Chapter 14: The Silent Goodbye

But before I could ask to meet, he vanished from campus.

He left me a text:

[Family emergency. Went back home. Will return in two weeks. Don’t worry.]

I didn’t chase after him, didn’t ask where he’d really gone.

Even his roommate came to find me.

“Aubrey, don’t you want to know what’s up with Caleb?”

I shook my head. “Nothing I want to ask.”

“Uh… he said if you pestered me for the truth, I should tell you: he went to find Erin. She was in trouble, but he’ll be back in two weeks and won’t contact her again. He hopes you won’t worry or cause trouble—just wait for him.”

“Oh.”

I didn’t want to know, didn’t care. Even hearing it, I felt nothing.

I poured myself a cup of gas station coffee, sat in the common room with my sketchbook, and for the first time in ages, my hands stopped shaking when I picked up a pencil.