Chapter 9

In the booth of Vanilla Valley Diner, sits Ian across from me, his complexion bouncing off the blue and red lights.
"Guess what I found out." I say, fiddling with the straw in my milkshake.
"Yeah?"
"My mom finally opened up to me about everything."
"What do you mean?" He asks.
"So, she's getting all this money from working at a brothel. And apparently my father abused my mom, and my dad ran an illegal drug company, which was then passed down to the Daltons from my mother since they were in an abundant amount of debt to us." Ian slowly lifts his eyes up to mine.
"What?" Ian asks for reassurance,
"You've figured that all out?" I nod my head slightly, concealing the fact I was admiring him.
"Wait. Wouldn't that give a motive for your mom to... You know?" Ian adds. I honestly don't believe it was her, I can't. It couldn't be.
"It's not her. Yes, it gives her a motive but I honestly think my mom wouldn't have done that. My father has enemy's. Ian." I say, my lips part for a second but my words are cut off by the bell that rings when a group of kids walk into the diner.
"Also, Andrew was acting so weird today." I add.
"Why?" Ian asks stuffing a burger in his mouth.
"I don't know. He has these unusual markings engraved on his back, and he was acting so creepy." Ian replies with an "oh."

Ian and I both leave the diner, the cold air on my face. We get into Ians car. He turns on the radio, Christmas music.
"So, what do you think is up with your brother?" Ian breaks the silence, gazing at me. His voice low, and sexy.
"I don't know. I don't really wanna focus of solving any mystery's today." I say, my voice thin. Ian holds his gaze at me,
"Same." He responds, his hot breath tickles my neck. My eyes move from his, down to his neck, then back to his lips. I inch my head closer, our lips centimeters apart, I hesitate. The cool skin of his lips press onto mine. My hands move to his neck, he embraces me with his hands, running down my thigh, our tongues interlocking. In this moment, this very moment I felt good in my body, I wanted nothing else but to be with him, have him all. Tonight. Even if it's just for tonight. I want him.

After the best moments of my life, Ian and I sit in the car with our heads resting back on the seats. Nothing is said. The Christmas station still playing music. The retro lights shining through the window of the diner. 
A part of me wonders why he did it? Another part of me doesn't care.
"I don't tell you this enough, but I love you. Bailey." Ian's voice ends the miserable sound of nothing but the indistinctive sound of classical Christmas music softly playing on the radio. I look over at him, his head still rested up, his eyes a firm gaze at the ceiling of the car.
"I love you too." I respond. I see a smile grow on his face. losing track of time I remember my mom asked me to call her sometime between nine and ten.
"Shit,"
"I have to call my mom I'll be back." I say as I get out the car and walk towards Vanilla Valley Diner.
"Hey Clark. Do you mind if I use your phone to call my mom?" I shiver.
"No problem." Clark says handing me the cord and phone. I dial my moms number and not even a second it rings, my mom picks up.
"Bailey, where the hell were you!" Her voice computerized through the phone.
"Mom, sorry I lost track of time."
"Well get back here quick, your brother is missing." And with that I hang up the phone and thank Clark and rush out the door.
"Drive to my house, Andrew is missing." I say as soon I get in the car, Ian looks at me weird but starts the car and drives off.

"Mom!" I yell as I get out the car, two police men in front of me.
Déjà vu
The night my father went missing, exactly the same. 
"Bailey-" My mom sniveling.
"It's okay." I say to her.
His computer.
"I have to do something" I tell her. I'm immediately in Andrews bedroom. His computer sitting on his desk, open. Nothing but the blue light brightens his room. The sounds of the key bored clicking irritate me as I try getting to that website where he met that guy.

"Meet me at Vanilla Valley River"

"Okay, be there in 10."

I lick my lips. Why the hell is he there. He was also acting weird today as well. I run down the stairs, the cops interrogating my distraught mother. More upset rather when father went missing.
"Mom." I say, she turns around, her face red and puffy with tear marks.
"I know where he is."

I grab my flashlights, me and my mom hop in the car as Ian starts to drive off.
"Vanilla Valley River." I say as he turns the corner. I look at my mom and place my hand on top hers, somehow she stopped shaking. Maybe my delicate touch was all she needed. Minutes that seemed like hours filled with silence and sorrow has finally came to a halt as we arrive at the entrance of the tenebrous forest, the caliginous sky above, the bright moon as our light. Tall dark trees that have lost their leaves, now thick and skinny branches hover over the ground, like a lax guard on duty, very indistinct but not sightless, just a peak at the phantasmagoria's that go down in the bosky woods at night, that is Vanilla Valley River. Well no more to these shady rendezvous. I step out the car, the wind cold against my cheek. I turn on my flashlight.
"Andrew" I yell, my mom joins in as she searches inside the woods, the yellow beam of light on the trees and bushes, and grass. We continue walking as we stop at the sight of a candle light burning feet away from us.
What?
A line of lit candles, I look at my mom with apprehension, we gingerly follow the tracks of candles until we stop at the sight of Andrew and this boy fighting each other.
"Get off him!" I scream, I budget myself in between them.
"What the hell, Andrew?" I yell. His face covered with blood, his bare chest red and scraped.
"What happened?" I say, I turn over to the boy that was besides, but gone within the wind, only his damage he's inflicted on my brother remains here.
Asshole.
"Sorry, I met up with the wrong guys." Andrew stands there with his palm on his cheek.
"It was for weed." He says, he looks up at mom, her eyes well with tears, disappointment on Andrews face is visible.
"Andrew you need to stop." I say, he nudges me away,
"Easier said than done." Than he breezes past me, my mom follows behind him. I stand here, confusion fills the void around my head.

We get home, the cops still on our porch.
"We found him." My mom says, obviously still upset. I look at Ian, than at my mom who's already inside with Andrew.
"Alright, you guys have a good one!" The one cop says as he gets in his car and drives away. As they leave is the dark, me and Ian stand near the highway, nothing but the street lamps on. Not even the front porch light.
He grabs my hand with his pinky, I look up at him, even in the dim light you can still see his flawless complexion.
"I wanted you to know, that kiss at the diner wasn't just a save me from pity kiss, it was genuine." I say, my eyes meet his once again. He holds his gaze at me.
"I know." He says. Our faces inches apart, his lips press on mine. For a long 10 seconds, his lips separate from mine,
"Goodnight, Bailey. Have a good Christmas Eve tomorrow." His deep voice scratches my head at the right spot every time. I let go a smile,
"You too." I respond, he walks away to his car and I watch him drive off. My heart light and my breath heavy.
I love him. So much. I stand there in the cold for a couple seconds but there I am, falling for the boy I've been best friends with since kindergarten.

I feel the warmth hug me as I walk inside the door, all the lights off expect for a lamp and the fire place my mom weeps by, with a glass of wine sturdy in her hand, she looks up at me with tears in her eyes.
"Goodnight mom, I love you." I tell her as I walk up to Andrews bedroom.
"Hey." I say, standing in between Andrews doorway.
"Stop it Bailey, I don't need your fake sympathy." He respond with, his tone firm.
"Sympathy for what?" I say as I set myself on his bed.
"It's nothing." He says, fidgeting with his hoodie strings.
"Andrew, I've known you long enough to know when you're hurting, tell me."
"It's just that..."
"I don't know what's with me." He says as he breaks down in tears, I rub my hand on his back,
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"I'm ashamed. I'm ashamed of being gay." He says, tears stream down his face as I comfort him.
"That's why I go out at night, because it makes me feel good and I can escape from everything and just have the feeling of lust." He says, his words tremble of his tongue fast as if the glass of water of his feelings have been overflowing.
"I was made fun of, looked at different every day because of the way I acted, it's horrible. Its horrible to feel the constant weight of worrying if people are going to judge me or look at me differently just because of my sexuality, all I've ever wanted was to know how it felt to be normal." He says, his face buried in his lap, my hand still stroking his back.
"You're normal." I tell him.
"And screw everyone who doesn't agree with you, you have a loving and supportive family. I support you, and so does mom so don't ever think for a moment I would ever look at you different." I say, my eyes welling with tears and my voice shakes. Andrew looks up at me.
"I know, it's just exhausting, everything is." His face red. My heart breaks, another horrible feeling is seeing your siblings cry. He is normal, and the homophobia people show him and other people who are gay should stop. Although, it won't happen I do hope people open their eyes a little more.
"Don't ever be ashamed of who you are, you can't control who you're attracted too, nobody can, and you are normal. I promise you, one day you'll find a boy who makes your life whole, I want you to know I'm here for you, for everything." Andrew looks back at me again, he wipes his tears.
"Thank you." He says, I smile. I really hope Andrew realizes his self worth, he's too better for those people who misjudge him.
"I have a question." I say and Andrew grabs his lighter and a blunt.
"What are those weird marks on your back?"
"Oh, they're from guys from last night, they drugged me so I was pretty down bad when I woke up." He responds as he takes a big puff of his blunt. The gross smell fills my nostrils."
"You wanna hit?" He asks, offering me the stick of weed.
"Sure." I say. I take it and puff on it for a few seconds, the taste is nasty and I cough out the smoke.
"Ew." I say laughing, Andrew let's out a laugh as well.
"Try again, it gets easier." He said and I take another inhale of weed, the taste still gross but the smoke comes out my mouth more with more flow. I start feeling light headed. The room seems to be shifting. I take another long puff, and exhale the smoke. My head heavy and the room seems to be spinning in circles.
"Light weight!" Andrew snickers. My body feels relaxed as if I'm floating. I can see why Andrew loves this so much, it's like an altered universe. Everything is so abstract, the colors, the spinning of the room. I rest my head at the edge of his bed and let the high breeze over my body. I start laughing.
"Is this how it feels." I say giggling.
"Yes." He responds. He mumbles some other incoherent comments but I don't pay attention. This feeling is great. For a moment I feel like I might die, and I can escape all this mess. But it's all over, all the mystery's are over. Moms income solved, those checks, Andrew, and my mom and dad. The only thing that remains cold is my fathers disappearance, I don't even care anymore, why am I wondering this when I'm high or buzzed or whatever you wanna call this because soon I'm back in reality, Andrew still looking over at me.
"How are you not high yet, you used that like fifteen thousand times." I say laughing.
"Because I don't get high as much I want to anymore." He responds annoyed.
"Than why do it, if not for the high?" Andrew looks at me and smirks,
"I don't know, honestly. Addiction." He responds while taking another puff from his blunt. I smile.
"Well I think I'm going to go to sleep." I tell him as I get off his bead, I can barley stand, everything is still kinda fuzzy. I tremble out the door and I see my mom still sitting at the fire place, neglecting the fact her only two kids were just smoking upstairs, she doesn't care though, she doesn't smell the weed anymore, that's because it's the new normal for her. Everything is a new normal for her, not in a good way. I go to my room, and I throw myself on my bed, covering myself with heavy blankets. Looking up at the ceiling, no thought whatsoever crosses my mind. My eyelids shut.
Tomorrow is Christmas Eve.
Let's see what kind of new mystery
Comes that day, today we solved every mystery there is.
Accept for one.
One burdensome mystery that has been on my mind every day for the past year.
Who killed my father?