"Chester, this is the last time I'm calling you. Call me back when you don't feel like ignoring my calls anymore," I say into my phone, leaving a heated voicemail for Chester.
It's useless. I haven't seen him for a whole week now. The weekend passed and I didn't hear from him once. A whole week of school has gone by and now it's Friday.
I've tried asking any of our friends, but they always run away, stutter, or completely ignore me when I try to ask about Chester.
Today will be different. I will go to school and I will get answers.
"Spence, Sky is waiting for us outside," Jamie says, knocking at my door.
"I'll be out in a sec!" I put on my shoes and race downstairs.
"Have a nice day at school," Grant yells to me from the kitchen. I blow him a kiss and run out to Sky's car. Jamie already sat in the front seat, so I slide into the back seat.
Sky tells me good morning and drives off towards school.
"I'm guessing you still haven't talked to Chester," Jamie says.
"Nothing and it's been a week," I answer her and breathe out a sigh. Sky does a nervous little laugh and I raise my eyebrow at her.
"Do you know something about Chester," Jamie asks her.
"Oh no! I- I don't know anything," she shrieks. "I just wanted to ask if you guys have bought outfits for prom yet," she says, switching the subject.
"Wait," Jamie says in horror. "When is prom," she asks, a little terrified and panicked.
"Uh, tomorrow," Sky answers. Jamie smacks herself on the head.
"Shit! I forgot to buy a dress. I also have to dye my hair again. I promised Parker I'd go to prom with him. Did you get everything you needed, Spence?" Jamie and Sky waited for my answer.
"I haven't really thought about prom. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go," I say in a low voice.
"Why not," Sky asks in disbelief.
"I don't know. I'm not really looking forward to it," I tell them and shrug my shoulders.
Sky parks her car in the school parking lot and turns around to look at me.
"We're going to have to change that attitude. Since Jamie needs to buy a dress, why don't we all just go to the mall after school. You can buy something too. Prom won't be fun if you don't come," Sky says, pouting.
"Yeah, you have to come," Jamie demands me.
"Whatever. I'll think about it," I tell them with a smile.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"You're sitting with me. Again," David says in a depressing tone.
"Cheer up. You know you like my company," I tell him and take a seat next to him in the cafeteria. I watch him roll his eyes.
"I know the real reason you're sitting over here," he says. "Because your little boyfriend isn't here to entertain you."
"First off, Chester and I are only friends. Secondly, do you know what happened to him?" I hold David's gaze in hopes that he'll give me an answer.
His eyes grow in surprise.
"No one told you what happened," he asks. I shake my head no. "You have no idea what happened with Max and Chester?"
"Tell me what happened. I've been trying to find out all week." I'm even more persistent to know now that I know it has something to do with Max.
Nothing good ever happens when Max is involved.
"Maybe I shouldn't tell you if no one else told you," David says in a teasing voice. I grab him by the collar of his shirt and his expression turns to horror.
"I swear, if you don't tell me, I'm going to kick you in the balls," I whisper.
"Fine, I'll tell you," he rushes out and I let him go.
"Go ahead," I say kindly, as if I wasn't just threatening him a second ago.
"Max broke Chester's arm during practice last week."
"What?! Why didn't anyone tell me?" David shrugs his shoulders. "What did they do to Max?"
"He was expelled," David says. I can see Parker and Jamie heading to this table now. Parker has a panicked look on his face once he sees my expression.
"I think she knows," I read Parker's lips as he talks to Jamie. She knew too?!
"That's it! I'm going to have a nice little chat with all of them." I get up from my seat and Parker and Jamie run away to the table with the rest of the group.
Parker warns everyone, but there was no escaping me. I stopped right in front of the table and glared at all of them.
"Why didn't anyone tell me Chester broke his freaking arm," I ask them. They all look at me like they're stupid.
"What are you talking about? Chester doesn't have a broken arm," Alexander says.
"Oh, so what happened to him then," I ask, entertaining his stupidity.
"He's in Colorado with his brother," Daniel says at the same time Sky says Chester's out of town. I'm so close to attacking all of them.
"I know where Chester's brother is. It's definitely not Colorado. Do you guys want to use any other stupid excuses?" They all stay silent.
"I'm sorry, Spence. Chester didn't want us to tell you," Parker blurts out and the others complain that he told me.
"Dude, why did you tell her," Alexandra asks Parker.
"You guys are such idiots. I already knew. Just explain to me why Chester didn't want me to know," I say to the group. They all look at each other, none of them wanting to talk.
Until finally, Jamie steps up to the task.
"Chester didn't want you to worry," she says.
I stand there silently as the others wait for my reaction.
After everything I've been through with Chester and after everything we've shared, the last thing he should be worried about is me knowing he broke his arm.
Something so small and as simple as breaking an arm should be easy to tell me.
"He probably just doesn't want you to smother him or something," Hope says and it kind of hurts me, but I push it away.
"Fine. If he doesn't want me to care, I won't. I'll see you guys after school when we go to the mall."
I walk out of the cafeteria as the bell rings to signal the end of lunch.
If Chester doesn't want me to care about him, I'll just focus on myself. I'm going to buy a dress and enjoy prom with my friends.