Closing the Distance

It's been a month since I've started dating Max, but we've only been official for a week or two.

Everyone knows about our relationship. Everything has been pretty smooth, although Chester has been really distant from me lately. I thought we were good friends and it really hurts that he's been far.

Nick was getting better and I visit him every other day. The last time I visited, I met his new girlfriend. Her name was Paris and she seemed pretty cool. She had an outspoken attitude. Her hair was black and reached past her butt. She liked to change her eye color everyday and the day I met her, she was wearing purple contacts.

Today was the schools pep rally. It was pushed back because someone set of the fire alarm in the gym and they had to fix all the damage before there could be a pep rally. I wasn't going to be apart of it, but my friends and boyfriend were, so I was going to make sure to show my support.

Ok, don't laugh at me. I've always wanted to dress up as a werewolf and this was the perfect excuse. The school colors were red, white, and black and I just so happened to find the perfect outfit.

It was a cheer outfit, but with wolf ears, red eye contacts, fangs, black sharpy nails and everything. It was a look straight out of Pinterest.

Once you've watched Teen Wolf, there's no going back.

So, I dressed in the school colors and added my own pizzazz to it. No big deal.

I hear someone honk outside, so I rush downstairs.

That must be Max.

I grab my stuff and run outside to Max's car.

"Hey gorgeous," Max says, pecking me on the cheek.

"How do I look?"

"Fantastic! I love the ears and fangs," he tells me, laughing. I do a little howl and he drives off to school.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Aww man. You should've brought me ears too," Jamie says. Jamie and I have become very close friends. How could we not? She changes her hair color like every week! Wouldn't you want to be friends with her?

"My bad. I was just so excited to turn myself into a werewolf."

"Fine. I forgive you, but only if you ask the guys if I can join the pre game competition camping tradition. Can't they find a shorter name for it?"

"Even if they said no, I was planning on bringing you. Plus, Parker already asked me to invite you." When she heard the mention of Parker's name, she immediately blushed.

"Stop it, Spencer. You know what your doing to me. I can't go into first period looking like a tomato."

This is basically how my day goes. If it's an odd day, I torment Jamie until first period, sit by Parker in first, go to third and try to have a conversation with Chester but fail, meet up with Lily and Parker to walk to lunch, eat lunch with the crew, 5th period with Jamie, 7th period with Max, practice after school, and catch a ride with Max.

If it's an even day, I torment Jamie until second period, sit with Alexandra in second, try to have a conversation with Chester in fourth period but end up failing and talking to Parker instead, walk to lunch with Parker, eat with the crew, go to sixth with Alexandra and Sky, go to eighth with Lily and Alexander, and walk home.

Sounds like a lot, but it's kind of simple. I think.

"Hey, have you seen Chester," one of the cheerleaders ask me during fifth period.

"No, why would I know where he is?"

"Well, you used to be his partner for the pep rally and you guys are friends, so I thought you would know." She looked nervous and started to blabber.

I haven't seen him all day, now that I thought about it. I guess I was just used to being distant from him. He always ignored me when I tried to talk to him.

"The pep rally is next period and I can't find him. We were supposed to be getting ready right now. So, please tell me if you see him or if he calls you or something." After that, she walks out of the classroom.

Was she even in this class? How did she know I was in here?

Well, she's probably seen me come in here a couple times during this period. I remember random people's schedules sometimes.

Totally Normal.

I'm not a stalker or anything, but if I see someone go to a class multiple times, it just clicks in my mind and I remember it.

It was time for the pep rally now and Jamie and I were finding a seat at the bleachers.

"I heard they still can't find Chester. They've been trying to call him, but nothing," Jamie tells me.

As the pep rally starts, I begin to worry. Where was Chester? What was he doing? They've been planning this pep rally for weeks now. He knows what today is.

The pep rally goes on with each duo of a cheerleader and football player being announced and doing there own thing.

My phone buzzes in my pocket and I pull it out. It was from Parker. He was telling me to try calling Chester. So, I did.

I called him many times, but I just kept getting voicemail.

When his name and the cheerleader he was partnered with got called, he wasn't there. The girl was standing there alone, but she figured something out and did a routine by herself. I felt bad for her, but I was more worried about Chester.

What if something happened to him?

I texted Parker to send me Chester's address. If he wasn't at home and no one could find or contact him, I was going to the police.

Parker sends me Chester's address and I leave the school. It was the end of the day, so I wasn't going to get in trouble.

I had to catch a bus to Chester's house because I came to school with Max and I didn't feel like running to my house to get my car. The good thing was that a bus was going to be here any minute.

I was on the bus for a straight fifteen minutes before I got to a stop close to his house. I walked the rest of the way.

It looked like any other small family home in Philly. The outside was a brick exterior and the house was surrounded by a garden. It was really pretty.

After I was done admiring the home, I went up to knock on the door. I knocked very hesitantly, hoping that he'd be the one to open the door.

But to my luck, it wasn't. It was an older man. He was tall and fit.

Like a nice tree to climb.

"Oh! Hello, young lady. How may I help you," the man asked. I think this is Chester's dad. I did see the similarities. He had the same eyes as Chester, but lighter hair. The face structure was kind of the same too.

"Hello, sir. I'm a friend of Chester. I go to school with him. Is he here at the moment? He didn't show up at school and everyone is worried."

"Come on in. I'm Chester's dad, Richard. No need for formality. He's right up in his room." That was pretty easy.

"Oh, thank the universe. Well, at least I know he's alive now. I'm Spencer."

"Nice to finally meet you, Spencer. Nice to put the name to a face." Does that mean Chester has talked about me to his dad? Before I could ask, we heard someone coming down the stairs.

"Spencer?! What are you doing here?"