was so focused on finding Violet that I almost didn’t notice the empty black BMW in the driveway. I wondered briefly if Chase had called the police, but they didn’t drive beamers. Besides, it really wasn’t that strange for there to be hungover kids and their cars leftover from the night before, sobering up.
As I ran up the steps to the Joneses’ wraparound deck, movement caught my eye. There was someone with long bleached blond hair peering into the windows.
“Celeste?” I asked. She must not have heard me coming, because she jumped like she got caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
“Breeze? What are you doing here?” she asked in her signature snotty tone.
“I’m looking for Violet. What are you doing here peeping in the windows?”
She smiled viciously. “That’s an interesting choice of words...peeping...” Yep. I deserved that. I tried to keep my face from turning red. “I’m looking for Chase. He’s not answering his phone, and I left my Louboutins here last night. Sexy as hell but not exactly the best getaway shoes,” she finished. An image of the red soles on her heels from the night before flashed through my mind. I lost the battle, and my face turned the same shade of crimson as her stilettos. I turned away from Celeste to face the front door and slid my key into the lock.
Sweat dripped down my back, and my fingers trembled as I opened the door and motioned for her to follow me. “So, did you enjoy last night?” Celeste said, her voice cocky and dismissive. “I mean, I didn’t take you for a creeper, Breeze. But I guess that’s what you are.”
If Violet were here, she would have ripped Celeste a new one. I was never good at standing up for myself. Anxiety was like a snake wrapped around my throat. I didn’t have time for this mean girl bullshit, but I couldn’t escape it either. Where was Violet?!
“Does Violet know you have a crush on her brother? I should have told her last night when I saw her, but she was too busy looking for you,” Celeste purred. Her words made my ears perk up.
“Did you see Violet last night? During the commotion? Where was she? What was she doing?” I took a step closer to Celeste, and she threw up her hands, as if I was a rabid animal.
“Whoa, are you like, obsessed with her or something? She said she was going to escape through the woods and look for you. She asked me to tell Chase, but I was preoccupied. We were too busy fucking on the side of the road.” Celeste shivered and bit her lips.
The woods? Vi went into the woods looking for me. “Fuck,” I cursed before pulling out my phone and heading outside. I sent a quick text to Kai and Chase, telling them to meet me there to search before heading under the shadowed cover of the tall trees.
When we were kids, Violet and I would explore and play here. We’d pretend we were woodland fairies or pirates or landlocked mermaids searching for gold. What if she tripped and hit her head? What if she was too drunk and was disoriented? What if she was lost?
I followed the familiar path through the trees, calling out Violet’s name as I went, feeling somewhat optimistic now that I finally had a solid lead on where she was. I was more than a little anxious about what state I would find her in and indulged myself in a fantasy of a safely sleeping Vi snuggled up with a squirrel, using leaves for a pillow.
I walked along the path a little while longer but strayed when I came to the grove Violet and I would sit in for hours talking, laughing, and eating snacks we had brought along. I went down into it but didn’t see any signs that she or anybody else had been there. But, instead of returning to the trail, I kept going further into the trees, my feet crunching over the fallen leaves and twigs that covered the undisturbed earth.
I was deep enough into the preserve that I couldn’t hear the ocean anymore. The only sounds came from the wind rustling through the leaves and the occasional bird. The massive branches from the trees bowed over my head, creating a thick canopy that effectively blocked out the bright, afternoon sun. An icy shiver ran down my spine, and gooseflesh covered my arm. I didn’t remember the woods