17 Those Left Behind (1/2)
Hearing the last words her boyfriend said, Bianca Jean was still frantically looking around her room for the source of his voice. It felt as though he were just next to her on the bed. It was way too real for it to just be her imagination.
It had been practically five months since she heard Will's voice, but she couldn't have mistaken that voice. It was the same one she had heard whispered in her ear countless times before he moved.
Her phone still in her hands, she called the only person she could think of to call. Dialing Leo's number she prayed with Every ring that he would answer.
”Ello?” answered a not at all tired voice.
”I heard Will.” Bianca blurted out before she could think of what to say. Though it sounded like she was going crazy, she hoped that maybe Leo would take her seriously. She knew he had been trying to keep tabs on Will since he left for Colorado.
”Hearing voices Bee? After so long of not hearing him I should have known this would happen.” a cocky response answered from the line. Bianca could have expected a response like that. Lee had a personality where he couldn't necessarily turn off his sarcasm, but in some cases that was why she and Will hung out with him. After all, normal was overrated.
”Haha Lee, get dressed and meet me at Java Joint.” Bianca said as she hung up the phone, throwing on a pair of jeans and a pink tank with a Jean jacket, she ran down the stairs of her house and left. Luckily a few months ago she finally saved up enough money for a car. Her mom was fine with putting down half for a decent Chevy Malibu.
Bianca got in her car and got the keys out of her pocket. 'It could have been a sign from him,' she thought as she cranked on the ignition. 'At least a way for him to tell us he's okay.' She knew how she sounded and it wasn't like her usual self, but when Will stopped contacting her, she tried everything. She called Jonathan's phone which went straight to voicemail. She had Leo try tracking him down via GPS and nothing came up. It was like Will just completely vanished off the face of the earth.
The car ride to downtown Saint Cloud took no more than ten minutes taking the road past tech high school and the bowling alley. Bianca soon saw Leo's old banged up white Buick parked in front of Java Joint. Oddly enough, Leo got his car long before she did. Will still didn't have one seeing as though his dad would have made sure he had at least a thousand in his account for insurance and the first payment upfront before he could get one. Bianca looked at the old beat up car for a minute, she remembered the trails they took, the branches of the trees on either side scraping each side of the car. Leo didn't care about the look of the car, he only cared that he could take it on their numerous adventures. Taking herself out of her thoughts, she headed towards Java Joint.
Entering the coffee shop, Bianca was hit by a hint of nostalgia. This was the place the three of them hung out in most of the time. The quiet atmosphere in the daytime and the bands at night, it was the perfect place for three teenagers to spend their time.
Bianca remembered the time Lee was acting his normal goofy self playing the tambourine to a guitarists song, making a fool out of himself while Will recorded it. Bianca would just be on the side laughing at the two kids while they made a mockery of themselves. That night she laughed herself to death on the drive home.
The place hadn't changed in years, though it was more quiet than it used to be. It was ten o'clock at night and there was no band, just music playing in the background. Usually having to fight through a crowd of dancers to get to the seating, Bianca walked through the empty dance floor and found Leo seated at the usual table wearing his usual black, white and red mass effect hoodie and baggy blue jeans, his unruly hair going just barely past his glasses. Even if it had been a while since she had seen him last, he didn't really look all that different. He had the usual laptop on the table, no doubt searching the internet using the shops wifi.
Seeing the table only made Bianca miss Will more. It was nice to see Leo again, they had become fast friends. Despite his appearance, Leo had always been friends with the cheerleaders and football team in high school. He was always outgoing and spontaneous, and was also the one to introduce her to Will. He had always said that being a part of everything was worthwhile. No matter where he went, he was always well informed. Regardless of his social standing, everyone seemed to like and trust him.
”I heard Will, I swear I'm not making this up.” Bianca said as she slid into the opposite booth of Leo. ”I don't know how, and I don't know where from, but it was like he was right next to me.” She had hoped that driving to meet him would give her a little time to think about what to say that didn't sound crazy, unfortunately ten minutes wasn't enough.
”I thought we both agreed that he was abducted by aliens months ago,” Leo said without cracking a smile. ”We haven't heard from him in half a year, he must really be living it up in Colorado.” Looking up from his laptop, Leo gave Bianca just a hint of a smile.
Bianca rolled her eyes. Leo always had a sense of humor he wore on his sleeve, but she could tell he missed Will just as badly as she did. ”You know he didn't have a choice but to leave, his dad found another place.” she stated matter of factly. ”He wouldn't ditch us and you know it, there's something going on that we don't know about.” Bianca had a feeling he wouldn't have broken contact so easily unless something was going on. Will always had a knack for getting in trouble.