Chapter 2
I wiped away my tears forcefully, trying to compose myself.
But even as I pushed open the door to the private dining room, feeling everyone’s eyes turn toward me, I could barely hold back the
sting in my nose.
I kept my head down as I quietly took a seat next to my mom.
Jackson’s mom looked confused, constantly glancing toward the door.
“Where’s Jackson? Didn’t he say he was coming with you?”
My mom also seemed surprised.
“Yeah, Ava, where’s Jackson? Weren’t you two together?”
I replied slowly:
“He said something urgent came up and he can’t make it.”
“Mrs. Reed, maybe you should call him? My phone’s almost dead.”
Jackson’s mom didn’t think twice before pulling out her phone and dialing.
But after several attempts, there was still no answer.
Finally, it went straight to voicemail.
Under the table, I refreshed the post and saw a new update:
[His mom keeps calling him, definitely because of his childhood friend! I turned off his phone.]
I felt disoriented for a moment.
Jackson’s mom has anxiety disorder and checks on her husband and son several times a day for reassurance.
Because of this, Jackson never dared to turn off his phone.
Even at school, teachers made a special exception allowing him to keep his phone with him at all times.
Once when I was playing a game on his phone, I accidentally drained the battery.
Even though I immediately plugged it in and turned it back on, he still yelled at me for it.
But now?
Watching his mom’s hands shake as she repeatedly dialed his number…
The cold electronic voice kept repeating: “The number you have dialed is currently unavailable…”
I forced a smile, thinking to myself:
Wow, Jackson really does treat different people VERY differently, doesn’t he?
When the calls kept going to voicemail, Jackson’s mom started to panic.
“Just a minute ago it was ringing but no answer, and now it’s completely off?”
“What if something happened to Jackson?”
Just then, both dads walked in with drinks.
Jackson’s dad froze when he saw his wife’s anxious face.
“What’s going on?”
Finding her anchor, Jackson’s mom grabbed her husband’s hand and spoke rapidly.
“Jackson’s not answering his phone, and now it’s turned off completely!”
“What if he’s been in a car accident? What if something terrible happened? We need to go find him!”
+
Everyone knew about her condition, so my dad quickly tried to reassure her.
#
4
“If it were a car accident, someone else would answer the phone. Most likely his battery just died. Or maybe his phone got stolen!”
“It’s fine-we were planning to get them new phones before college anyway.”
My Dad’s explanation helped calm Jackson’s mom temporarily.
But after thirty minutes with still no sign of Jackson, she couldn’t take it anymore.
“You all keep eating. I’m going home to check.”
My mom lost her appetite too.
“Let’s have the server pack everything up.”
“You go get the cars, and we’ll all head back together.”
