. A terrible migraine – I honestly thought I might die from the pain of it. I had no choice but to go to bed.’
He’s quiet for a moment as he processes my words. ‘Are you saying she’s been missing all night?’ he finally asks, a tremble in his voice. ‘Have you called the police?’
‘I’ve been contacting her friends. Trying to find out what they know.’
‘And?’
‘Well, no one knows for sure, but Milly thinks she might have gone to Dylan’s.
’ The lie comes easily, not because I don’t care, but because I feel like that’s the most likely scenario; he has become her partner in crime after all.
I mean, yes, he acted surprised about her absence on their Live this morning, but isn’t that the most obvious way to throw me and anyone else who’s interested off the scent?
God, if only I’d known what this would turn into when I first organized for him to come and stay. It was supposed to be a simple crush, a first kiss with a hot skateboarder and a springboard to new heights of fame. Not teenage mutiny.
‘So have you called him?’ Garrett asks.
‘I was just about to when you distracted me,’ I say.
‘I assume you’ve checked her location, and whether she’s used our Uber account?’
Shit. Uber. ‘Her location isn’t showing,’ I say. ‘Either she’s turned it off or her phone has run out of juice. And I’ll check Uber now.’
But Garrett is already ahead of me, opening the app on his phone.
‘Yeah, she booked one,’ he says, nodding, a look of relief crossing his face for split second before it vanishes.
‘At half past eight last night. The driver has marked it as complete, with our address as the destination.’ He looks up. ‘So why didn’t she come inside?’
I swallow. Possibilities rush into my head, but I can’t let myself catastrophize. Maple has run away, caused a fuss for me to resolve, like always. That’s all. She’s not in danger, not hurt. No one has grabbed her from our doorstep.
I’m not sure I want to speak to Dylan now, to hear a truth I can’t handle. But then my phone starts to ring, and as I look at the screen, I see that he’s calling me.