Page 115 of Striking Range

By the time we reach OceanSide Inn, I’m a nervous wreck. Everett shouldn’t check out until tomorrow morning, but the odds that he stepped out for a moment are high. Who just sits in their motel all day?

But then again, he’s not necessarily on a vacation here. For some reason, Everett left town. He traveled three hours from home with only half of his clothes and, if his silence is any indication, no cellphone.

Why?

I’m almost positive that his adoptive parents play a role in this, but I can’t imagine a single reason as to why he wouldn’t just come to my apartment if things went south.

It’s obvious that Ash found out about our relationship, and he most likely kicked Everett out. But why this small little town, so far away? Why did he run before graduation?

Why did he run without me?

I thought that the plan was for me to come along. I thought that his eyes had so clearly declared that he could not live without me. I swear that I felt deep within me that my coming with him was the only way any of this would have been worth it.

Did he hear what his adoptive father had to say and then decide otherwise? Did he run into Jacob, who told him how cruel I truly can be?

Why didn’t he take me with him? I told him at Angie’s that I would go wherever he went, and yet he up and left me alone.

I don’t want to be alone. I want to be with Everett, wherever that may be.

Kelly parks the car, and we look around the relatively empty inn. It’s nothing special, only two stories high with concrete steps and a singular unit up front as a main office.

The sign blinks ominously as the sun sets in the distance, and I release a long breath.

“Well, we made it, but how do we find his room?” Kelly asks.

“We could ask the front desk,” Henry suggests.

“I’ll pretend to be his boyfriend. That I’m locked out or something,” I add.

A choked sound comes from the backseat, but Kelly just stares emotionlessly.

“Why not his best friend? Why lie?” Henry asks.

“Because they won’t take a best friend seriously.”

And there is the fact that I am technically his boyfriend, but they don’t know that.

I take a moment to prepare myself, attempting to push aside all of the anxiety building inside of me. If everything falls apart after this one meeting—if Everett tells me to get lost—then so be it. But at the very least I’ll have an answer, and I’ll know that he is safe.

He has to be safe.

“Alright, I’m going to—”

“Wait,” Kelly interjects. “Let’s just follow him up.”

I follow her line of sight to the farthest staircase, spotting Everett as he lugs a gas station sack toward his room.

Everett. Finally.

He looks exhausted, even from this distance. His shoulders are sagging, his head hung, his feet dragging. Evie looks utterly defeated as he walks the outdoor hallway to room 249, the plaque shining in the orange glow of the evening.

“God, he looks miserable,” Henry mutters, leaning between Kelly and me over the console to get a better look.

“What happened, Sky?” Kelly asks softly.

“That’s what we’re going to find out. Come on.” I shove the car door open just as Everett slips inside.

We race toward the steps, and the entire venture from the car to the door of room 249, I am a ball of panicked energy.