very hard to see anyway. Eric asked if I wanted to go for a walk before going back or not. I wanted a walk. He handed me his black jacket, since I didn’t have one to begin with, and we strolled down the way.
I had a burning question for him that I needed to ask, “How come your mother seems oblivious to the fact that I’m the missing girl?”
He breathed out slowly—I could see his breath in the freezing cold. “She doesn’t watch the news. Or read the newspaper. Or go on the computer. Or really have anyone telling her these kinds of things.”
“Your mom doesn’t watch the news?” I asked. I could feel my face going into its confusion mode.
He shook his head. “No. She says it’s too disgusting. There’s nothing besides deaths, bad politics, biased comments, even the disturbing stuff going on in the world. ‘The world sucks, let’s just move along it. Help the poor, ignore the rest.’ That’s the policy that she lives by.” He pointed out his finger for exaggeration.
Help the poor, ignore the rest? That sounded like something Eric would say himself. So I thought, what if all this was just another lie? That his mother knows everything about me? What if she refuses to exploit her son? Maybe she even put him up to this.
But then again, like mother like son.
“Your mother is interesting.” I noted. Maybe not as interesting as Shannon, though.
“Yeah,” he agreed. “Dorothy.” He turned to me as he stopped walking. We were near a dark house now, no one could see us. Yet, I don’t know why this was a fine detail to me. It’s not like Eric’s going to do anything to me now, he can’t! He trusted me, I reminded myself. But what if it was something else?
“What is it?” I said, the hint of my voice wanting to know.
He looked away. “You were really great with my mom, you know,” he said, but I could tell he wanted to say something else. “I think she really likes you.”
“She really likes me,” I said back, pulling my arms around myself, the coldness getting to me now. “Well that’s nice I guess.”
He sighed, knowing that I was getting frustrated. “That’s not what I wanted to say.”
I started walking ahead of him now. “Well yeah,” I said, in this preppy-know-it-all tone. “But I don’t think I really care anymore.”
“Wait,” Eric wasn’t too far behind. I hate how he can catch up quickly. “You don’t understand—”
“No Eric,” I interrupted while turning around, “I do understand. I understand that you stole me. That you seem to be all mysterious and crap.” I tried not to look at him now. He towered me a bit and if I stared into his eyes, it would make me contradict myself. “I’m tired of it. Can you just stop and explain yourself?”
“Dorothy…” he said, “It’s not that easy.” He gazed down at me. “I don’t even get it myself.”
“What did it then? If you say you don’t understand? Give me a reason why I shouldn’t run right now?”
He put his arms around me, holding me close to his warm body. I was extremely comforted by this. “You’re cold.” He said next to my ear.
An obvious excuse, we turned around, walking back to his house. He still kept his arm limp around my shoulder. Suddenly something buzzed in Eric’s pocket. He took out his cell phone, answering it.
His conversation was short and ridged, as I waited impatiently for him to end it. “Okay, bye.” He shut his phone in haste and I jumped. He dragged me now, at the wrist. Always by my wrist.
“What’s wrong,” I asked, but he didn’t respond. He continued to lead until we reached his house again. The white car clicked as it unlocked when we approached to it. He pushed me to the passengers’ side and went to the drivers’ side. I had to ask again, slapping his hand on the wheel, “Hey! Listen to me!”
“Shannon’s brother had a seizure.” Eric said, darkly. He steered the wheel with his right hand, dialing a phone number in his left. “We have to go to the hospital now.”
“Who are you calling?” I asked, suddenly.
“My mom,” he said, while smirking. “I have to tell her I stole her car before she has a heart attack.” He talked to her on the phone for a brief minute then hung up. We rode the car in silence. I knew I couldn’t really say much, I didn’t even know Shannon’s brother. But I did feel terrible, as one would when something happens to a person you barely know.
We drove up to the hospital, quickly retreating from the car to the front desk of the emergency room. Eric spoke to the woman behind the desk, “Where is the room that Rob Vermont is in?”
“Are you family?” she said, her eyes gliding towards me. What were we suppose to say? Obviously we look nothing alike. Someone had to stay behind.
“Yes! Of course they’re family!” Shannon said with her voice unsteady. We turned to look at her, only to find bulgy red teary eyes. She hugged Eric, then me, thankful that we came.
“What happened?” Eric asked Shannon as she walked us towards the elevator.
She shook her head gravely. “Rob has been having a lot of problems ever since he came home,” she said. “War has never done any good for him. I always hated that.”
“And your parents?” I asked, wishing I bit my tongue instead. That wasn’t the best question.
“My parents went for the week. Business trip. I called them two hours ago to let them know.”
The elevator doors opened and we walked inside a hallway that looked about the same as the waiting room. Shannon practically sprinted to her brother’s room as we tailed along.
When we went inside, Carter and Travis stood there waiting for Shannon’s return. She hugged Carter and Travis. I couldn’t see anyone. The sea green curtain covered her brother lying on the bed. Eric and I traveled around it, and I couldn’t believe my eyes.
13. WHY
“Bobby?” I exclaimed. He laid in the hospital bed with some tubes hooked up to him. Blue blanket was covering his body as his mouth formed a tight line.
He opened his eyes a bit, but they suddenly grew wide when they landed on me. “Dottie?” His voice gave away the astonishment he was in. “What the hell are you doing here?” But he smiled, knowing it had to be a joke. He’s never mean to anyone.
“I…uh….” I couldn’t finish the sentence since I didn’t have a valid answer. I was still looking for that as well.
“You two know each other?” Shannon asked, surprised too.
“Yeah,” Bobby said, enthusiastically, “She’s the one that got away.” And everyone’s jaws dropped open while he shook his head and changed the sentence. “We went to summer camp together. Remember Shannon? You were being antisocial that summer, so I went alone.”
Shannon stared blankly for a minute before agreeing, “Yes. I remember that.”
“I didn’t know you were talking about the same Dottie,” he said, shifting his weight to one side of the bed. “It’s a small world.”
“How old were you guys?” Travis asked, teasing.
“I was going to turn seventeen that August. So that would make you about…thirteen?” He looked up at me and I nodded. “Yep,” he then added lightly, “So underdeveloped.” His eyes trailed my body for one second. “Well…now different.”
I glared at him and then blushed when Aaron barked out a loud laugh. One of the nurses walked warily next to the door and then passed it.
“Don’t worry. It’s a compliment.” He said, smiling at me. I couldn’t help smiling back—Bobby was good at that sort of thing. His light-brown hair went over his eyes for a minute before he blew them out of his face. Shannon and Bobby looked so similar that I wondered why I didn’t catch on that before. Except Bobby had hazel eyes and Shannon’s were pure brown.
“You were the one that bothered me. Don’t twist it the other way around.” I said to him, wagging my finger.
“You keep at that story, but how many people will honestly believe that.” He said back. That was true. No one would believe the young girl with a dream, only seeing through the fact that I was twelve and he had to
be eighteen. But he did follow me around. With he’s friend, he would always sit around my friends and me. Even said that he would love to see me again. That was until he found out how old I really was.
“I forgot—I hate you.” The memory came back hazy, but he did break my heart even though we did absolutely nothing.
“Aw, don’t be like that Dottie! The age difference is so big—was big. And now you’re a woman, I presume? My sister’s seventeen.” He smirked, sitting up now.
“Don’t hit on her!” Shannon yelled. “She’s taken!” I pondered on what she met. She knew about Kade, but her eyes lingered towards Eric. She snapped back before anyone noticed, but it was too late anyway; I did.
“Can you guys leave me and Dottie alone?” He said sweetly. “I have a lot to share with you, if you don’t mind.” All the guys headed out, and Shannon moved along. Before she left, she whispered in my ear, “Don’t let him try anything on you.”
“I’m not going to try anything on her.” Bobby said, annoyed.
“I’m just warning her!” But she left as soon as she spoke those words.
“Why don’t you sit down on my bed,” He patted on the blue blanket. I walked over to him, politely sitting down like he asked. But all the nice façade was gone when he hissed quietly, “Dottie, what the hell are you doing here?”
Crap. What am I suppose to say, ‘Oh…I just got abducted is all. Nothing to worry about.’ Tons to worry about—too much to worry about. So I shrugged, it always seemed like a good