My father finally broke the silence.
"What a lack of professionalism! They can't release a minor's personal data like that. Tomorrow I'm calling my lawyer."
Adam, his voice shaking, asked,
"Mr. Luck, is Emma in danger?"
My father sighed.
"Son, every crime has one or more victims. Her father must have enemies out there."
Adam said,
"I need to go be with her."
Mrs. Ruth grabbed his arm.
"What are you going to do, Adam? You're just a boy!"
My father intervened.
"Mr. Jackson is taking care of her. I'll also see what I can do to help."
Adam crossed his arms, clearly dissatisfied.
When we got home, I went to my room and called Chad. He answered.
"Babe, I'm already in bed. Did you see the news? That's all they're talking about."
"Yes," I replied.
We talked a bit and hung up. I went to sleep.
The next day, I was already a little late for school. I thought Emma wouldn't show up, but she arrived with Jhenna. She looked calm, beautiful as always, perfectly put together. Everyone stared and mocked her everyone except Wender and Katty, surprisingly.
I couldn't hold back. As I entered the classroom, I shouted,
"Shut up, everyone! Or we're going straight to the principal's office!"
Jhenna whispered in my ear,
"Careful. They're laughing, but there's a huge list of people being investigated. Your parents could be on it."
Everyone fell silent. The room felt like a funeral.
At least there was something good in all of this: Adam and Emma didn't need to worry about being seen together anymore. Her parents were probably far away. Adam didn't leave her side; she clearly needed his support.
During recess, the teasing was unbearable. We tried to ignore it, but it was hard. When we returned to class, Katty approached my desk.
"So, did you really break up with Chad?"
I stared at her and said nothing.
She walked away laughing.
"He's getting pretty close to my cousin. It's obvious he's way out of your league."
Emma snapped,
"Put yourself in your place, girl."
Katty left with an ironic look on her face.
I tried not to care, but it was inevitable. I called Chad and asked if it was true.
"Mia, of course not. We have a college class together and we're working on a project. It's nothing."
"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked.
"Mia, it's not important to me," he said.
Before hanging up, he said he wanted to see me that night. I agreed, and we decided he would come to my house secretly. The rest of the day was unbearable everything felt strange. When the bell rang, all I wanted was to go home.
That evening, I watched a series with Abigail and Adam. After dinner, I went to my room and waited for Chad. He called me.
"Almost 11 p.m. I'm downstairs."
I went down. His car was parked a little farther from my house. I got in, and we kissed immediately. He brushed his hand against my face.
"I missed you so much."
I smiled. The kisses were intense. We moved to the back seat. It was freezing, but his kisses warmed me until we heard knocking on the window.
The fog made it hard to see who it was. When I finally looked closely, it was my father. My heart froze, and all the warmth vanished instantly.
"Open this door right now!" he shouted, his voice muffled by the closed windows.
I opened the door. He grabbed my arm and yanked me out.
Chad got out of the car.
"Mr. Luck, let her go!"
"She is my daughter!" my father snapped. "Who do you think you are to tell me how to discipline my child?"
Suddenly, a taxi pulled up. Mrs. Hanna stepped out.
"Chad, let's go," she said, holding his arm.
"No, Mom, I won't! I love Mia, and I won't give up on her!" he yelled.
"Son, we've already talked about this," Hanna insisted.
"We talked, Mom, but you didn't tell me anything!" Chad shouted.
"Mom, Will was the one who said I was here. He's the one who put the note about me and Mia in the box that day. I'm sure of it!" Chad continued, clearly nervous.
My father and Hanna stared at him.
"Of course it wasn't Will, son. The car has a tracker did you forget?" Hanna replied.
My father grabbed me again.
"Let's go, Mia!" he said, pulling me aggressively.
Chad tried to intervene, but Hanna placed her hand on his chest, signaling him to stop.
"Chad, let her go. You can't"
My father turned around. Hanna looked at him seriously.
Chad saw how roughly my father was pulling me. He grabbed him, and when my father turned, he threw a punch.
"Chad, no!" his mother screamed.
My father didn't move. He just stared at Chad.
"Luck, this has gone too far. We need to talk!" Hanna shouted.
"You people are" Hanna began, then stopped for a few seconds.
My mind was in complete chaos with all the confusion.