Come Back To Me (Previously No Friends Just Benefits)

14. No Friends, Just Benefits.

"Charlotte, I think I'm going to file a missing persons report."

It had been another week since I left Jason the stomach-knotting voicemail and I still had no reply. He hadn't called home, or me. I didn't know any of his friends, so I couldn't even ask them. And Emily, Jason's mom, had enough with him being MIA. She showed up at my doorstep - thank God my mom was at work - on a Sunday morning and fell into my arms, crying with worry.

"I don't even know where he is!" She sobbed, shaking as I held her. I frowned at her words.

"He's at school, right? So why not call his school?" They were bound to get through to Jason and his whereabouts.

She stopped crying instantly and looked at me with bright hopeful eyes. "Can you help me get the number?"

And so we spent the next fifteen minutes googling his university and I remembered that for some reason, he had never mentioned where he went. So when Emily dialed Harrington Academy of Engineering and Architecture I was a little baffled.

"Hello? Hi, yes... Good morning to you too." Emily greeted, doing everything to sound clear over the phone. "Could you just let me know if my son is in class right now? I know he attends the Academy but I just haven't heard from him – oh, yes, of course. Jason Henderson." She shot me a look of worry as she waited for a response. A few moments later, her eyes widened and her face fell. "I... I wasn't aware. Alright. Do you – okay. Okay. Thank you."

I watched anxiously as Emily bit her lip and turned to look at me. "He transferred schools."My face contorted into shock, "What?"

"Do you know where he might have gone?" She asked, her hand was shaking now as she wrapped it around my wrist.

Shaking my head, I replied. "No, come to think of it, he hasn't ever told me where he studied at. It was always 'just some art school'." I frowned, making air quotations.

Where could he be?

"Charlotte, I can't do this. He's my oldest, my only son. I'm calling the police." She admitted, running a hand through her hair.

I opened my mouth to protest when my phone rang, causing our heads to snap towards its direction. Pursing my lips, I grabbed my cell off the coffee table. Screw not having Caller ID. 

"Hello?" I asked breathlessly.

"Hey."

My blood pounded in my ears, and I felt a bit dizzy. "J-Jason?" I stammered out, throwing a look at Emily who was watching me in shock.

"Yeah, I heard you and Mom were looking for me." he didn't even sound fazed by our panic. His voice was cool and relaxed. He made it sound like he was calling a friend for coffee - not us. 

Especially not when we had no clue where he was. I turned my phone on speaker mode and placed it in between Emily and I.

"Jason? You absolute idiot! Where have you been? Why wouldn't you tell me where you are?" Emily began ranting to him in a frenzy and I was worried yet surprised that she hadn't stopped for air yet.