Chapter 109: Missing?, Part 1

"Hey!" Simon's smiling face greeted me when I arrived at school the following morning.

"Hi."

"Everything okay?" he asked.

I gave him a confused look, and then remembered the lie I'd told him. "Oh, um, yeah. Just family stuff. You know how it is." I laughed and stepped around him to open my locker.

Guilt gnawed at me. I hated lying to Simon - he didn't deserve it, but he also didn't deserve to have his feelings hurt because I'd spent yesterday with Trent.

Speaking of. . . I tried to glance around without being too obvious, but I didn't see Trent anywhere. I didn't sense him, either. But Simon was here, leaning against the wall of lockers, waiting patiently for me to finish getting my stuff. When I finally had what I needed, I closed my locker and smiled at Simon.

"Everything okay with you?" I asked, tilting my head. "You said something came up Saturday. . ."