It started out perfectly normal. Or as normal as it could be. Me and my best friend Luke, were heading to Tedeschi’s to buy a Slushy to cool off from the mid summer heat.
“Valerie, what flavor do you want?” he asked. “I’ll buy.”
“Huh?” I wasn’t paying attention I was to busy worrying about my other best friend Natasha. She hadn’t been herself for weeks. Yesterday seemed to be her breaking point though. She had said some very hurtful things. She swore she would never be my friend again and that she had never wanted to see me again.
“I said what flavor do you want, I’ll buy.”

“Oh um. Surprise me I really don’ care.”
He ended up buying me a Blue Raspberry and a green apple for himself. And he stuck to his word. He did pay for them even though I tried to when he wasn’t looking.




<>
“So why are you so quite?” Luke asked me. Our drinks long since finished. We had taken a walk and had ended up on the bridge in front of the river.
“Hmm?” I asked. Again my mind had strayed toward the Natasha conflict.
“I asked why are you so quite. Are you sick? You have heard nothing have said. I could have said ‘I love you’ and you would not have noticed.” He blushed ever so slightly. I wonder what that had ment. I knew I was blushing to though. That was I loved my best friend. He was caring, funny, smart, and really cute. And sometimes he just gets how I feel and tries to make me fell better.
“So um how is it in A.P. Math? I asked after an uncomfortable silence. I needed to change the subject before I said something really stupid.
“Oh um they are good I guess but the class I like best is having English with you.”
My heart fluttered. He liked classes with me. Was that saying something? I didn’t know my mind was to confused. If I could though I would have reached out and taken his hand. But I was to scared.
As if reading my mind though his hand found mine. He wound his fingers through mine till our hands were intertwined. My fluttering heart skipped a beat.
“So Val are you gonna answer my question?”
“Wait what was the question?” My mind was so confused. Between Natasha and the fact that Luke’s hand was still around mine.
“Why are you so quite?”
“Oh..um..” I felt uncomfortable. Would Luke care what was happening between me and my other friends? There was only one way to find out.
“Yes?” he encouraged
“Well I was thinking about Natasha. The other day we were just sitting there talking, and suddenly she stood up. ‘What’s wrong?’ I asked her. Then she said she never wanted to see me again. I was devastated. Just then I was trying to figure out why she said those things. But every time I come close to figuring something out I end up empty handed.” I tried to control myself. I didn’t want to have Luke see me cry. But I couldn’t help it. A tear escaped the corner of my eye.
From the corner of my eye I saw his hand come up and wipe away the tear. I felt his hand squeeze mine. I squeezed his hand back.
“I am terribly sorry.” He looked at me with sincere apology and adoration. He really cared.
“No it’s fine I just want my friend back.”
We spent the rest of the day talking. We never met each others eyes. When I glanced up sometimes though I would see his eyes looking down. I was wondering what he was thinking about. I knew I was thinking about him.

It started to get dark.
“Oh” I exclaimed suddenly. “ I should have gone home an hour ago.”
“Oh” Luke said glumly.
“I’m so sorry.” I apologized.
“No it’s not your fault. I should have taken better care of you. I should have let you go when it got real dark.”
“No Luke please don’t blame yourself we both got caught up talking. I was the one who should have been paying attention.”
“Whatever.” He said looking down at the ground.
“Luke will you be okay when I leave you don’t look so good.” I said. Though I knew that look on his face. He was filled with the feeling of rejection.
“Yah I’m fine.” He snapped. Then he looked up. My face was filled with horror. I didn’t know he could get mad at me. His face –once contorted with rage- calmed down into a sorrow filled expression. “I’m sorry” he whispered.
“Oh Luke.” I bent down and threw my arms around him. How could I be mad at someone so kind?
“Actually do you think you could stay over? I will be all alone tonight. My parents aren’t home and I don’t want to be alone.” He looked down like he was about to cry.
“Oh Luke sure let me call my mom.” I could not hurt my best friend when he was so confused.
I pulled out my phone and called my mom when we got to his house.
“Hello?” my mom answered
“Mom? Hi. I was wondering if I could stay over my friends house?”
“Whose house are you staying over sweetie?” my mom asked.
“Um Luke’s,” I answered after a short pause.
“Oh um sure. Do you want me to bring over your stuff?” she asked.
“Um sure why not.”
I gave her a list of what I needed.
“Okay I will be over in a little while. Love you.”
The line went dead.
I turned and walked to the living room where I heard the sound of the television running. On the screen was playing my favorite show. Degrassi.
“Val?” Luke whispered.
“Yes?” I asked looking up curious.
“Never mind.” He said turning back to the television.
A minute later the door rang.
“That must be my mom,” I said. I stood up to get it but Luke stood up first.
“You sit I’ll get it.” He said. He didn’t leave until I sat down.
When he came back he didn’t have my bags. He had Chinese food!
“I hope you like Chinese food. I forgot to ask.”
“No I love Chinese food.”
He set the food down.
“Thank you.” I whispered hugging him.
“For what?” he asked me, He hugged me back.
“For everything an I don’t just mean the food.”
He looked at me for a moment. Then his face came toward mine. I saw complete adoration in his eyes. His lips came down- softly- on mine. It started out simple and soft but then Luke got a second wind and it became more desperate. It was very pleasant. I would not have bothered to share this kiss with anyone else.
The doorbell rang again.
I pulled away and looked at him blushing.
That has to be my mom.” I said. “Unless you ordered something else.” I teased.
I got off the couch and went to the door.
When I opened it there was my mom with my bags.
“Thanks mom.” I said taking my bags. She didn’t look right. She looked like she had been crying.
“Mom,” I asked anxious. “What’s wrong?”
“I found this taped to the door.” She croaked. Her voice was horse from crying and disuse.
I opened the note.

Dear Valerie,
As you may know your friend Natasha hates you. So you will be pleased to know that I have taken her off your hands and I will deal with her when I get to Paris Island.




Sincerely




C.U.
P.S DO NOT come looking for me or else you will end up like Natasha.

As I processed the words I took the bags from my mom and shut the door on her face. I saw the black abyss through my peripheral vision. Before I made it halfway to the couch the darkness overcame me. And I welcomed it like an old friend. Anything would do to get away from the reality that has struck us like a bat to the head.

But the darkness didn’t last long. When I woke up my head was cradled in Luke’s lap. His hand was stroking my face. I looked in his eyes and saw the tortured expression that could only have been brought on by the black out.
“Finally.” Luke exhaled. “Tell me everything that happened. Start from the beginning.”

Instead of talking I handed him the note. He read it quietly. When he was finished he wound his arms around me. We sat like that for what seemed forever. I let the tears flow from my eyes. I really didn’t care if Luke saw. My best friend was going to be dead in a matter of hours and I had no idea why.

“I have an idea. Who do we know with the initials C.U?”

“Carl Uribe!” I exclaimed. Then I sighed. The reason hit me like a title wave. “ I knew this would happen. I knew someone would take her.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well for one the girl could be a model. Someone would steal her because of her looks.” I said. “But wait Carl wouldn’t hurt a fly. So why would he threaten to kill someone?”

“That’s what I thought. So that’s why I thought we could go get the phonebook and look up C.U.”

“Oh Luke that could take forever!” I whined

“We’ll see.” He slid out from under me and went to retrieve the phonebook.

When he came back he was already flipping through trying to find the C.U.

“Aha!” he exclaimed. I jumped. He looked up at my gasp. “Sorry.” He said sitting down next to me. “Look what I found,” he said as he put his arm around me. I cuddled into his chest. “There are only two people with the initials C.U.!”

“Oh my gosh your right. We can find her by Friday!” I said.

“Friday is three days away, why not shoot for tomorrow?” “Be practical Luke, they could be halfway around the world at this point.”

“That is true and she could probably be dead by now but there is a very slim chance for both. I am talking a one in a thousand chance.”
“And what if she was that one out of a thousand?”
”Just don’t think like that. Now what are we going to do now?”
I got a spark of hope. I then said the thing I might have regretted saying. “We are going after this C.U. guy.”