Chapter Ten
Later That Night – Julia's Apartment
Julia paced barefoot across the sleek marble floor of her mansion, nervously glancing at the wall clock every three seconds like it might suddenly reverse time and bring Jenny home.
"Where the hell is this girl?!" she hissed under her breath, stabbing at her phone screen. "Pick up. Pick up, pick up, pick up, JENNY!"
The call went straight to voicemail for the fifth time in a row. She threw the phone onto the couch dramatically, then picked it up again three seconds later because she couldn't not try one more time. "She always comes home before seven. Always. Even when she's in a mood. What the hell is going on?!"
Julia wasn't easily rattled, but this was full-blown panic territory.
She thought about calling their dad.
Nope.
She physically recoiled at the idea.
Not after what happened the last time I let Jenny use the espresso machine, let alone a whole damn car.
No way she'd survive telling Engineer Hernandez that his underage daughter had not only driven but had driven to a party in her car.
She muttered aloud, "He'd disown me, and probably send Jenny to a nunnery in rural Peru."
She sat, then stood. Sat again. Checked her phone. Still nothing.
"Okay. Okay. Do I call the police? Wait, no. People aren't considered missing until like... twenty-four hours or some stupid law made by people who clearly never had a teenage sister."
She chewed her nails, eyes wide.
Maybe I should drive around looking for her? Maybe she ran off with that Patel boy. Oh God, what if she ran away to marry him in some backyard in Hong Kong"
RING! RING!
Her phone buzzed violently. Julia dove for it like it was a grenade she had to throw away.
"HELLO?! Hello, yes?!"
"Good evening. Are you Miss Julia Hernandez?" a calm, male voice said on the other end.
"Yes, yes this is Julia! Who is this? "
There was a pause. "Yes, ma'am. You're listed as the emergency contact on Miss Jenny Hernandez's phone. She's currently at Westway General Hospital. She was brought in following a car accident earlier this evening."
Julia's heart dropped. "WHAT?! A WHAT?! A CAR ACCIDENT?! Oh my God! Oh my God!!is she!? Is she okay? Is she alive? Please tell me she's breathing. PLEASE…"
"She is alive, ma'am," the man replied calmly. "She's currently unconscious but stable. The doctors are still running scans."
Julia gasped, tears already forming. "Okay….what hospital? You said Westway? I'm coming. I'm coming right now. Thank you. Thank you so much. Oh my God, thank you."
She ended the call and screamed for her driver like she was summoning a genie.
"IBRAHIM!!! CAR. NOW. HOSPITAL. WESTWAY!!!"
She grabbed her phone, keys, purse, and shoes then gave up on the shoes and ran barefoot into the hallway, her silk pajamas flapping wildly behind her like some unhinged telenovela character.
Ibrahim, clearly used to her dramatics, was already outside revving the engine.
"Ma'am, what happened?"
"No time. Jenny's in the hospital. CAR. GO. NOW."
As the car sped into the night, Julia stared out the window, biting her nail furiously.
"I swear," she muttered, half-crying, half-ranting. "If she dies, I'm gonna kill her."
Mid-Morning
Middleford High School
Patel sat on the bleachers outside Block C, his hands buried in his hoodie pocket, eyes staring blankly ahead. His right foot tapped the concrete floor with nervous rhythm as if hoping each tap might summon Jenny out of thin air.
He'd been trying her number since last night nothing.Calls? Sent to voicemail. And to make matters worse, she wasn't even in school today.
That wasn't like her at all.
He rubbed his forehead.
"Maybe she's just tired from the party…" he muttered. "Maybe her battery died… or maybe"
"Nope! No overthinking. Chill, Patel. Chill," he whispered to himself, shaking his head as though to physically bat the thoughts away.
Just then
WHAM!
Two loud thuds slammed into him from behind.
"Boom! Guess who?"
Mat and Sheldon collapsed dramatically on either side of him like they were performing some badly choreographed high school musical entrance.
"Yo, Patel! Why you looking like a rejected tomato?" Mat said, popping open a can of soda.
"Dude looks like he just saw his grades," Sheldon added, snorting.
Patel barely blinked.
"She's not picking my calls," he said dully.
Mat stopped mid-sip. "Wait. Who? Jenny?"
"She didn't show up to school either," Sheldon said, suddenly catching on.
Before Patel could answer, a voice cut in loud and firm like the school bell.
"I knew something was off!"
It was Nattie, walking toward them with her afro bouncing in rhythm. She had on a red jacket over her uniform.
"Jenny's not here," she stated, joining their circle. "She didn't pick my calls too."
"She went to that party Claire invited her to," Patel said. "And I've heard nothing since."
Mat gasped in mock horror. "You let her go to Claire's party? Bro, that's like tossing your goldfish into a pool of piranhas."
Sheldon added, "With scented candles and trap music."
They all looked at each other.
"This is officially a Jenny Watch situation," Nattie said, already pulling out her phone. "We need adults. Like… adultier adults. Come on, let's go to Mrs. Stan."
Middleford High Staff Room
Mrs. Stan's office was more like a cluttered broom closet with bookshelves and a fake potted plant that had given up hope in 2016.
The boys filed in behind Nattie like awkward penguins.
Mrs. Stan looked up from her phone, clearly playing Candy Crush or stalking her ex-husband on Instagram.
"Good morning...?" she said, raising an eyebrow.
"Mrs. Stan," Nattie said, "Jenny Hernandez hasn't been in school today."
Patel leaned forward. "She also hasn't been responding to calls since yesterday evening."
Mrs. Stan blinked twice. "Jenny? Wait. What? She's absent?"
All four teens exchanged looks.
"She's in our class …. that is your class," Sheldon said with a pointed expression.
"Y-yes. Yes, of course," Mrs. Stan said, fumbling for her attendance sheet. "Hmm…yes, she's… uh… absent. Completely. Very absent."
She picked up her phone and dialed a number from the school's emergency contact list.
After two rings, a deep voice picked up.
"Hello?"
"Good morning, sir. This is Mrs. Stan ,Jenny Hernandez's class teacher at Middleford High. I'm calling to ask about Jenny. She's not in school today…."
"Wait, wait," came the calm but confused voice of Engineer Hernandez. "Jenny isn't in school?"
Mrs. Stan cleared her throat. "Yes, sir. We just noticed now well, I noticed now."
There was a pause on the line.
"She always spends her evenings at her sister Julia's mansion," he said slowly. "Are you saying… Julia hasn't brought her to school today?"
"Uh… yes, sir. Apparently."
"Hmm."
Another pause.
"I will call Julia immediately," he said, now sounding concerned. "Thank you for the heads-up."
Mrs. Stan sighed after the call ended.
"Well, kids… maybe it's nothing. Maybe she just decided to take the day off or she's busy or something "
The boys and Nattie left quickly.
Courtyard – Senior Block
Nattie marched through the courtyard with the confidence of a queen bee on a mission. She spotted Claire, draped in her usual luxury fashion like she was about to strut down a red carpet instead of walk to Chemistry class.
Claire was surrounded by her clique plus three top seniors; Diamond, LaLa, and the ever-annoying Trixie all sipping Bubble Tea like they were on some reality TV show.
"Claire," Nattie said, walking up.
Claire looked at her over her designer sunglasses.
"Oh, it's you. Hi… Natty, right? Or Patty?"
"It's Nattie," she said, ignoring the shade. "I just wanted to ask if you've heard from Jenny. She hasn't been in school today and no one's been able to reach her since the party."
Claire raised a brow, feigned a thoughtful pose, and then shrugged like a Paris Fashion Week model.
"Hmm. Can't say I care."
"Wait, what?"
"She's not my responsibility," Claire replied, sipping her Bubble Tea. "If she decided to ghost everyone, that's on her. Maybe she's hanging out with that weirdo. what's his name again? Platypus?"
"His name is Patel."
"Yeah. That."
Trixie laughed loudly for no reason.
"Well," Claire added with a snarky smile, "she probably just realized how boring her life is. Hanging out with losers tends to do that."
She tossed her hair, winked, and strutted off with her squad in tow, muttering something about "some people needing to upgrade their friend groups."
Nattie blinked. "Wow. She's worse in person."
A pause.
"She's like an iced latte… all cold, no actual substance."
In the hospital.
Julia sat in the VIP ward like a sculpture of guilt carved in Gucci. Her eyes hadn't left Jenny's unconscious body since last night. Her perfectly done nails had been reduced to bitten nubs, her once-silky hair now in a makeshift bun that screamed, "I've given up on life and all its promises."
She sniffled loudly and wiped her face with a hospital tissue that felt like sandpaper. The beeping monitors echoed like judgment in her ears.
"If Jenny ever wakes up and doesn't sue me for child endangerment, I'll become a nun. A bald one."
She hadn't gone to work. Not even to pick up her favorite matcha latte from the corner café. She couldn't. The guilt was too loud.
Suddenly, a soft ding came from her phone. She picked it up and checked the screen.
Caller ID: Dad
A.K.A. Engineer Hernandez
A.K.A. Human Lie Detector 2.0
Julia's heart stopped. Her throat immediately turned into the Sahara. She stared at the phone like it was a venomous snake.
"Oh no. No no no. He knows. He always knows. Did Jenny's ghost tell him? Wait, Jenny's not dead! SHUT UP, BRAIN!"
She inhaled so hard the tissue in her lap flew off. She composed herself, slapped her cheeks a little (gently, she's not insane), and picked up the call with the fakest cheerful tone known to mankind.
Julia (too happy): "Heyyy Dad!"
Engineer Hernandez (sweetly): "Hello sweetheart. How's everything? Jenny's teacher called me….said she wasn't in school today."
Instant regret. Julia froze.
"Oh great. Of course she called. Teachers don't take breaks from being responsible, do they?"
She laughed fake and shaky.
Julia: "Ohhh... yeah! That's because she, um, had a little headache! Nothing serious. Just a small... skull inconvenience."
Engineer Hernandez: "A headache? Did you take her to the doctor?"
Julia thought "She IS with the doctor. Several of them. In the hospital. Hooked to a machine. BE COOL, JULIA."
Julia: "No no, nothing like that. Just mild. I told her to rest. You know how these teenage headaches go,stress, TikTok, climate change."
Engineer Hernandez: "Hmm. Alright. I was thinking of stopping by to check"
Julia (screaming internally):
"OVER. MY. DEAD. BODY."
Julia (laughing awkwardly): "Daddy! No need. She's fine, honestly. She's sleeping. Deep REM sleep. Like a...like a spiritual nap. With dreams and everything. You'd wake her up and ruin her healing!"
Engineer Hernandez: "Okay. But let me know when she wakes up. I'll call again later."
Julia: "Absolutely! Talk soon, Daddy!"
She ended the call and threw the phone on the empty bed next to her. Then she face-planted into her palms and groaned dramatically.
"First, I let my underage sister drive to a party making her to be an accident victim and now I am lying to my own father. Wonderful. I've gone from big sister to criminal mastermind in 24 hours. I deserve a Netflix docuseries."
She finally stood, slipped her aching feet into her heels, and decided to get some fresh air. Her legs were sore from sitting too long, and her stomach made a noise like a dying whale.
As she stepped into the quiet hospital corridor, she stretched and then froze.
Her eyes widened. Her soul briefly left her body, hovered, and then re-entered with a dramatic thud.
Sophia.
Her mother. In the flesh. And pastel beige trousers.
Poised, elegant, and utterly terrifying, Sophia Hernandez was striding toward her with a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a gift bag in the other.
"No. No. Not her. Why is she here? Why is everyone suddenly into surprise hospital visits today? Is this karma? Is this a prank show? WHERE'S THE CAMERA?!"
Julia did what any panicked child would do;froze like a malfunctioning mannequin.
Sophia stopped in front of her, brows raised.
Sophia: "Julia?"
Julia blinked rapidly. Her voice came out twelve octaves too high.
Julia: "Mum! Wow! What a... what a shocking, I mean, lovely surprise!"
Sophia tilted her head, examining her daughter's disheveled state. "What are you doing in the hospital?"
Julia thought "Lie, but make it fashion."
Julia: "Oh! I, um, came to visit a friend. Yeah. Just a friend. A casual friend. A very sick casual friend. On the verge of healing. Not death. Just minor doom."
Sophia: "That's kind of you."
She lifted her gift bag. "I'm also visiting someone;my colleague. Broke her wrist during salsa class."
Julia (blinking): "Your colleague does salsa?"
Sophia: "It's a long story. Involving a chair, too much confidence, and Enrique Iglesias."
"Okay, that tracks."
Sophia (squinting): "So... how's Jenny?"
Julia (still sweating): "Oh, she's great! She's home. Laughing. You know her. I think she was watching reruns of that terrible reality show she likes... what's it called... Rich Teens Cry in Bali or something."
Sophia: "Oh, that one. You let her watch that filth?"
"Okay, deflecting worked! Praise be."
Sophia (smiling): "Perfect. Then after I drop off my gift, I'll head over to your mansion to see her."
Julia stopped breathing.
Julia (giggling too loudly): "Oh. Um. That might be... difficult."
Sophia: "Why?"
Julia wiped invisible sweat off her forehead, then her neck, then armpits, then back to her forehead.
She thought "I can't lie anymore. I'm going to burst. She'll see through me. She always sees through me. It's like her secret power. X-ray vision for guilt."
She grabbed her mother's wrist gently, eyes wide and full of desperation.
Julia (whispering): "Can I tell you something?"
Basketball Court – Extra Curricula Hours at Middleford High
The sun was still bright over the basketball court behind Middleford High as the buzz of teenage energy electrified the air. Students were packed along the benches and rails, shouting, laughing, waving snacks in one hand and phones in the other, some live-streaming, others just hoping to capture a viral moment.
On the court, Grade 12A was demolishing Grade 11B in a "friendly" training match.
"Friendly" was an absolute joke. Nothing was friendly when Trey was on the court.
Mira sat on the grass slope by the court, Patel's head resting on her lap. She had her arms gently around his shoulders. He wasn't watching the game. His eyes were glazed, fixed on a cloud or some invisible Jenny-shaped thought floating in the sky.
"She's not in school, not picking your calls... maybe she got abducted by aliens," Mira said lightly, trying to tease him.
Patel sighed deeply. "At this point, I'd prefer aliens. At least then she'd be in another galaxy and not somewhere in a ditch."
Mira laughed. Deep within her, she was glad that Jenny wasn't present to make her play a second fiddle and As for Jenny not picking Patel's calls, her prayers have been answered.
She watched the game but her heart wasn't in it either. All the seniors on Grade 12A Trey, Leo, Kirby, and two other nameless, equally annoying human palm trees strutted across the court like gods of Mount Olympus. They were tall, muscular, and full of that elite private school arrogance that made people like Mira want to throw a shoe at them.
They weren't just good at basketball but they made sure everyone knew it.
Worse, they bullied juniors. Mira had seen it all. Shoving kids at lockers, tripping them in the cafeteria, and their favorite hobby: humiliating Patel.
Grade 11B wasn't any better. With Jason, Brick, Chad, Blade, and Jules, they were basically the discount version of Grade 12A. Same arrogance, less talent, and even more obsession with mocking anyone who didn't flex a Gucci belt.
Mira gritted her teeth as the ball was passed to Leo, who dribbled like he was auditioning for an action movie. The crowd roared as he leaped and scored another clean dunk.
"30–16," the scoreboard blinked. Grade 12A was eating Grade 11B alive.
And somehow, Patel was still thinking about Jenny.
"I just... I hope she's okay," he mumbled, staring ahead. "I miss her voice. Her laugh. The way she says 'Hi' like it's a secret only we share."
Mira smiled politely while her jealousy burned like lava in her stomach. "Maybe you should marry her voicemail since you love her that much," she thought bitterly, but said nothing.
Then
WHAM!
The basketball slammed square into Patel's face.
He let out a strangled "Oof!" and toppled over like a tree in a cartoon, glasses flying.
A moment of stunned silence. Then explosive laughter rippled through the crowd.
"Sorry, bro!" Trey shouted from the court with a smirk that could kill a kitten. "Ball had a mind of its own!"
Mira's eyes narrowed into daggers. "You slime bucket of an arrogant ostrich."
Patel sat up, rubbing his nose. "I think I saw my ancestors."
Mira burst into laughter despite herself. "Are they okay?"
"They said Jenny's not with them, so maybe she's safe."
Before she could answer, the ball came flying again this time hitting Patel's shoulder. He flopped sideways in slow motion like a puppet with no strings.
"Oh COME ON!" Mira shouted, picking up the ball and glaring.
Leo jogged over, grinning. "Oops. Didn't see you there, bro. My bad." Then he high-fived Trey.
Jason and Blade howled with laughter.
That was it.
Mira stood, cradling the ball.
Patel looked up from the ground. "Mira... don't. Let's just go. They're not worth …."
"Don't?" Mira said, spinning the ball once. "Nah. I've got time today."
She walked onto the court.
The noise level spiked.
Jason leaned toward Brick. "Oh oh. Someone's about to get schooled."
Trey raised an eyebrow. "What is this? You lost or something?"
Mira stared him down. "I challenge you five to a handicap match."
The court fell dead silent.
Then hysterical laughter.
Trey doubled over, pointing. "You? You think you can beat us? All five?"
Mira shrugged. "I mean, I already beat your ego by existing, so... why not?"
Someone shouted, "GET THE POPCORN!"
Phones came out. The crowd rushed forward.
Trey grinned. "Fine. You want a humiliation session? Let's give her one, boys."
The whistle blew.
It began.
At first, they were overconfident. Trey dribbled straight at her.
Mira snatched the ball mid-dribble like a hawk catching a mouse. She spun, slipped through two defenders, and scored.
"2–0," the scoreboard blinked.
Trey blinked. "What the...?"
Leo tried a pass to Kirby. Mira intercepted it and dunked.
The crowd went insane.
"4–0."
Trey tried to fake her out. She slid under him, grabbed the ball, and dribbled between her legs backwards before laying it up.
Jason choked on his soda.
By the time it was "20–4," the crowd was chanting, "MIRA! MIRA! MIRA!"
She did a step-back three-pointer that had people throwing their backpacks in the air.
"Trey!" Claire hissed from the sidelines, furious. "Do something!"
Trey growled and went full beast mode. He ran at her, towering like a mountain.
She winked.
Next second, he was on the ground. Ball stolen. Mira dunked again.
"30–10."
Final whistle.
Trey fell to his knees, defeated.
Students flooded the court.
Mira walked calmly to Trey and his team, wiped imaginary sweat from her brow, then stared each of them in the eye and said
"No one. Messes. With. My Patel."
Then she turned, walked off the court, picked up Patel's glasses, placed them gently on his face, and said:
"You're welcome, darling."
Patel, still sprawled on the floor, whispered dreamily: "marry me"
Mira laughed. "Later. Right now, I'm basking in glory."
And They both laughed.