Chapter 152 Eileen hurry

Chapter 152 Eileen hurry

Chapter 153

Eileen POV

"Who told you?" I asked, staring at Melissa with my heart pounding against my chest.

She shook her head. "I don't know exactly. I heard it from some students who were talking about it."

"Then how do you know it's true?" I questioned, my voice trembling. "Did anyone actually see Ryan? Were the girls really injured? Is Ryan arrested?"

"I never said it was completely true, Eileen. I only said it's what people are talking about."

"But you said the police are involved." I grabbed her hands, my eyes searching hers. "Did someone actually see the police arrest him?"

Melissa hesitated before answering. "I don't know about the girls, but I heard the police went to his house."

My heart dropped. "They went to his house?"

"Yes. Someone said it happened yesterday."

"Yesterday?" I repeated, suddenly remembering that Ryan had been absent from school for days. "Did they arrest him?"

Melissa slowly nodded. "That's what I heard."

I shook my head immediately. "No, that can't be right. Ryan wouldn't do that. He wouldn't race a car with children on the road, and he wouldn't deliberately refuse to stop because he wanted to win."

"Maybe the story isn't complete," Melissa said, trying to calm me down.

"Exactly!" I pointed at her. "That's what I'm saying. There has to be something they're not telling us."

Melissa sighed and placed both hands on my shoulders. "Eileen, calm down first. Panicking isn't going to help you find out what happened."

"How am I supposed to calm down when everyone is saying Ryan has been arrested for running over two little girls?"

"You don't even know if the story is completely true."

"Then I'll find out."

I immediately pulled out my phone and searched for Ryan's number, my fingers trembling as I pressed the call button. The phone rang for several seconds before the call disconnected, and I tried again almost immediately, but there was still no answer.

"Still not answering?" Melissa asked quietly.

I shook my head as I opened our chat and stared at the messages I had sent earlier.

Are you okay?

You've been absent for days. What's going on?

There was still no response.

My throat tightened as I stared at the screen, and suddenly I remembered all the times I had complained about him being distant. I had spent the last few days thinking Ryan was deliberately avoiding me, wondering if he was angry with me or simply tired of whatever was happening between us, but what if he hadn't been avoiding me at all?

What if something had been happening to him this entire time?

"I should have known," I whispered.

Melissa frowned. "Known what?"

"I thought he was avoiding me." My eyes began filling with tears. "I kept thinking he didn't want to talk to me, and I was so busy being angry that I never considered that something could actually be wrong with him."

"Eileen, stop blaming yourself. You didn't know."

"But I should have asked him."

"You did ask him."

"He didn't answer."

"And that's not your fault."

I wiped my face quickly and took a deep breath. "I need to find him."

Melissa stared at me. "Where are you going to find him?"

"I don't know, but I can't just sit here."

"You need to think first. If the police really arrested him, rushing somewhere without knowing what's happening won't help."

"I don't care. I need to know where he is."

I was about to say something else when a familiar voice called my name from behind us.

"Eileen."

I turned around and saw Emily standing a few steps away. Her expression was unusually serious, and the moment our eyes met, something inside me tightened.

"Emily?"

She walked toward me and reached for my hand. "You need to come home with me."

I frowned. "Why?"

"Something urgent happened at home."

My heart rose and fell at the same time.

"What happened?"

"We'll talk when we get home."

"No." I pulled my hand back slightly. "Tell me now. Is Dad okay?"

Emily didn't answer immediately, and that silence made my heart pound harder.

"What happened?" I asked again. "Is Dad okay?"

"Eileen, please come with me."

I glanced at Melissa, who was watching the two of us with confusion.

"What about Ryan?" I suddenly asked.

Emily's eyes moved toward me. "What about Ryan?"

"Nothing." I swallowed, realizing I had said his name without thinking.

My mind was already filled with too many questions. Ryan was missing, the police were allegedly involved, and now Emily had suddenly appeared at school telling me something urgent had happened at home. I didn't know which problem I was supposed to deal with first.

"Come on," Emily said softly, taking my hand again.

I followed her because I didn't know what else to do.

Once we got inside the car, I sat quietly while Emily started the engine. I stared through the window, trying to keep myself together, but the moment she glanced at me and asked if I was okay, the tears I had been holding back finally slipped down my cheeks.

"I'm fine," I lied, quickly wiping my face.

"You don't look fine."

"I said I'm fine."

My voice cracked, and I turned toward the window so she wouldn't see my face properly.

Emily watched me for a moment before asking, "Then why are you crying?"

I swallowed hard. "My stomach hurts."

"Your stomach?"

I nodded. "Menstrual cramps."

Her expression softened. "Oh. I understand. I have some medication at home. I'll give you something when we get there."

"Okay," I whispered.

For a while, neither of us spoke, but my thoughts remained with Ryan. I couldn't stop wondering where he was, whether he was sitting in a police station somewhere, whether he was scared, whether he was hurt, and most importantly, whether the little girls were alive.

"Emily?"

"Yes?"

"What was the urgent thing that happened at home?"

Her hands tightened slightly around the steering wheel, but she kept her eyes on the road.

"You'll find out when we get home."

I frowned. "Why can't you just tell me?"

"Because I don't want to discuss it here."

"Is Dad involved?"

She remained silent.

My stomach twisted.

"Emily?"

"You ask too many questions sometimes."

I stared at her, surprised by her response. "I'm only asking because you said something urgent happened."

"And you'll know what happened when we get home."

I leaned back against the seat, my mind racing as I stared at the road ahead. Something wasn't right. Emily had never come to school to pick me up like this, and judging from the way she had been avoiding my questions, whatever had happened at home was serious.

I looked down at my phone again.

Ryan's chat was still open.

Nothing.

Not even a call or a message.

Nothing.

I pressed my lips together as another wave of fear passed through me.

"Please be okay, Ryan," I whispered, hoping he could somehow hear me.

Emily glanced at me but didn't say anything.

The car continued down the road, carrying me farther away from school and closer to whatever was waiting for me at home, while I couldn't shake the feeling that by the time I got home, something…

I heaved a sigh because my chest became suddenly heavy.