_____________________________________________________
Mimi


The car held an tense atmosphere, we had been driving around looking for
Anthony for the past two hours and not a word had been said.
I guess it was only predictable that it would be like this. I wanted to
say something, but nothing could really come to my mind.
What could I say? "Hey how's your day going? I kissed Anthony".


I peeked over at him, hoping he wouldn't notice me.
He looked so intense, he must be really worried about Anthony.
I've never seen Kyle hold such an expression on his face before.
It's natural, if Jenny or Asia were missing, I'd be panicking too.


"Like what you see?" he asked.
Oh crap, he knew I was looking at him the whole time.
My face suddenly felt boiling hot in embarrassment, I hope my face doesn't turn red.


"No", I replied quickly jerking my head in the opposite direction of Kyle,
trying to hide the fact that I was blushing red.
He began to look at me instead of the road.
"If you say so", he said as he looked back at the road.
The last time I was sitting Kyle's car was when we went to the beach.
It was such a nice place, but he wasn't suppose share that location
with anyone but Dylan, Flint, and...


I turned my towards Kyle fast, "I know where Anthony is!" I said loudly.


Kyle pulled the car over towards the curb of the street. I tried to quickly get out of the passengers seat without noticing the car wasn't even in park yet.
"Mimi! Slow down!", Kyle said as he me saw get out.


Kyle got out of the car trailing behind me then stopped by the staircase.
"You keep going, I'll contact the others", he said pulling out his phone.
"Alright!", I replied.
"That is...if I can get a signal", he said.
_____________________________________________________



"Anthony's whereabouts's?" Coach Durham said thinking.
"Yeah, he hasn't come home in three days now", Dylan said.
"I haven't seen him since P.E last week, sorry", Durham said remembering.
"Okay thanks, if you see him please contact his home", Dylan replied.


"Any luck?" Jenny asked sitting in the Jeep.
"Nope", Dylan replied sadly, as he was opening the door to get in.


"I don't know who else to ask or where else to look", Dylan sighed.
"Don't worry, we'll find him. Maybe he's at Rob's place after all", Jenny said.
"No way he'll be there", Dylan said.
"Then where else could he be?" Jenny questioned.


"I don't know, I'll call the others and see if they've found anything", Dylan said.
_____________________________________________________



"Decided on anything yet A?" Flint asked waiting for his girlfriend to pick something off the menu.
"Maybe the ten-piece nuggets", she said still sounding indecisive.
"It's okay take your time", Flint said waiting patiently.
His cell began to jingle in his pocket giving him a scare.


"Hey Dylan, what's up?" Flint asked.
"Hey, how's your search going?" Dylan asked specifically.
"Oh we checked the mall and skate park, now we're at McDonald's", Flint replied.


"So let me get this straight, you're at McDonald's getting your face stuffed while
our best friend is missing? Flint I don't know how you stay thin but I hope that one
day you begin to get fat, so that you realize you eat too damn much!" Dylan said getting crabby.


"What is up with you guys picking on my appetite. And by the way, it was
Asia who was starving and threatening to bite my head off if she didn't get
some food!" Flint replied trying to be reasonable.


"Yeah right dude! And hold on while I add Kyle to the line", Dylan said.
"Hello?" Kyle said.
"Hey" Dylan and Flint both said.


"Hey guys, we found Anthony. He's at our secret spot, so hurry", said Kyle.
"We're on our way", Flint replied.
"Does that mean I get nothing to eat?" Asia asked moping.
"Sorry", Flint replied.
_____________________________________________________
Mimi


I ran through the path to the beach as I finally reached sand.
I could see ahead of me that there were footprints in the sand,
I followed them as I came upon someone sitting on the ground all by them self.
Anthony?



"Anthony!" I shouted.
I saw the person jump as I yelled his name. It was Anthony.


"Don't come any closer", Anthony strictly said, "I'm sure they told you how I can be".
Was Anthony really the type of person who hated to be comforted?
I didn't think that or know that.
"If that's what you wish", I replied stopping behind him.


I sat down directly behind him, "But I'm not going anywhere".
He did say not to come any closer after all.
"Just go home Mimi, I want to be alone righ-"
I cut him off, "You can't mean that! I've never met anyone who has
ever wanted to be alone in these kinds of situations".
"How would you know? Have you ever lost anyone important to you?" he asked me.
"Yes...I have", just thinking about it made me dwindle.


I got up and walked beside him, "And during that time, I wanted to be alone too".


I sat down beside him and put my arm around him.
"But I learned that life goes on and everything felt so much better because
I had friends that could comfort me and help me forget", I said trying to comfort him.


Anthony didn't say a word, but he raised his head and looked at me,
then he looked back down, "Can you help me forget?" He asked.
_____________________________________________________
Kyle


I ran until I reached the sandy coastline.
From a distance I could see just Anthony sitting on the beach, "Ant-"
I stopped mid-sentence, as I saw Mimi with her arms wrapped around him.


Why? Why is there a sharp pain in my heart?
How long have they been sitting there like that? Since I've been on the phone maybe.
Maybe she's just trying to console in him. I stood from a distance trying to
give them some space.


"She's just consoling him" I kept repeating to myself in my mind.
Wait, no! What kind of consoling requires them to be that close?
I began to walk towards them as I heard Mimi quietly say, "Yes, I can".
I stopped in my tracks once again. "Yes, she can what?"


"Anthony!" Dylan shouted from behind me, nearly scaring me to death. The others
had arrived to only see what I was seeing, until they finally walked over
towards the two of them.
The two of them
_____________________________________________________



The doorbell rang, waking Nicole out of the longest amount sleep she's had
in days. Anthony had been on her mind ever since he disappeared.
"Gosh", she said while yawning, "It's 1:03, who could this be?"
She managed to drag herself off the couch to answer the front door.
_____________________________________________________
Anthony


With her mouth wide open, she was speechless and stood in front of the door.
"Are you going to open the door?" I asked.


Nicole swung the door open nearly putting a dent in the wall.
"Hey?" I said feeling uncomfortable. I couldn't sense Nicole's mood at the moment.
But by the look of her face she was pissed at me.


"Do you have any idea how worried I've been young man?!" she shouted.
"I'm...sorry", I said tired. I hadn't slept in days.
"Sorry? Are you kidding me? Anthony don't do that ever again!" she replied.
"I said I'm sorry, okay! I get that you think we're a handful. I know that you
have a busy life. But please...please don't give up on me and my brother.
Don't give us to those strangers!" I said disheartened.
I could tell Nicole was about to reply angry once again, but she stopped.
She could see the tears beginning to roll off my face.


"Please..gi-give us a chance", I said stuttering, unable to control my emotions.
"Shhh...no one and I mean no one is being given up here", Nicole said hugging me tightly,
"Hell, I already feel like a parent", she said laughing.
_____________________________________________________


Once I had calmed down and said goodbye to everyone, we walked inside the house.
When I went inside, I saw a trail of packed boxes that lead into the living room and
through the kitchen.
She's been packing?


"I know you boys were raised here, but I thought it would be best if we moved
somewhere with less painful memories after the funeral", Nicole said standing behind me.
I looked at the living room, just thinking about it only reminds of the tough times we
had in this house. Nicole was right, "You're right, it is best", I replied.
_____________________________________________________


The funeral took place Saturday. Nicole made sure she was able to contact my mother's closet friends.
Most were from her high school and some old colleagues.
I could see all the pain in their eyes as they looked at the coffin.


Most of the everyone came over to me and my brother to give their condolences,
but it made me feel so pathetic and weak.
I know this is suppose to happen, but did they really have rub it in my face that my mother died?
It's not comforting at all.


And for some reason, Nicole invited Emma and Jonathan Hawken to the funeral.
It seemed like the entire time they were here, they just stood over the coffin
staring at my mother. They're weird people, I don't think I saw them even look
one time sympathetic. What's their deal?


Over next to them was Jenny's mother who cried the entire time. Each time Jenny
tried to calm her down, she would look over at my mother and begin to ball out in
tears once again. Her mother cried more than I did.
"Come on mom, let's have a seat", Jenny said rubbing her mother's back.


"Te-te-te-ssa!" she blubbered because she saw the sight of my mother's blank face again.
"Mom, you're scaring the children. Please, let's sit down", Jenny said feeling a little
embarrassed because of her over-emotional mother.


"Wow, they must've been really close friends", Asia said looking at Jenny's mother.
"No kidding", Flint replied.


I couldn't take all the agony in the church, so I just kept my head in my lap the
whole time while Mimi and Kyle comforted me.
Mimi wasn't lying when she said she'd try and help get over my depression.
She had been over my house everyday since I got back home to check up on me.
I just wish she wouldn't over do it though, as if I'm some sort of patient.
I'm not ill.
_____________________________________________________


"I'll take care of them, I promise".


_____________________________________________________




Such a sad time in Anthony's life.
Seems like Mimi wants to help him cope with that pain, but how?
I think Kyle and Mimi are done, don't you?
Anthony and his brother are moving in with their aunt, how will that work?

To Be Continued...