15 – Brilliant Ideas (4)

“We really should look for Skye,” Jake said, once he and Axel got into the van.

It wasn’t that Axel was opposed to the idea. He just had no idea how to start. He didn’t know anything about Luke or his daughter. And he felt like he’d done enough good deeds for the day, helping out Sebastian. He was tired and just wanted to lay down for awhile. “We’ll keep an eye out on the drive home.”

“Home is only two minutes away. She wouldn’t be in this neighborhood anyway.”

“You don’t even know where Luke lives. How would you know?”

Jake shrugged.

“Where would we even begin to look?” Axel asked, keeping his voice level.

“We can look up where he lives.” Jake pulled out his phone.

Axel started the van, and remembered he needed to get gas. He’d have to do that on the way back to his work’s parking lot. He groaned.

Jake looked up from his phone. “What’s wrong?”

“I need to get gas.”

“Cool. We can start there.”

“We?” Axel had planned on dropping Jake off at home first. “I thought I was taking you home.”

“I thought you were staying at my house tonight.”

Axel shook his head. “I wasn’t planning on it. I have to work early tomorrow.”

“Don’t you want to at least spend a little more time together?” Jake asked. “Since Sebastian stole some of that from us? I helped you with him. Why not help me with Luke?”

As far as Axel knew, Jake was nowhere near as close to Luke as Axel was to Sebastian. But it was a fair point. And it was no secret Jake and Sebastian disliked each other. Neither voiced their opinion on the other aloud to Axel, but he could sense it. And he appreciated how they tolerated each other around him.

Axel sighed. “I also have to pick up a few things from the store. I was going to wait until after work tomorrow, but we can do it now.” His stomach growled. “And I’m hungry. We can take care of all that, and keep an eye out for her while we do.”

“What are the chances we’ll find her at any of those places?” Jake asked.

“It’s a small town.”

Axel got gas first, then the two stopped at a fast food place for burgers and fries. Jake didn’t even complain about the grease. No sign of Skye anywhere. They saved the store for last.

“We should actually try searching,” Jake said as they walked through the grocery store. “Like, wander around outside calling her name. We’re not gonna find her walking along the sidewalk of a busy street.”

“It can happen.” Though Axel knew they were only doing the bare minimum. He grabbed a bag of plastic silverware, and put it in his basket, next to a pack of paper plates. Jake crinkled his nose at it but said nothing.

They wandered over to the snack food aisle. Axel stopped to look at the assortment of cookies and chips. What to treat himself with? His eyes wandered to the bottom shelf, where an open, half-eaten pack of cookies laid.

Axel tried not to be too judgmental. He’d been in that position before. But he’d go for the smaller bags that would fit in his pockets. Not eat the food in the store and leave a mess for an employee to clean up.

A box of crackers next to the cookies fell off the shelf. Axel and Jake shared a look before squatting down. There, hidden behind more boxes of food, laid a little girl, holding her stomach. Could that be...

“Skye?” Jake held his hand out, but the girl didn’t move. “What are you doing here? Your dad’s really worried.”

Skye stared at his hand. Did she even know who Jake was? But after a moment, she crawled out and took it.

“Do you know where you live?” Axel asked the girl.

No answer.

“I found his address online,” Jake said. “That won’t be a problem. Now let’s buy your stuff and go.”

~~~~~

Luke paced the family room, while Clay sat in the armchair. They had the TV on, but neither of them paid it any attention. Luke was too busy focusing on not throwing up.

Tears filled his eyes. How could he have been so cruel to her? If they found Skye, Luke would let her have all the cookies she wanted. “What if they never find her?”

“She couldn’t have gone far. She’s only 5.” But Clay’s voice didn’t sound confident.

“It’s been hours! She could be anywhere. Someone could have picked her up, taken her somewhere.”

A car pulled up in the driveway. Was it a cop with Skye? Luke peeked through the blinds. It looked like a van. Clay opened the front door, and Luke followed him out.

The driver’s side door opened first, revealing a man who looked vaguely familiar. Before Luke could speak to him, the passenger door opened. Jake got out with Skye in his arms.

“Skye!” Luke ran to Jake to take her from him. He tightened her arms around her, holding her close. Clay was right behind him, patting her back.

“Oh thank God!” Luke had to catch his breath. “Thank you!”

“It wasn’t a problem, we got the Amber Alert. I knew you must have been worried.”

“So you went out looking for her?” Someone actually did that for him? And managed to find her?

“I wanted to, but I didn’t know where to start looking. But my friend, Axel here,” Jake jerked his head towards the man, “wanted to stop at the grocery store to pick up a few things. We found her hiding in the bottom shelf, behind boxes of cookies. Empty boxes of cookies.”

Luke pulled Skye far enough away to glare at her. “You ran off to the store to eat boxes of cookies? We were worried sick about you, and you’re off stealing cookies!”

Skye burst into tears. Luke held her close again. “Alright. I’m just glad you’re safe.”

“I’ll let the cops know we have her,” Clay said. “Do you two want to come in?”

“No, thank you,” Jake said. “We’ve had a long day and just want to go home.”

“I owe you you one. Seriously. Thank you!”

“No problem,” Axel said with a slight head bow. “We’re just glad she’s okay.”

The two got back in the car. Luke waved a goodbye as they drove off, then headed back in the house. There, he set Skye down. “What did you think you were doing, running off like that?! You had us worried sick. Cops are still out in the woods looking for you! One had an actual search dog!”

Skye stared at him in silence.

“How’d you make it all the way to the store anyway?” It would have been a long walk. At least an hour, if not two. And how would Skye know where the store was? She’d have to ask someone for directions. Something he knew she would never do.

Skye continued staring.

“Answer me!”

“I walked until I found it.”

How could a five year old girl spend two hours walking aimlessly until finding a grocery store? There had to be something else she left out. Luke sighed, then straightened. “Never, ever, do that again! You are in so much trouble now. Starting with no cookies for a month.”

“I don’t want any. My tummy hurts.”

“Now you know why we don’t let you eat all the cookies you want.”

~~~~~

Sebastian fell asleep, after Axel and Jake left. He was in the middle of a dream involving them when a loud bang woke him up. His father towered over him, hands on hips.

“What’s this I’m hearing about you spraining your knee and seeing a doctor about it?”

“What about it?” Sebastian rubbed the sleep out of his eye. “Jake thought it was broken-”

“Jake?” Waylon furrowed his brow. “Jake Williams Jake? The boy who kicked your ass?”

“Yeah. We’re friends now.” Sebastian used the term loosely, but they did hang out often enough, even if it was only because they both happened to be friends with Axel.

“That’s not a good idea.”

Jake’s father was the CEO of a successful company. As far as Sebastian knew, neither Jake nor his father had done anything to offend Waylon. “Why?”

“Jake said some mean things to Barry.”

Sebastian perked up, feeling a new wave of respect towards Jake. He wished he was brave enough to tell Barry off. “Really?”

“Yeah. And, he started that gay rights protest. Now everyone suspects he’s one of those queers. It’s not good for someone with a past like yours to hang around someone who supports that. I don’t know how he didn’t get blacklisted. I suspect his father bribed the cops.”

How could the owner of a company bribe the cops to not blacklist his son, but the actual mayor of the town couldn’t? There had to be more to the story.

“I rarely hang out with him,” Sebastian said. “The only reason I saw him today was because we ran into each other in the neighborhood when I was walking Tibby. I found out he lives nearby.”

“I advise you stay away from him.” Waylon crossed his arms. “How’d you sprain your knee?”

“Crashed my skateboard into a tree.”

“How’d you do something so stupid as that?”

“I was riding downhill. It happened in front of Jake’s house.”

“I thought you said you were walking that dog.”

“I was…”

Waylon sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Please don’t tell me you were stupid enough to have that dog pull you on the skateboard.”

Sebastian didn’t.

“And then Jake dragged you to a doctor over it.” Waylon shook his head. “I hope you don’t expect me to pay that bill when it comes in.”

“How am I supposed to pay it?” Sebastian asked. It was a fair request, but Sebastian never had a job. He always relied on his parents to give him an allowance every month.

“Work, for once in your cursed life.”

“But no one will hire me!”

“And who’s fault is that?” Waylon raised his voice. “You should have thought of that before fucking boys. You brought this on yourself!”

Sebastian didn’t have a chance to defend himself. Waylon stormed out of the room, leaving the door wide open. And this time, Sebastian couldn’t even close it himself.