5. Nikolai - Shut The Fuck Up And Eat

Athena never came back.

Athena was gone and it was my fault. I should've stayed with her. Instead, I did what she asked and left her.

My best friend put her own life on the line to save mine, with nothing but her brains and a switchblade.

The cops found nothing except blood in the parking lot and a trail of it leading to a narrow alley with a dead end behind the school. And of course, the pictures in her phone which I'd been able to unlock. However, they were taken from a good distance and neither man's face was very clear, but what was happening was quite visible.

They took mine, Principal Hawthorne's and Mrs. Rhine's statements, the pictures, and blood samples for testing. A missing report was filed for Tete. Mum was called and told everything. So were her parents, but only Dr. Karstairs came.

"I'm sorry, Det. Rivers, my husband couldn't make it. He's caught up in an urgent meeting with a client." I heard her explain to the investigating detective.

I couldn't imagine what meeting was more important than his missing daughter.

"Dr. Karstairs, your daughter is a brave and intelligent young lady, ma'am. She managed to single‐handedly save Mr. Ivanov and secure evidence of the assault. We'll do everything we can to find her."

"Oh. Myself and my husband would obviously help you in any way we can to find our daughter, detective." She said calmly.

My mother was more worried about Athena than Dr. Karstairs. She was absolutely hysterical, thanking God over and over again because her son was okay and feverishly praying that Athena was found soon, unharmed.

Other than this, the entire incident was kept hush-hush, for the sake of the school's publicity.

I hated that Tete was missing and all I could do about it was go home and hope she was alright and wait for some news. She saved me. But I couldn't save her. It was haunting me, making me go crazy.

Dr. Karstairs, an influential figure in her field of work, had managed to pull some strings so the results of the blood test would come in by tonight, and I desperately hoped that none of the blood was Tete's. Because that would mean she'd lost a lot of blood, judging by what was left on the scene.

Was she bleeding when she left me at the school gates? I couldn't recall.

All I remembered was that I tried to fight them when I realized they were not from UCLA. The man who had come to take me, saying he was the head coach, seemed shady from the very beginning, but the sight of a black car with tinted windows, and another man standing by it, wearing all black, was what turned the wheels in my head. So yeah, I tried to fight them.

And I could've easily taken them down, one on one, they weren't that good at fighting-except I was outnumbered two to one and one of them blew some sort of drug in my face and I inhaled it.

My vision went blurry and my mind went hazy but I still hadn't lost consciousness. I could hear a little of what was going on and make out vague shapes of the people. Next thing I knew Tete was almost carrying me as I leaned on her for support. I took a minute to process everything she said and when I did, I tried to stop her but she pushed me through the gates and then she was just gone.

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After hours and hours of worrying, Mum and I went to the police station for the results of the blood test, where we met Mr. And Mrs. Karstairs.

"It's O positive. A match for Ms. Karstairs. And by the amount of blood lost, she's very likely to be dead, if she hasn't received any medical attention. The LAPD will continue to search for a body. We're sorry for your loss, Mr. and Mrs. Karstairs."

I hadn't eaten anything since Tete's chocolate cake this morning, and yet I felt like throwing up. I couldn't get anything down my throat even if I tried to. If she were here, she'd tell me to 'shut the fuck up and eat.'

She wasn't dead. She couldn't be. This cannot be how she goes. Those guys had come for me. If anyone died today it should've been me.

"Detective. Don't look for a body. Look for Athena. She's alive." I told him.

Det. Rivers just gave me a small sympathetic smile, as if I was in denial, as if I was a little boy who needed to be explained that my best friend was with God among the stars now, watching over me.

Mr. and Mrs. Karstairs returned home. So did mum, after wiping her tears and hugging me long and tight. I told her I needed to clear my mind and that I'll be back in an hour.

I sat down on a bench, running a hand through my hair in frustration. If only I could find something, anything as a clue for where they'd taken her, I'd look for her myself.

Just as I was about to leave, I overheard a phone call that was probably not meant or my ears.

"Det. Rivers, LAPD...Oh it's you? Do you understand how much trouble I'm in because of you?...Your men are growing sloppier by the day...Yes, I actually have enough evidence. I could bring you in right now if I wanted to...of course I'm trying to do that...is she even alive?...well obviously, it was an epic fail...yeah, I'll see what I can do."

I quietly slipped out without anyone noticing and walked home.

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