The Accomplice(44)

“She’s not answering. Are you sure you haven’t heard from her?” Amber said.

Owen heard an accusatory tone in her voice. He was becoming increasingly angry that Scarlet was still his problem when they were never really together.

Owen turned around and scanned his room. He riffled through papers on his desk. He tried to remember the last place he’d used his phone, but he needed coffee for that kind of complicated mental backtracking.

“I need to find my phone. And I really need a cup of coffee,” Owen said.

“So you haven’t heard from her?” Bobbi asked.

“No,” Owen said.

“You should tell your RA. There’s a procedure,” Pete told the girls, although he couldn’t remember if there was one or not.

“If you hear from her, tell her she needs to call us immediately,” said Amber.



* * *



—

While Owen was taking a shower, he remembered hanging out in Luna’s room with Mason, Casey, and Ted the night before. He’d probably left his phone at Luna’s. Post-shower, Owen strolled down to the dining hall, stuffed a banana in his pocket, and got two cups of coffee. He walked across the quad to Blake Hall, climbing two flights of stairs to Luna’s floor. He felt mildly fatigued when he reached the top landing. I’m too young to be this out of shape, he thought.

Owen was more than slightly peeved to find Ted loitering outside Luna’s door.

“She in there?” Owen said.

“Not answering,” Ted said.

Owen figured Luna was ignoring Ted and took a seat on the floor by her door.

“So, you’re just going to wait?” Ted asked.

“I’ve got nothing better to do,” Owen said.

“I bet Scarlet could use a cup of coffee,” Ted said.

“Then why don’t you bring her one,” Owen said.

“I’m not with Scarlet.”

“Neither am I,” Owen said.

He was so fucking tired of having to explain that to people.

“You’re not with Luna either,” said Ted.

“No one is with Luna,” Owen said.

Luna had confided in Owen that she was bored with Ted but hadn’t figured out the right way to end things. Owen tried to explain to her that men weren’t quite as invested in a breakup narrative, but Luna was still searching for the kindest way out. So far, she hadn’t figured out anything better than not answering her door.

“Later, dude,” Ted said, walking away. He decided then and there, he wouldn’t come back.

Luna was crouched by the door, listening to the entire exchange. When Ted was out of earshot, Owen told Luna the coast was clear, and Luna unlocked her door.

Owen entered with the two cups of coffee stacked on top of each other. He passed her the cup silently. The warmth between her hands took some of the edge off her overall queasiness.

Owen remembered the banana and placed it on Luna’s desk.

“You’re a saint,” she said.

“Your exit plan has commenced,” Owen said.

He was referring to Luna’s relationship extraction.

“Huh?” Luna said. “What are you saying?”

Her brain was ready to loop everything back to Scarlet’s threat. Was she supposed to run, to leave school? Was this the end of the half-decent life she’d carved out for herself?

“With Ted. Just pull the trigger, will you? I’m tired of seeing his Neanderthal forehead.”

Luna reached for Owen’s phone, which she’d shoved between the mattress and box spring. She checked it one more time for a new text. The battery was almost dead. She might have a reprieve of another few hours if she played her cards right. But what was the point?

“You left this here.”

“Yeah, that’s what I figured,” Owen said, noting the absence of messages. “Scarlet is MIA. A and B woke me up this morning looking for her.”

“She didn’t go back to her room?” Luna asked.

“No. I’m sure she’s with a guy. She can’t survive without male attention. She goes fucking crazy.”

“She texted you last night,” Luna said.

“I don’t see any texts.”

“I deleted them.”

“Why? What did they say?”

“Remember the hate-mail thing?” Luna said.

“Yeah.”

“She said she wanted to tell you something about it. She wanted you to meet her someplace.”

“Did Scarlet say where?”

“Someplace called Black Budd?”

“What the fuck’s that?” Owen asked.

“I thought you’d know. Like an in-joke or something. But she was drunk. So was I.”

“Black bud. Are you sure you’re remembering that right?”

“Yes. Two Ds. I need to tell you something.”

“What?”

“I think I’m going to be sick.”

Luna was ready, she thought, to come clean on every last thing. But first she needed to vomit. Luna reached her trash can just in time. Owen had been through this with her before. She liked to be sick alone. She didn’t want anyone holding her hair or rubbing her back. Owen took Luna’s water bottle and filled it at the end of the hall. When he returned to her room, she was barely conscious on the floor next to her bed. He managed to wake her enough to relocate her to the bed. He emptied the trash can and put her water bottle on her nightstand.