Page 91 of Loving Violet
I watch Josy hug Adrian and look away from the group, trying to hide her emotions and be strong for him.
“I think I’ll take Adrian home and wait there,” she says gently. “He would probably be better off at home in his safe space.”
“I’ll go with Josy,” Esteban says
"Good idea, Josy. Thanks for doing that, and Esteban, don’t leave either of their sides." Adrian looks up at me, his eyes wide with fear.
"Don't worry, buddy. We won’t stop until we find her, I promise," I say, hoping to reassure him. He nods, but I can see the doubt in his eyes.
Josy takes his hand and leads him to the car. Together, Josy and Esteban take Adrian home while I stand with Officer Miller and Noah, trying to keep my emotions in check.
Everyone at the game now knows Violet is missing, and the whole town is ready to help look for her.
I try to stay calm, but inside, I’m dying a little more with each passing minute.
Officer Miller lays out the search plan, but I can barely focus. I've checked with everyone who might have seen her, coordinated with the locals, organized search parties—it all feels like it's moving too slowly. Every minute without knowing where Violet is feels like an eternity.
My phone buzzes in my hand, and the name on the screen makes my stomach clench. It’s a text from Josy. With shaky fingers, I unlock the screen.
Josy: Did you check her GPS? I saw her wearing it at the game.
The words hit me like a freight train. My heart skips a beat, and then thunders painfully against my ribs. My chest tightens, and I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut.
“Fuck,” I mutter, my voice trembling. The phone nearly slips from my hand as the realization crashes down on me.
The necklace. The fucking GPS necklace. How could I forget? She hasn’t taken it off since the day I gave it to her. It’s practically become a part of her, a small gesture I thought would help her feel safe. And now, when it matters most, I didn’t even think about it.
How could I be so stupid?
I clutch the phone tighter, my knuckles white as I grit my teeth against the flood of guilt and panic. The thought of Violet out there—scared, alone, maybe worse—makes my chest burn like fire. My breath comes out in short, ragged gasps as the crushing weight of my failure bears down on me.
Noah steps closer, his voice pulling me out of my spiral. “What happened?”
I can barely meet his eyes. My throat is dry, and the words feel like acid as they claw their way out. “The necklace…the one with the GPS. She’s been wearing it. Josy just reminded me.”
Noah’s face hardens instantly. “Then why the hell aren’t we tracking her right now?”
The question slams into me like a hammer, and the guilt twists the knife deeper. “I didn’t think of it,” I admit, my voice cracking. “I was so panicked, so fucking terrified when I realized she was gone… I didn’t think.”
The weight of my own words feels unbearable. I want to scream, to punch something, to take back every wasted second I’ve spent in blind panic. Violet needs me, and I’ve been failing her.
Noah grabs my shoulder, snapping me back to the moment. “Then we fix it. Right now. Pull up the app.”
I nod, fumbling with my phone, my hands shaking so badly that I can barely navigate the screen. Noah stands beside me, his presence a lifeline in the storm of my self-loathing and fear.
As the app loads, I silently beg for it to work, for it to give us the answer we need.
“I’ll find you,” I whisper under my breath, the words a desperate promise to Violet—and to myself.“The fucking app is not working. Damn it!”
“Stay calm and call your friend. He should be able to help you with it,” Noah says calmly while I am a fucking mess.
I nod and call James hoping he can help. The phone rings multiple times until I hear James on the other side. “Hey, Austin.”
I don’t let him continue talking and tell him, "James, I need you to help me track Violet's GPS. The app's not working, and I don’t know what else to do."
James answers immediately, his voice calm and reassuring. "I'm on it, Austin. Give me a few minutes to see what I can do."
“Thanks, man. I need to find her, and I am so fucking worried. We were at a soccer game, and she went to the bathroom and never came back.”
