Never Have I Ever (One Last Time # 1) (Wattys2017)

There Comes A Time

Abel pulled another one of his disappearing without answering his phone acts for the next few days.

I had learned that it was better to give him his space for a while, and when he didn't respond after a week, then I should worry.

He had been gone when I woke up the next morning on Monday. All that had been on the bed was locket with a picture of the both of us in it. Knowing him, it was probably an early birthday present since my birthday was in a little less then a month.

But now, as I paced around my living room, clenching the locket in my hands and waiting for a call, or even just a text back from Abel, I could feel worry starting to build in my chest.

Lena and Adrian sat on the couch beside Jeremy, watching me with worry as I nearly tore my hair out.

"He hasn't answered. What if. . . what if he did something stupid? Like ran off to live in Japan with Oliver?" I asked my best friends and brother. They shook their head, Lena smiling at the theory.

"Sweetheart, I'm sure Abel would have told you if he planned on going to visit Oli." She replied. I nodded, letting out a shaky breath.

"Do you think his parents-"

"I honestly don't know, Liv. Maybe. . . maybe we should go talk to them." I nodded again slowly, my breathing slowing back to normal again.

"Yeah. That sounds like a good idea." After making sure only one of my parents was home, I left Jeremy at home and let Adrian drive us to Abel's. I held my phone in my hand the entire time, hoping to get some sort of text or call on the way.

Nothing came.

"What the fuck?" Adrian muttered, pulling up to Hendricks manor.

I looked out the window slowly to see what he meant and felt my lips starting to part.

Mr. and Mrs. Hendricks as well as Cyd, Abel's older sister, stood on the front steps, Cyd collapsing to the ground a second later.

"Liv, wait!" Adrian tried to grab my hand before I could get out of the car, but I was gone before he could even reach back.

Cyd was on the first step, holding her stomach as her husband came out from the house, his eyebrows drawn in worry as he knelt down beside his wife.

"Abel!" I cried, my hands on my knees as I tried to catch my breath, "Where is he?" Cyd looked up at me, her green eyes pooling with tears.

"Olivia? Oh, God. You were the girl he's been with?" I didn't know how to respond, so I nodded slowly.

"Where is he?" I repeated, a strange feeling starting to set in my stomach as I looked back and forth between the Hendricks. Cyd didn't respond, instead she stood up and threw her arms around me, burying her face against my shoulder.

It had been years since I'd even seen her, let alone hugged her. So all I could do was stand there stiffly.

"Where is he?" My voice was rising now, "Someone answer me, please." Nobody answered me, instead Cyd's husband pulled his wife away and held out a pink envelope to me with my name scribbled in messy cursive on it.

I could feel Lena and Adrian come up behind me, one of their hands resting on my shoulder. My whole body was starting to shake as I pulled the envelope at, nearly dropping it.

He might have done something so stupid this time that he got himself seriously injured.

"Abel." I whimpered, slowly unfolding the long, typed out letter. I felt Lena lay her head on my shoulder as I read the letter to myself.