Page 143 of Outspoken

I hug the phone to my chest, immediately getting butterflies.

Miguel.

We haven’t seen each other since that day at the beach, though we exchanged a few brief messages. I offered to come over because I want to make sure he’s okay, but he said he needs time alone to process.

It’s hard trying to be platonic with him, but I’mdefinitelyhere if he needs me. Even if it means I have to sob later from the ache in my heart.

I answer before it goes to voicemail. “Hey. How are you?”

“Hey,” he responds, his voice tense and more forceful than normal. “Have you seen or heard from Angel?”

The butterflies stop and I get a sinking feeling. “No. Why?”

I hear wind and traffic in the background like Miguel is driving and has me on speaker. “I fucked up this time.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, sitting on the couch for stability.

“I said something stupid to him. I can explain later, but he ran off last night and…Hold on. I need to pull over.”

I wait, my heart pounding. Miguel takes me off speaker and his voice is clearer through the phone.

He sighs, his words sunken. “I said the wrong thing and he left. I went out looking for him, but had no idea where he might be. It was getting late, so I went home to rest, hoping he’d show up. This morning my car was gone.”

“What? You think he took it? But he’s thirteen.”

“Yeah, but he knows how to drive. He’s stolen other family member’s cars. I honestly don’t care about that. I’m more concerned that he drove my car to Rico’s around three this morning and stole one of his guns. Rico and his family are out of town, but he has security cameras that alerted him. It was clearly Angel.”

I’m frozen, and even though I heard what Miguel just told me, the only word that slips out is a weak, “What?”

A gun.

“I got a rental as soon as Rico called me, and I’ve been driving around with no idea where to look. He could be in another city by now. I don’t know. I’m calling everyone I can think of in case he’s reached out. Have you seen him? I gave him your number. So any texts?”

“Uh, hold on.” My hands are a little shaky as I pull up my chats. I got a few spam texts, but nothing from local numbers. I bring the phone back to my ear. “Does he have an out-of-state area code?”

“No.”

“Then he hasn’t contacted me. But, um…” I try to think about where a teenager might go. He’s not just any teenager, though. He’s been exposed to the addict lifestyle because of his parents, so he might feel most at home around people who use. Something familiar. He also told me he gets weed from ‘typical places’. For an adult, that’s a dispensary, but an underage kid would need to find a street dealer. There are a lot of places to get illegal drugs in this city. “Have you checked Orchard Avenue? Or maybe Skid Row or Berendo Street?”

“No. Why those places?”

If panic wasn’t gripping me, I would smile. “You’re too innocent, Miguel. Those are places to score drugs.”

He inhales. “Right. Then I’ll—”

“Can you pick me up?” I cut in. “I know people at those places and can ask around. I want to look, too. I want to help you find him before he does anything. What, um, what kind of gun is it?” It’s hard even saying the word.Too many guns have popped up in my life.

“A handgun. Rico said he took a magazine with only a few bullets. I don’t know if that was on purpose or accident. My family seems to think he’s going to rob gas stations or get revenge. Or that he’s snapped and ready to shoot up a place.”

I shake my head even though Miguel can’t see me. “I think it’s worse. I mean, I don’t think he’s going to hurt other people.”

Miguel falls deathly silent.

“Just come get me,” I say quickly. “We need to find him.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

Amber

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