instant, his eyes flickered and changed from dark and intimate to dark and distant. He dropped his hand from my face and moved a step back. I felt his withdrawal like an icy wind.
âIt was nice to see you, Zoey. And thanks again for allowing me to look at your Mark.â His smile was polite and proper. He gave me a little nod that was almost a formal bow, and then he walked away.
I didnât know whether I should scream in frustration, cry in embarrassment, or growl and be pissed. Frowning and muttering to myself, I ignored the fact that my hands were shaking and marched back to the dorm. This was definitely an I-need-my-best-friend emergency.
CHAPTER SIX
Still mumbling to myself about men and mixed messages, I entered the front room of the dorm and wasnât surprised to see Stevie Rae and the Twins clustered together watching one of the TVs. Clearly, theyâd been waiting for me. I felt an incredible wash of relief. I didnât want the whole world (translationâthe Twins and/or Damien) to know what had just happened, but I was going to tell Stevie Rae every single, tiny, juicy detail about Lorenâand let her help me figure out what the hell all of it meant.
âUh, Stevie Rae, Iâm clueless about our, uh, Soc paper thatâs due Monday. Maybe you could help me with it. I mean, it wonât take too long andââ I started, but Stevie Rae interrupted me without taking her eyes from the TV.
âWait, Z, come here. You gotta see this.â She motioned me over to the TV. The Twinsâ eyes were glued to the screen, too.
I frowned when I noticed how tense they all looked, causing the subject of Loren to (temporarily) slide from my mind. âWhatâs going on?â They were watching a rebroadcast of the local Fox 23 evening news. Chera Kimiko, the anchor, was talking and some familiar pictures of Woodward Park were flashing on the screen. âItâs hard to believe that Chera isnât a vamp. She is abnormally gorgeous,â I said automatically.
âShush and listen to what sheâs saying,â Stevie Rae said.
Continuing to be surprised by how weird they were acting, I shushed and listened.
â
So, to repeat our lead story tonight
â
the search continues for Union High School teenager Chris Ford. The seventeen-year-old disappeared yesterday after football practice
.â The picture on the screen was a shot of Chris in his football uniform. I let out a little yelp as the name and face registered.
âHeyâI know him!â
âThatâs why I called you over here,â Stevie Rae said.
â
Search parties are combing the area around Utica Square and Woodward Park, which is where he was last seen
.â
âThatâs really close to here,â I said.
âShush!â Shaunee said.
âWe know!â Erin said.
â
So far there are no leads as to why he was in the Woodward Park area. Chrisâs mother said she didnât even know her son knew the way to Woodward Park, sheâs never known him to go there before. Mrs. Ford also said that she expected him home right after football practice. He has now been missing for more than twenty-four hours. If anyone has any information that might help the police locate Chris, please call Crime Stoppers. You may remain anonymous
.â
Chera went on to another story and everyone unfroze.
âSo, you know him?â Shaunee asked.
âYeah, but not real well. I mean, heâs one of Unionâs star running backs and when I was kinda sorta dating Heathâyou guys know heâs Broken Arrowâs quarterback?â
They nodded impatiently.
âWell, he used to drag me to parties with him, and all the football jocks knew each other, so Chris and his cousin Jon were at a bunch of them. Rumor has it theyâve graduated from getting trashed on cheap beer to getting trashed on cheap beer while they pass around nasty joints.â I looked at Shaunee, who
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