Throwaway Girls by Andrea Contos

Author:Andrea Contos [Contos, Andrea]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 9781525306129
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Published: 2020-09-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

It’s morning, and Mr. McCormack still hasn’t called me. Or texted. Or emailed.

Bianca didn’t mention him being in jail, so I have to assume he went home last night. And now he’s had part of an afternoon and an entire morning to respond, but both my phones sit silent. No amount of willing them to ring has made a difference.

The only adult I have heard from is my dad. Just checking in, Caroline. Your mother and I are giving you emotional space.(Translation: I am giving you emotional space because I know what it’s like to be the focus of your mother’s displeasure and I hate it as much as you do.)

Then he followed it with a phone call, where I convinced him I was fine and safe and coming home soon. I used all his favorite buzzwords, and if there’s one thing I know about my dad, it’s that he’ll avoid confrontations at nearly any cost. I haven’t bought myself forever, but at least another day or two.

I’ve been targeting my rage at Madison’s safe, and while the slick metal trim on the edges and corners is dented and chipped, it’s still not giving up its secrets.

I’d set the goddamn thing on fire if I wasn’t so afraid I’d ruin whatever’s inside.

That’s not a risk I can take, not when it’s my only lead. Not when Madison’s been gone six days.

The number shocks the air from my body. Six days. How much damage can a person do in six days?

I shove the thought from my head, tell myself there’s still time and, mostly, that if I’m going to save her, I need to focus.

The safe has two combination locks — one for each latch — and I’ve tried every combination of numbers that might be important to Madison. My screwdriver managed to warp the metal surrounding them, but even slamming the end with a hammer didn’t work.

Last night I made Aubrey go to the hardware store with me to rent something with a sharp blade and a vicious motor, but it turns out there are rules about who they’ll give those things to and I don’t fit into any of them.

I rub the grit from my eyes. It took twenty minutes of convincing before Aubrey agreed to leave me at the motel last night, and another fifteen before she finally pulled out of the lot. I know because that’s how long I had to wait — wedged against the ice machine — before I could stop pretending I rented a room.

If she finds out I walked to my dad’s vacant rental property three miles away, she might kill me, especially after I made her talk to Madison’s mom last night.

I made Aubrey recite the conversation, even if watching her relive it sunk my heart lower with every word, especially when she got to Madison’s mom saying how much it meant to her to have visits from “the people Madison was closest to.” I don’t know if it was a reproach because I haven’t, or if she no longer considers me part of that group.

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