Page 120 of I Wanna Text You Up

My hands shake as I open thenote.

Zoe,

I’ll explain everythinglater.

-C

That’s all itsays.

Fourwords.

Fourfuckingwords.

What in the actualfuck?

I try Caleb’s number again. This time it rings twice before going to voicemail, which means he’s deliberately avoidingme.

“Son of abitch!”

I throw my phone onto the couch, annoyed ashell.

Did I do something wrong? Did we fall into bed too soon after declaring ourrelationship?

But seriously…what happened in the six whole hours of sleep Igot?

I don’t know what could have set this in motion. I don’t know how to get in touch with him if he’s not answering my calls. I don’t know how I’m going to explain his disappearance to my parents, who are due home tomorrowmorning.

I don’t know anything right now, and the one person I want here to comfort me is the one who desertedme.

* * *

“We’re home!”

“I’m sure she’s so surprised to hear that, honey. You did just text her to tell her we were pulling into the driveway,” my dad saysdryly.

Mittens goes flying off my lap at the invasion of new voices, skidding down the hall to the safety of hisbed.

I climb off the couch with hesitancy, knowing my mother’s reaction will be very dramatic when she sees me. My eyes are circled in dark bruises from lack of sleep and my hair is a hot mess. I wasn’t able to sleep for more than an hour last night without Caleb’s body pressed againstmine.

I misshim.

I’m mad athim.

And I still haven’t heard a single peep fromhim.

I go from being worried one moment to fuming the next. I just want to find a middle groundsomewhere.

“Hey, didyou—”

My mother’s hand flies to her mouth just as I expected itwould.

“Dear lord, Zohanna. What’s happened? You look amess.”

Just as you rehearsed, Zoe. Play itcool.

“I’m not feeling well, Mama. Think I might be coming down with something. I’ll probably head back hometonight.”

She wraps me into her embrace and I sag into her, letting her comfort me for reasons she’s unsure of. “Nonsense. You’ll stay the night as planned. We’ll feed you soup and send you back to schooltomorrow.”

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