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I talked it over with Sean and had come up with a plan that he said he was pretty sure Nolan would actually go along with I just had to talk to her about it And that’s where the big hang up eren’t really talking And I wasn’t sure I could look at her any assle Gavin and the way he looked when I saw hiuy like that, but I was starting to think that she had changed into an entirely different person, so inrandoets on the screen When it buzzed a second tinored it then, too, but the third round of buzzingwith auys Pulling my phone from my pocket, I walked out to the hall so I could hear When I saw the face and na back at me on the screen, my heart dropped to the pit ofme? Why now, after all this time? At 1 am? On a Saturday?

I al forced me to answer

"Noles?" I was confused I could hear traffic in the background, and people laughing It sounded almost as if she had dialed me accidentally, a ht surprised ht the un

"Reed?" she sounded upset, like she’d been crying "Reed? I can’t hear you Are you there?"

"Noles, I’ keys fro downIt was an off sounding laugh, though Like she was…drunk? I put e of

"Nolan, are you drunk?" I waited while she finished a giggling fit, and then it turned into panicked breaths, and near crying again Nolan, I’ to her, because she started talkingtoretted the ti to deal with o I…I need help"

That was it; I was out the door now I hated hoeak I was, and half ofinto her, letting her runme in half But I wasn’t over her I wasn’t even re over her And she needed help, so I’d co, where are you?" I said forcefully, trying to get her to concentrate She giggled a little again, and then stopped

"I’ain I leaned ed it a little This was not going well And if I was going to drive 100to need a whole lot et that But what bar?" I said, sarcas out

"I…I don’t know, Reed I’ to cry harder now Fuck! I was already pulling onto the hway

"Nolan, you need to find out where you are Can you tell

"I see…people," she was giggling again

Realizing I wasn’t going to get anywhere this way, I tried to figure out where her friends were "Where’s Sarah? Nolan, I need to talk to Sarah Is she with you?" I was crossing ers like hell that Sarah would be on the phone soon

"Sarah left," she was giggling again

"Okay, how about Sienna?" I asked, knowing it was less likely Sienna ith her When I thought about who she could be out with if it wasn’t her girlfriends, I wanted to screa, but less than before "I o home"

I knew there was no way Sienna would leave her somewhere alone, not when she was like this "Okay, Noles I need you to do so with a 4-year-old

"Okay," she was al to call someone, find out where you are, but I need to call you back Hold your phone in front of you, and I want you to watch it for when I call, okay?" I was trying to keep things simple