After Mike leaves, I head back inside the house. Supper is already on the table when I enter the dining room. "How was your day?" My dad asks at no one and everyone. Sara is the first to answer. "It was good we sat outside with Mike most of the day." My mom's and my dad's faces drop. "Isn't Mike your friend Mariah?" My mom asks. I nod. They still have a look of shock on their faces. Sara continues on talking about our day and our parent's faces don't change the whole time.
After dinner, I head to my room with Sara right behind me. We have hung out more this summer than we have since grade school. Once inside my room with the door shut Sara start right away.
"Did you see their faces when I was talking about our day?" Sara says. "Um, yeah?" I say confused did she really think they wouldn't be shocked? "They act as we have never hung out before." She says with a laugh then adds. "Well, I mean yeah I have never hung out with you and your friends but we hang out." "No, we don't," I say without thinking. "What do you mean?" She counters. "We haven't hung out in years, well not like we did today, we hang out when we have to basically," I say. Sara's smile leaves her face instantly. "I guess your right. What happened with us we use to hang out all the time. I didn't even realize it happened." She says with tears in her eyes.
How did she not realize we didn't hang out anymore? "I don't know." I lie. "Lair." She calls me out. "I guess, I don't know you got popular and I didn't and we got different friend groups," I say truthfully. Sara surprises me by wrapping her arms around me and pulling me into a hug. What is it with my family hugging me today?
Sara and I lay in my bed talking for hours. This time we are both talking not her talking and me listening. We tell each other stories about school and our friends. She has more stories than I do. She tells me about how she can easily sneak in and out of the house and I'm more in shock than our parents when they heard we hung out. "You what?" I ask. Sara laughs harder than I have ever heard her laugh before in my life. "What you think just because I'm a cheerleader I don't party," she says and laughs some more. Yes, that's what I thought. Since she opens up to me, I open up to her. I tell her about drinking in Mel's basement her parents are barely ever home and even when they are they don't really care.
Sara ends up sleeping in my room. When we were younger, we shared a room and the extra room was our playroom. The playroom is now my bedroom. We have been sleeping in the same room a lot this summer and it is the first time since we shared a room.
It's oddly comforting having someone in my room with me after the nightmare last night. Somehow having Sara around lately is comforting.
I wake up to the sound of the shower. Just like old times. Sara grumps a little bit when I get out of the bed. I go downstairs. Everything is as it should be. Mom is cooking breakfast dads in the shower. It almost feels like the world outside of the house is turning to crap.
I sit at the island in the kitchen. "Do you need any help?" I surprise myself and my mom by asking. "No, I'm okay but thanks for asking honey." She says. Shortly after Sara walks into the kitchen. "Sorry I slept in Mariah's bed is way better than mine," Sara says with a yawn.
Our peaceful morning is ruined by a knock on the door. "Is Sara home?" I hear a voice I don't know say. "Yes, what is this about?" My dad says. Sara and I get up at the same time to walk to the door. When I get closer, I realize it's a police officer.
"Hello Sara, I'm officer Lee. It was brought to our attention that you are closer friends with the missing girls is that correct?" Officer Lee asks. "Yes, I'm the captain of the cheer squad, and Stella is my best friend," Sara says perfectly calm. If I was her, I would be losing my mind right now. "You were also the one that found Mr. Smith's body is that also, correct?" Officer lee asks. Is Sara a suspect? She was the one who was out there every day looking for the girls she can't be a suspect. "Yes, my sister my mom and myself, were in the woods looking for Meghan and Libby they were the only ones missing at the time and we found Thomas laying in the trail." She says and kind of cringes reliving the memory of that day. "Well with that would you be willing to come down to the station to look at a line-up?" Officer Lee asks. A line up they finally have a suspect. "I have didn't see anything," Sara says now she sounds nervous. "We know but maybe you saw someone who took an interest in the girls without even knowing you did." Office lee replies. Sara agrees and she and my mom get into my moms' car and head to the police station followed by Officer lee.
Shortly my mom and Sara leave my dad also leaves for work and I'm left alone. I use to be alone a lot. Sara would be out with her friends, dad at work, and my mom would be with the other girls in the neighbourhood. Or I would hide away in my bedroom.
Now it's different I haven't been alone much this summer. Sara and I have even been sharing a room. The last time I was alone was when Sara was missing. I'm not sure what to do. I decide to call Morgan and Mel. Again, no answer, but I'm used to that from them. I call Mike; he answers on the first ring. I tell him I'm alone and ask him to come over.
"So, where's the family?" He asks as soon as he walks through the door. "Police station and work," I answer. "Wait did you say police station?" He questions. I explain to him what happened this morning. He looks confused. "So, let me see if I got this right? Some new guy moves to town and the cops have no other leads to the are blaming him." He states. Not exactly what I said but I can see how he would jump to that.
We sit in the living room watching T.V. until Sara and my mom get home. "Well, that was pointless." My mom said with a huff as soon as the door closes. "They drag us all the way down there even though you told them you didn't see anything." My mom adds. My mom walks to the kitchen and Sara sits beside me on the couch.
Sara tells us everything. They made her look at about six different lines up of men and were asked if she had seen any of them hanging around school or any of their hangouts before Meghan disappeared. She said she told them the same thing there as she did here.
We spend the rest of the afternoon the same way we did yesterday when Mike was here talking and laughing. But, today is different Sara doesn't do as much talking. She keeps looking at me then at Mike and then back to me and smiling.
As soon as Mike is out the door Sara grabs my arm and drags me to her room. "You like Mike!" She practically screams. I can feel my face heating up as soon as the words come out of her mouth. "What! No, I don't." I lie. I know it's pointless lying to her, even if she couldn't tell I was lying my beat red face would have said it all. "If it makes you feel any better, I think he likes you too." She says grabbing my hand.
"I'm pretty sure I'm not his type," I say looking at my feet. "What do you mean has he even ever had a girlfriend?" Sara asks. "Katie Howe," I answer. Katie Howe moved to our school in October of our grade 9 years and Mike fell head over heels for her right away. She had long blonde hair, had the perfect body, was super pretty and seemed to be super nice. Almost every guy in school was chasing after her. But Mike was the one that ended up with her. They dated until he caught her cheating on him one afternoon just after we started grade 10. He was crushed.
"Katie Howe?" Sara says with a laugh. "Really Katie that girl has dated and or slept with half the school." She says and laughs harder. I try to hold back my laugh but I can't. Sara has the type of laugh that makes you wanted to laugh with her even if you don't know why she laughing.
"They dated for almost a year, and then she cheated on him and he was heartbroken," I tell her. "Well, that was a long time ago. Now let's talk about you and him!" She says and smiles. There isn't much to talk about. He has always been just my friend. Nothing more, nothing less. I decide to tell her about my feelings for him since I know she won't stop questioning me until I do. "Well, as you know I met him in middle school. When we first started hanging out I thought he was cute then the more me and he hung out the more my feeling grow for him and haven't stopped since." "Are you in love with him?" She asked. Am I? "I don't know," I answer truthfully.