Maverick

Something is wrong.

I felt it in my blood before the hour passed and students began to trickle out of the buildings and into the quad. I stood up from where I sat around the fountain, searching overheads for Josie but she didn’t show.

Sweat began to build on my hairline from the Louisiana sun, drenching my t-shirt and hindering my breath. Five minutes passed before I walked toward the writing center to find India sitting at her desk.

“Where is Josie?” I asked.

She snatched an earbud from her ear. “She left about fifteen minutes ago.”

I dug my phone from my pocket and called her. It went straight to voicemail. “She isn’t answering.”

India gave me a strange look. “She probably went to the cafeteria or ran into someone—,”

“No,” I barked. “She was supposed to meet me at the fountain.”

India stood up. “She did say she was meeting you to exchange notes. I’ll try campus security, but it’s only been like twenty minutes and she’s an adult—,”

I barreled from the room, knowing India was right. I