Page 109 of Ordinary Secrets

“You ’ight, bro?” Marcus slaps a palm over my shoulder in the middle of our writing session. “You been quiet, and now you be hella red in the face.”

The rest of our band turns their attention to me, and their concern soars through my mind. I must look sick. I definitely feel it. A minute ago, my chest started burning out of nowhere. Now I’m getting nauseous and my arms feel numb.

“I’m fine,” I lie.

I push through another two minutes before the dizziness takes over. As the room spins, my guitar slides off my lap and clanks to the floor. Emmy shrieks, and it makes the migraine in my head blister.

“You wanna lay down, man?” Kevin asks, picking up the guitar for me.

Nausea rises up my throat.Am I about to... Yep, I am.I rush behind the mini bar and find a trash can just in time to heave into it. I cough as the vomit leaves my throat. Then I heave again. I feel everyone’s eyes on me as I throw up my lunch.

When I think it’s done, I tie a knot into the trash bag and replace it with a new one. Then I rinse my mouth out under the sink faucet. I was right. My bandmates are gaping at me.

“Are you guys cool with finishing this song without me?” I ask. “I’ma head home.”

“Of course, T,” Liz says.

“Yeah, go get some rest,” Emmy adds.

As I mount my motorcycle, I check the time. Arella got off work twenty minutes ago, and she planned to meet me here. She’s probably already on her way, so I call her. The phone rings to her voicemail. I end the call and shoot her a text.

Hey, babe. I’m not feeling well, so I’m leaving work early. Can you meet me at home instead?

I ride for about fifteen minutes with a splitting headache before I pull over to call her again. I end up at her voicemail... again. This time, I leave a message.

“Hey, angel. I’m heading home because I don’t feel well. Just letting you know so you don’t go to the Soul House and expect me there. I’ll see you at home, ’kay?”

I wish there was a way to know if someone’s listened to your voicemail. I check my messages again to see if Arella has read my text. It still saysdelivered, notread.

In my missed-calls log is a call from Victor from five minutes ago. Whatever he’s got to say can wait, because right now, I’m too focused on figuring out where Arella is. I know we didn’t leave things on the best note this morning, but she wouldn’t ghost me, would she?

I ride for another ten minutes before I get impatient and pull off to the shoulder again. After I yank my helmet off, I Google the number for Sunrise Daycare. Someone picks up on the third ring.

“Sunrise. Javina speaking.”

“Javina, it’s Trey. Is Arella there?” I don’t know what I’m hoping for. Maybe for her to tell me that Arella got held up and she’s just finishing up work. Maybe that one of the kids is pulling a bad prank on her by hiding her phone, and she’s running around looking for it as we speak. I would have accepted anything except the answer I actually get.

“Sorry, pretty boy. Ari left when her shift ended.”

“Thanks.” I hang up.

I call Liz, and she picks up right away. “Hey, T-Bear. You okay?”

Not really...My nausea has gotten worse, and it’s not like Arella to not answer her phone. “Is Arella there?”

“Nope, why?”

“Dammit.” I slap a hand against my handlebars as I hang up.Where is she?

A thought stops my heart. What if this is her way of leaving me? She’s had enough of me hiding shit from her, and she’sprobably at my house, packing her stuff up right now. When I get home, her drawer will be empty, her side of the closet will be too, and I’ll never see her again.

Please don’t let that be it . . .

With my helmet back on, I race home. Her car isn’t in my driveway. As I dismount my bike, my heart pounds against my lungs like fists against a sandbag.Thump, thump, thump.I rush inside, shouting for her.

“Babe? You here?”

Silence.

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