Pack Secrets || WLW

All I Have

 I've been banging on Angela's door for ten minutes when it finally flies open. Her roommate stands in front of me with bed-head and no pants.

"Do you need something?" she snaps.

"No. I've been knocking for ten minutes for fun." I roll my eyes and push past her into the apartment.

"Who are you?" the woman is almost shouting.

I face her and raise an eyebrow. "Really?" I pull the framed photo off the side table in the living room and show it to her. "I'm Angela's best friend. When's the last time you saw her?"

A half-naked man stumbles out of the bedroom. "Everything good, babe?"

"My roommate's friend is here." Her voice is a groan.

The man chuckles and pulls her into a hug from behind. "It's fine, babe. We'll have some fun when she leaves. Make up for the disturbance." His eyes travel the length of my body. "Unless you want to be our third."

"Ew," I say at the same time Angela's roommate turns on him.

"What?" she asks.

"Joking. I'm joking!" He holds his hands up in mock surrender as she slaps his naked chest.

I clear my throat, trying to pull their attention back to the issue at hand. "When's the last time you saw Angela?"

The roommate shrugs. "I'm not sure. You know the police already questioned us. You don't need..."

I'm not listening to her though. I'm too busy staring at the photo I pulled from the side table. Angela smiling, me rolling my eyes. Angela's hair was in braids that day, tied into an updo on top of her head. I always used to joke about how hot my best friend was. We took this our senior year of high school, back when we planned on going to college together. Back before her mom got sick and she had to stay in Glassboro Hell. Now she's gone and as far as I know, nobody's putting effort into finding her.

"Hello?" The woman extends the end of the word. "Are you even listening?"

"No." I slam the photo face down on the table. "Sorry, I zoned out."

The woman rolls her eyes. "Like I said, I don't know anything about Angela anyway. We mostly kept to ourselves and I'm busy right now so if you could just..." She giggles.

Her boyfriend is kissing her neck again.

I let out a long breath through my nose. Breathe. I walk to the kitchen where a phone sits on the counter and grab it.

"Unlock it," I tell the woman, extending it to her.

She does, despite looking annoyed and skeptical.

I add my number to her contacts. "I don't expect you to remember my name so I'm under 'Angela's Friend'. Will you please call me if anything comes up? Even if it seems small?"

The woman is in the middle of an eye roll.

"She's all I have," I continue. "I don't have family... Only Angela. Please."

The girl lets out an exaggerated sigh. "Okay, okay. I'll call you if something comes up."

"Thank you." I walk past the handsy couple and the stench of morning breath and B.O. and let myself out.

Back in my car, the engine groans as the heater tries to function but she's a city car now. She's not used to weather under sixty degrees. Not to mention, I don't remember the last time I had the car serviced. I've been in the parking lot for too long. Tears push at my eyelids but I don't let them fall. Not yet. Not until I know Angela's gone for good. I switch the car into reverse. I don't want to stop my investigation here but I have to go to Dirty Dawgs. I told Susan I needed to start as soon as possible to pay for the hotel room. Tonight's my first shift so as much as I want to drive to the hospital where Angela's mom is being held, I steer the vehicle to the town bar I was never old enough to go into before.