Page 116 of Keep Me Never
“Mommy, I want down,” baby Deaton whines, and my attention slides his way. He’s on his mom’s hip, pushing against her chest with one hand, rubbing his eyes with the other.
Payton meets my gaze as she pats his little butt. “I think I’ll take him to the parking lot, let him play in the back of Brady’s truck while we wait.”
Guilt falls on my shoulders. Of course, she’s been chasing him up and down the tunnels for nearly an hour now.
While a few others nod, no one moves, not until Mr. Harper lets his hands fall to his side and clears his throat, his eyes meeting mine. “Maybe some fresh air would be good? And there’s only one direction for him to go.”
He turns, nodding toward the exit, and one by one, we trail behind, Noah taking Deaton from Payton’s arms and whispering softly to the little boy.
Deaton hangs his head on Noah’s shoulder, reaching out to high-five Ari when she smiles up at him.
We step out onto the asphalt, the buzz of the crowd long gone, replaced with night air and the quiet tap of footsteps. Every few feet we go, I can’t help but look back at the doors.
Cameron walks up, wrapping her arm around me for a side hug, and my lips twitch a little.
Noah climbs into the bed of the truck with Deaton, and I try to focus on the two as they play little clapping, sing-along games, but I’m too anxious to keep my attention on any one place.
Finally, the creak of the heavy metal doors echoes in the night, and we all whip our heads toward the sound.
Mason is the first to step out, and I’m already dashing across the parking lot.
He looks down at me with a small smile, and then a frown pulls at his features as his eyes scan the space behind me, just as mine do behind him.
Brady is there, Fernando too, and I hold my breath in anticipation…but the door is closing behind them.
I spin, a scowl on my face. “Where is he?” I nearly demand.
Brady frowns, his eyes bouncing from me to the group, to the parking lot around us. “We got out as quick as we could, but?—”
“Where is Chase?” I say a little louder, a littlefrantic.
“He was the first one out the door, snuck out before Coach could see him leave. He still had his pads on.” He looks to Mason and back. “We thought he was already out here with you guys or his dad or something.”
My heart lodges in my throat. “We thought he was with you this whole time. How…how did he get out before us? It only took us maybe five minutes to get to the tunnels.”
Mason’s mouth tips up to one side, but there’s nothing happy about it. “He ran in and ran out,” he says quietly.
The boys hesitantly move forward, heading toward where the others are piled around Payton and Brady’s vehicles—all three boys rode with Mase today, so Chase’s truck was never here.
“Brady, check his location,” Cam suggests.
I inhale deeply, swinging my eyes his way.Yes, perfect.
He waits until he gets to his truck and sets his bag down, digging his phone from the inside pocket. He scrolls a little, and then he sighs, looking up from where he’s crouched on his knees.
“Phone’s off.” He looks up at Mason.
Panic twists in my gut, and I press a hand to my stomach. “Should I…should I go look for him? What if?—”
“Honey.” Mr. Harper cuts off my spiral, and when I look at him, I already know what he’s going to say, and my eyes start to sting. “I’m sorry, but he doesn’t want to be found right now,” he says quietly. His expression is worn but kind, as is his voice when he adds, “He’ll want to be alone for a little while, but only so no one tries to make him feel better before he’s ready. The moment he is, he will come to you.”
The tears come then, falling without permission, as I nod and press my fingers to my lips.
“He needs you, honey,” his dad says, stepping closer to me. “He just needs a little while to breathe alone first.”
I let out a quiet sob, and Cam wraps her arms around me, tugging me gently toward the truck. “Come on,” she says. “Let’s go back to our place. Noah can make us some snacks or something.”
I nod, unable to speak past the knot of worry lodged in my throat.
