Nancy stormed into the house, her bag slung over one shoulder, barely giving her parents a second glance as she pushed past them. Her mother called after her, something about dinner, seriously dinner? Her mom was asking her about dinner when kids were going missing. Nancy didn't respond. She couldn't handle small talk right now. It was the second day Barb had been missing, and each passing hour weighed heavier on her chest. Guilt twisted inside her, tightening its grip, making it hard to think of anything else.

She reached her bedroom and slammed the door shut, the dull thud echoing in the quiet house. Her room felt different—like a prison more than a place of refuge. The air was thick with the weight of her thoughts. She leaned against the door, running a hand through her hair, trying to push away the gnawing feeling that this was all her fault. If she hadn’t gone to Steve’s party... if she had kept an eye on Barb instead of getting caught up in the night... maybe things would be different.

With a heavy sigh, she crossed the room, grabbing her phone from the bedside table. Her hands were trembling slightly as she scrolled through her contacts, her mind racing with a thousand thoughts—none of them offering any solutions. She needed to talk to someone. She needed to feel like she wasn’t alone in this.

She found your name and hit call, her heart pounding as she held the phone to her ear. As it rang, she sank onto her bed, staring blankly at the floor, trying to keep her emotions in check.

When you picked up, she let out a shaky breath. “Hey... I, um... I need to talk. I can’t stop thinking about Barb. She’s still missing, and I... I don’t know what to do. I’m scared... and I feel like this is all my fault. Can you just... stay on the phone for a bit? I need someone right now.”