Page 51 of Code Word
They all stared.
“I do. I always have,” I said, sucking back a sob. “I was too fucking stupid to realize.”
Maddox sighed. “Oh, Blake.”
“Don’t. Don’t you fucking dare. You wanna care now? Am I the right kind of queer for you to give a fuck now?”
“That’s not fair,” Roscoe murmured.
“No, it’s fucking not!” I yelled at him.
“Ah, Blake,” Becca said.
I was too busy glaring at Maddox.
“Blake, it’s Luke,” she said again, staring at the TV screen. I followed her line of sight.
“...from the band Atrous, spotted by himself at a beach northeast of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.”
It was a mostly grainy picture of Luke walking, the blue water behind him, a wooden bar or cabana off to one side.
“Rumored to have split from his girlfriend of two years, Luke Dougherty was spotted by himself, no security, no other Atrous band members with him. Begs the question: just where is Blake Acosta?”
My heart stopped.
Cabo. Mexico.
He was in fucking Mexico.
I turned to Becca as her eyes met mine, as wide andwhat the fuckas I’m sure mine were. “Mexico,” I whispered.
She nodded. “Your passport’s in the safe,” she said. “Go get it, and I’ll drive you to the airport.”
Helplessly, I looked at the mess still on the floor, and Becca gripped my arm, making me look at her. “Leave it,” she said. “Blake. Passport. Now.”
I nodded and had to make my legs walk me out of the room but barely got to the hall before hearing her speak. “You knew and never told anyone. Do you have any idea what it’s been like for him? He could barely get off the fucking floor. His mom called me because he was sobbing, and not one of you gave a fuck.”
I heard one of them mumble something, but Becca wasn’t having it.
“Oh, it was hard for you? Really, Maddox? I’m hisex-girlfriend, about to drive him to the airport so he can tellmy brotherhe loves him because he’s finally figured it out! So help me, Jesus Christ, I will kick Luke’s ass when I see him.”
Then Becca made a frustrated sound and appeared in the hall. She stopped when she saw me standing there and she clapped her hands. “Blake. Passport. Now. Fuck.”
“Yes.” I nodded and turned, walking toward Luke’s office, moving faster now.
To get my passport so I could go to Luke.
I all but ran into the office, opened the safe, and found my passport, by itself, next to the space Luke’s should have been.
“I should have looked here first,” I mumbled.
“We both should have,” Bec said beside me. “I didn’t know he was out of the country. Mom didn’t know either. So when you see him, tell him he’s in big trouble.”
When I see him . ..
I was going to see him soon.
I nodded. “Okay. Let’s go.”
