The Disappearance of Chloe Marsh
With a nervous glance at Mr. Monroe, you decide that he can wait. Besides, he seems busy. You approach Rachel's desk and tap it to get her attention.
"Hi, Rachel," you say.
She looks up at you. "Oh, hi."
"You okay?" you ask. "You seem quiet today."
She forcibly smiles. "Just... thinking too much."
"What about?" you ask. She shrugs her shoulders.
"Stuff, I guess... It's not a big deal," she replies.
"Are you sure?" you ask, unsure. "If you need to talk, I'm around."
She gives you an appreciative smile. "Thanks, I'll remember that. Just... maybe not today, okay?"
Well, she clearly doesn't want to talk about what's bothering her. You decide to drop it for now. After a moment of silence, Rachel says, "Congrats on your paper."
"Oh, thanks," you say sheepishly.
"I read it when we did the paper exchange. It was really good. I'm jealous," she says lightly.
"Oh, come on," you laugh. "I read yours, too."
"It was crap."
"No-" you try to protest, but she stops you.
"It's okay," she says. "Writing isn't really my strong point."
You smile. "Mr. Monroe says there's always room for improvement."
She nods, smiling back. "Yeah. I don't know... I didn't really try on it, I guess..." Rachel peers over at Dahlia, who has now seated herself in front of Mr. Monroe's desk.
Rachel shakes her head. "Looks like Dahlia wastes no time."
"She's always glaring at me," you say.
"That's because Mr. Monroe favors you over her. Which isn't hard. Dahlia's a handful." Rachel smirks.
You shift and cross your arms. "Hey," you say, "wanna get out of here? Get something to eat, maybe?"
"Oh, not today. I'm... tired. But, definitely some other time," she politely declines.
"Okay, sure," you say. You're still a little worried about her. "No worries. We'll hang later."
She nods before gathering her things and leaving. You watch her go. You'll have to make sure and talk to her later. But, for now, there's not much else you can do.
Mr. Monroe leaves the classroom with Dahlia following close behind. Looks like you lost the chance to talk to Mr. Monroe. Oh well, you'll just have to catch him later.
You step out into the empty hallway. It seems that everyone's gone home except for the janitor, Maxwell, at the end of the hall.
You sigh and start to move towards the doors. Your eye catches something hanging on the wall. It's a piece of paper. You approach the paper.
MISSING
CHLOE MARSH
There's a picture of a girl your age with curly, brown hair and a freckled face. You recognize this paper. They're hung up everywhere. From what you've gathered, Chloe Marsh went missing over the summer, sometime in June. No one knows where she went. She just... disappeared. You get an uneasy feeling in your gut. You hear Maxwell pass behind you, but you pay him no attention.
You stand there a little longer, studying the paper. Poor girl.
Just as you're about to leave, you realize that you really need to use the bathroom. You better go before you head home. You move down the hall towards the bathroom. When you reach them, you see that the boys' bathroom is locked up with a sign that says OUT OF ORDER.
"Hi, Rachel," you say.
She looks up at you. "Oh, hi."
"You okay?" you ask. "You seem quiet today."
She forcibly smiles. "Just... thinking too much."
"What about?" you ask. She shrugs her shoulders.
"Stuff, I guess... It's not a big deal," she replies.
"Are you sure?" you ask, unsure. "If you need to talk, I'm around."
She gives you an appreciative smile. "Thanks, I'll remember that. Just... maybe not today, okay?"
Well, she clearly doesn't want to talk about what's bothering her. You decide to drop it for now. After a moment of silence, Rachel says, "Congrats on your paper."
"Oh, thanks," you say sheepishly.
"I read it when we did the paper exchange. It was really good. I'm jealous," she says lightly.
"Oh, come on," you laugh. "I read yours, too."
"It was crap."
"No-" you try to protest, but she stops you.
"It's okay," she says. "Writing isn't really my strong point."
You smile. "Mr. Monroe says there's always room for improvement."
She nods, smiling back. "Yeah. I don't know... I didn't really try on it, I guess..." Rachel peers over at Dahlia, who has now seated herself in front of Mr. Monroe's desk.
Rachel shakes her head. "Looks like Dahlia wastes no time."
"She's always glaring at me," you say.
"That's because Mr. Monroe favors you over her. Which isn't hard. Dahlia's a handful." Rachel smirks.
You shift and cross your arms. "Hey," you say, "wanna get out of here? Get something to eat, maybe?"
"Oh, not today. I'm... tired. But, definitely some other time," she politely declines.
"Okay, sure," you say. You're still a little worried about her. "No worries. We'll hang later."
She nods before gathering her things and leaving. You watch her go. You'll have to make sure and talk to her later. But, for now, there's not much else you can do.
Mr. Monroe leaves the classroom with Dahlia following close behind. Looks like you lost the chance to talk to Mr. Monroe. Oh well, you'll just have to catch him later.
You step out into the empty hallway. It seems that everyone's gone home except for the janitor, Maxwell, at the end of the hall.
You sigh and start to move towards the doors. Your eye catches something hanging on the wall. It's a piece of paper. You approach the paper.
MISSING
CHLOE MARSH
There's a picture of a girl your age with curly, brown hair and a freckled face. You recognize this paper. They're hung up everywhere. From what you've gathered, Chloe Marsh went missing over the summer, sometime in June. No one knows where she went. She just... disappeared. You get an uneasy feeling in your gut. You hear Maxwell pass behind you, but you pay him no attention.
You stand there a little longer, studying the paper. Poor girl.
Just as you're about to leave, you realize that you really need to use the bathroom. You better go before you head home. You move down the hall towards the bathroom. When you reach them, you see that the boys' bathroom is locked up with a sign that says OUT OF ORDER.