clearly not getting my point.
“Can you please think with your head for a second and forget you have testosterone,” I quip, pulling his face in front of mine.
“I thought that’s what I was doing?” he replies, going in for my neck again. If I had a squirt bottle filled with water right now, I’d spray him in the face and say, “No.”
“Parker, it’s getting late. I need to finish up here and head home.” When he begins to protest, I say, “Do I need to remind you of my dad’s revolver? You know, the one he’s nicknamed ‘Dani’s Chastity Belt’? Yeah, that’s the barrel you’ll be staring down if I don’t get home soon.”
He groans. “Fair enough. I see your point.”
“Thought you would,” I giggle before placing a kiss on his cheek.
Chapter Eleven
So, last night’s unexpected make-out session has only succeeded in doing one thing: make me more confused about where I stand on one Parker Reed. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I do have crazy-strong feelings for him, but is it worth tearing down all the walls I’ve built up over the years, only to get hurt again?
Rolling out of bed, trying to push out the Parker thoughts, I look over at Janice’s window. Sadness fills me when I realize it’s officially been seventy-two hours since she was reported missing, and there’s still been no sign of her anywhere. If anything can put a damper on my confused, fuzzy feelings for Parker, it’s knowing I’m possibly responsible for someone’s disappearance. Not just anybody, but a really good friend.
“Dad?” I call out through the cracked open bedroom door, but there’s no response. “Dad?”
Opening the door the rest of the way, I make my way to the stairs and peer over the banister that looks out over the foyer. There’s no movement or sounds coming from the first floor. The house is completely silent.
“Dad?” I ask once more, and when there’s still no response, I head down the stairs.
When I enter the kitchen, I notice a piece of paper on the table and assume it’s a note from my father. Picking it up, I peruse the message. In a nutshell, it tells me to drive straight to school. See you soon is written at the bottom, and I wonder what that means.
As I pull into the senior section of the parking lot at school, I see Mr. Whitman in the teacher’s lot across the way. It dawns on me that I forgot to work on the admissions essay last night, and I proceed to let out a groan of frustration. Throwing the car into park, I step out of the vehicle and make my way over to him, all the while hoping he doesn’t ask me about the essay.
I stop dead in my tracks when I see Janice’s missing persons flyer taped to a light post, flapping in the brisk morning wind. Her solemn eyes meet mine as I gaze at the flyer, which only makes me feel worse about the whole thing.
Shaking out of my slump, I hear Mr. Whitman call out to me. He sends me a wave after I do, causing him to fumble with his briefcase. His smile greets me as I come to stand in front of him.
“Dani, you’re here a little early, aren’t you? Are you that excited for me to read your admissions essay?”
I swear, right of out the gate with the dreaded question. I didn’t even have a chance to bring up another topic for discussion.
“Uh…” I begin, but then pause, mulling over what excuse I’m going to give.
“You didn’t work on it did you?”
“No, sir,” I murmur.
“This is so unlike you.”
“I know. Things have been a little off lately,” I reply in a defeated tone while trying to dodge his disappointed-teacher stare.
“Well, I know what you’ll be doing instead of sipping a latte and chatting with me during your independent study.”
“Computer lab?” I ask, knowing the answer.
“Computer lab,” he responds, gesturing for me to move ahead of him toward the school. He laughs. “Go on, get going. That paper isn’t going to write itself, young lady.”
“Yes, sir,” I sigh, and trudge my way up the sidewalk.
The lab is freezing and smells of electronics. It’s also located in one of the oldest parts of the school. I’m pretty sure the room is this cold in order to keep away the musty stench of the horribly offensive carpet that covers the floor. Even after our school was granted brand-spankin’-new computers, they still did