Chapter Nineteen:
School finally let out. You've probably already noticed this, but all the clocks in every school building are set to slow down to about a twentieth of normal speed in the last hour. I swear the minute hand didn't budge for at least half an hour in Social Studies.
I swung my locker door open, careful to stem the avalanche of books and papers with one hand. I rooted through the pile of clothes that somehow collected at the bottom, searching for the pizza I was taking up to the shack.
"So'ja hear about Darryl and Jaqi?"
"I know, how awesome is that?"
And, while I was at it, I eavesdropped on the conversation of the girls next to me.
"Yo! Mel! Not you, geek! Melissa Chapman, over here!"
Melissa Chapman, daughter of our pal the vice principal, detached herself from the tide of students and fought her way over to the group. I kept rummaging. I hoped she might provide some helpful information about what her father was up to.
They exchanged greetings like a flock of birds on a telephone wire.
"Melissa, what's up with your dad? He, like, gave me this lecture about listening to music in class?"
"Seriously, whatever!"
"Just doing the job, I guess. Sue, those are great shoes!"
"I know! I got them at the mall! I saw Rachel wearing some and I'm like - 'Oh. My. Gosh.' Aren't they awesome?"
The group agreed that they were, indeed, awesome.
"Hey, speaking of Rachel, where is she? I haven't seen her since, like, two!"
"Probably off being antisocial again! That girl has, like, major problems?"
"Hey," Melissa objected, "she's just a little tense."
"Try a lot tense?"
"Like, mega-tense?"
"Like, 'Friends'-got-moved-for-a-documentary' tense?"
"She's got a lot going on."
"Whatever! All I'm saying is, she hasn't been in, like, any of her classes since two o'clock!"
Wait . . . Rachel was missing? I glanced at my watch. She had been gone for over two hours. I got a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. She had gone and done something insane. I knew she had.
"Hey, did you guys here about Rochelle?"
"I know! That's so totally awesome!"
"Kevin's a jerk, there's no way he, like, deserves her?"
"Earth to Megan! Kevin is a hunk!"
"A totally jerky hunk, hello?"
I unclenched my fist, and looked down at the pizza I had been crushing. Maybe I'd pick something up at McDonald's on the way to the shack.
I kicked my locker shut, and drifted out into the current of bodies sweeping towards the doors.
I got home, and grabbed the phone. My dad wasn't back from work yet, so I could call whomever I wanted without suspicion on my end. I dialed Rachel's number, and waited through the eternity of three rings before someone picked up.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Rachel?" I yelped.
"No, this is Jordan."
Rachel's little sister. "Oh, hi," I said, guardedly. "Is Rachel there?"
"Nope. Who is this?"
"Marco," I said. "Do you know when she'll be back?"
"Oh, hi, Marco!" she twittered.
"Hi."
"How are you?"
"Well, right now I'm looking for Rachel."
"She's not here."
"Right, you said that."
"Oh, yeah. Why are you looking for her?"
"We're . . . um . . . planning a surprise birthday party for Jake," I said.
"But his birthday isn't for months, is it?"
"Well, no," I confessed. "But you've gotta start planning early. When do you expect her back? There's been a problem renting the giant trampoline."
"When do I expect who back?"
"Rachel!"
Maybe I should explain that Jordan recognizes how cute I am. As such, it can be frustrating to try and get information from her.
"Who knows," she said, philosophically. "She doesn't exactly call me with her schedule."
"Okay," I said. This really wasn't improving my mood. Rachel left school early, and her family didn't know where she was. "Thanks."
"Sure. Hey, Marco!"
"Yeah?"
"Jake's family is getting together with ours next Sunday. You should tag along! I mean, as Jake's friend and all," she said slyly.
"Right, yeah, I'll think about it. Gotta go, talk to you later."
"Okay. And I won't tell Jake."
"What?"
"About his surprise party!"
"Oh, yeah, good. Thanks, Jordan."
"No problem."
"Bye." I hung up.
Rachel had disappeared around two. Nobody knew where she was. Logic dictated that she had to be doing something stupid.
Whatever she was doing, I knew I would end up regretting it.
School finally let out. You've probably already noticed this, but all the clocks in every school building are set to slow down to about a twentieth of normal speed in the last hour. I swear the minute hand didn't budge for at least half an hour in Social Studies.
I swung my locker door open, careful to stem the avalanche of books and papers with one hand. I rooted through the pile of clothes that somehow collected at the bottom, searching for the pizza I was taking up to the shack.
"So'ja hear about Darryl and Jaqi?"
"I know, how awesome is that?"
And, while I was at it, I eavesdropped on the conversation of the girls next to me.
"Yo! Mel! Not you, geek! Melissa Chapman, over here!"
Melissa Chapman, daughter of our pal the vice principal, detached herself from the tide of students and fought her way over to the group. I kept rummaging. I hoped she might provide some helpful information about what her father was up to.
They exchanged greetings like a flock of birds on a telephone wire.
"Melissa, what's up with your dad? He, like, gave me this lecture about listening to music in class?"
"Seriously, whatever!"
"Just doing the job, I guess. Sue, those are great shoes!"
"I know! I got them at the mall! I saw Rachel wearing some and I'm like - 'Oh. My. Gosh.' Aren't they awesome?"
The group agreed that they were, indeed, awesome.
"Hey, speaking of Rachel, where is she? I haven't seen her since, like, two!"
"Probably off being antisocial again! That girl has, like, major problems?"
"Hey," Melissa objected, "she's just a little tense."
"Try a lot tense?"
"Like, mega-tense?"
"Like, 'Friends'-got-moved-for-a-documentary' tense?"
"She's got a lot going on."
"Whatever! All I'm saying is, she hasn't been in, like, any of her classes since two o'clock!"
Wait . . . Rachel was missing? I glanced at my watch. She had been gone for over two hours. I got a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. She had gone and done something insane. I knew she had.
"Hey, did you guys here about Rochelle?"
"I know! That's so totally awesome!"
"Kevin's a jerk, there's no way he, like, deserves her?"
"Earth to Megan! Kevin is a hunk!"
"A totally jerky hunk, hello?"
I unclenched my fist, and looked down at the pizza I had been crushing. Maybe I'd pick something up at McDonald's on the way to the shack.
I kicked my locker shut, and drifted out into the current of bodies sweeping towards the doors.
I got home, and grabbed the phone. My dad wasn't back from work yet, so I could call whomever I wanted without suspicion on my end. I dialed Rachel's number, and waited through the eternity of three rings before someone picked up.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Rachel?" I yelped.
"No, this is Jordan."
Rachel's little sister. "Oh, hi," I said, guardedly. "Is Rachel there?"
"Nope. Who is this?"
"Marco," I said. "Do you know when she'll be back?"
"Oh, hi, Marco!" she twittered.
"Hi."
"How are you?"
"Well, right now I'm looking for Rachel."
"She's not here."
"Right, you said that."
"Oh, yeah. Why are you looking for her?"
"We're . . . um . . . planning a surprise birthday party for Jake," I said.
"But his birthday isn't for months, is it?"
"Well, no," I confessed. "But you've gotta start planning early. When do you expect her back? There's been a problem renting the giant trampoline."
"When do I expect who back?"
"Rachel!"
Maybe I should explain that Jordan recognizes how cute I am. As such, it can be frustrating to try and get information from her.
"Who knows," she said, philosophically. "She doesn't exactly call me with her schedule."
"Okay," I said. This really wasn't improving my mood. Rachel left school early, and her family didn't know where she was. "Thanks."
"Sure. Hey, Marco!"
"Yeah?"
"Jake's family is getting together with ours next Sunday. You should tag along! I mean, as Jake's friend and all," she said slyly.
"Right, yeah, I'll think about it. Gotta go, talk to you later."
"Okay. And I won't tell Jake."
"What?"
"About his surprise party!"
"Oh, yeah, good. Thanks, Jordan."
"No problem."
"Bye." I hung up.
Rachel had disappeared around two. Nobody knew where she was. Logic dictated that she had to be doing something stupid.
Whatever she was doing, I knew I would end up regretting it.