Chapter 69: I am sick 2

Jessie ran about Chelan college, desperately looking for Luciana. She got caught up with a student, when Luciana walked away from her, unknowingly.
It was already thirty minutes into the class and Luciana was not back, which scared life out of her. She tried dialing Luciana's number, but the phone just rang endlessly, with no one picking up.
Unable to control her anxiousness, she excused herself from the class and went about looking for Luciana.
"Where could she be?" Jessie sighed frustratedly, with her eyebrows furrowed, turning her face around in search of Jessie.
She accidentally bumped into Cassandra as she rushed down the stairs, "oh sorry," Jessie blurted out, with her hands fixed to her forehead.
"What is it? You don't look that good," Cassandra inquired in genuine concern.
Jessie noticed that Cassandra's face did not look too good, as it felt like she was down, and had to force herself to wear a happy expression.
"I am looking for Luciana, I have not seen her since she left in the morning, and I have been calling her. But she is not responding, I'm worried, hoping that she will be fine," Jessie muttered incoherently, causing the skin on Cassandra's face to crumple a little.
"That is terrible," Cassandra said sadly, "I think I saw her, I can't tell where she went exactly, but you should ask Carl, he may know better," Cassandra explained.
"Carl?" Jessie asked rhetorically, "thank you, I will do just that."
"It is fine," Cassandra voiced out with a smile, then continued walking away, leaving Jessie behind.
Jessie was left in thoughts for some time, standing there like she was a lost sheep, away from the watch of his shepherd. "I guess I will just have to find Carl then, I hope everything is fine with Jessie," she murmured, then made her way to the Computer department, the only possible place she felt she could see him.
The day that only got started, became so tiring for Jessie, as she ran up and down stairs, trying to find Carl to know if he had any idea about where Luciana was. She had rushed over to the computer lab to find Carl, only to find out that he wasn't there, so her travel to the third floor was more like a vain pursuit.
"Phew...," She exhaled as she rushed back to the Class she left earlier to pick up her phone which she had left with Alyssa.
"You have still not seen her?" Alyssa raised her brows in inquiry, with her gaze fixed on Jessie who made her way to where she sat.
"I have not," Jessie sighed frustratedly, "help me with my phone please, let me see if I can dial Carl's number."
"Ohh, sure, " Alyssa nodded, and quickly reached for her bag, searching for Jessie's phone.
"Here it is."
"Thank you," Jessie proclaimed, stretching out her hands to pick up the phone.
After multiple rings from Jessica, "what is it, Jessie?" Carl asked. His voice sounded like he had been forced to pick up the phone, and was in a beef with her.
"I'm sorry if my call was disturbing, I need your help," Jessie explained.
"And what is it?" Carl asked, with his heartbeat raised a little in anxiousness.
"It's about Luciana, she...,"
Before Jessie could finish her sentence, Carl cut her abruptly with the words, "what happened to Luciana?"
"Sorry if I got you scared," Jessie explained apologetically, worried that her statement may have made him so bothered.
"But where guys not strange, just a few seconds ago, he had answered like he wanted to cut every connection with her because of the issue he had with Luciana, and now he is so bothered at the mention of her name," she giggled softly at the thoughts that came to her head, and a "hello" from Carl, called her back to the call she was in.
"It's just that I have not seen Luciana since the morning, so I decided to ask you. Please do you have any idea where she is?"
"I don't know, but I will try my best to look for her. Just give me a call, once you see her."
"Okay, I will. Thank you."
Carl hung up on the call, and become bothered trying to find Luciana. He began to make every single call that he could, doing his possible best to know where she was.
He was sitting inside his car, which was positioned in the parking lot, with a lit cigarette in his hands. Carl was not a person that enjoyed smoking, but he felt so terrible that day and he could not help it.
Right from the time, he talked to Cassandra in the morning, leaving Luciana aside. His intention was only to make her feel bad, but he had no idea it will turn out that way.
Even if he didn't see much on her face, his eyes caught the tears that had welled up in her eyes, it also caught the shards from broken pieces of her heart, wishing that it could be fixed together even though her face said a different thing.
And now, because of him, Luciana was missing. She was probably sitting out, broken, and in painful tears. Carl refused to believe all of it was from one person, him, he was the only reason she was in that state.
He angrily scratched his hand over his head, ruffling the perfectly arranged hair, and hit the steering wheel after.
Carl threw the stick of cigarette he was holding, stepping on it as he stood up from the comfort of the car and into the scorching sun. He had to look for Luciana, and sitting at that spot was going to do no good.
Jessie became bothered as she paced about, and Alyssa joined her in the search for Luciana. She already had plans to meet Alyssa's guidance counselor to see if anything could be done about it before she got distracted by a staff that called for her attention.
Carl slowly walked past some closed doors in Chelan college, with his hair ruffled and his face fallen in sadness. He was disappointed that his efforts to find Luciana did not yield any good response and felt sad at himself.
Just as he walked past a closed door, he heard some low sobs and paused in his tracks. Listening closely, it was Luciana, he noticed.
From the few words and the painful sobs she released, he did not need anyone to tell him that she was Luciana.
Immediately, his heart worked almost faster than his brain, and he turned the doorknob, only to stop because of a thought that came to his mind.
Carl moved away from the door a little and called Jessie. On the first ring, Jessie picked up and was so excited to find out the good news from Carl, promising to run over to where he was, as soon as the call was dropped.
"Where is she, "Jessie questioned excitedly, chills running down her spines, as soon as she got to Carl. Finally, calling Carl was not a wrong choice, and she no longer regretted any bit of it.
Alyssa followed after her, darting towards the door Carl had pointed out, eager to know why Luciana will be locked up in a room, the Janitor's closet at that.
Jessie opened the door hastily, and the first thing her eyes caught was Luciana, sitting on her butts, with her knees elevated to her chest region, and her head resting on it.
"Luciana," Jessie called out, crouching to Luciana's level.
"Just go away," Luciana uttered, the first thing Jessie was hearing her say.
For the records, it was a good start, since Luciana had ignored her calls even as the phone was with her, ringing. Jessie's eyes did not fail to notice that also.
"What is it? Tell me, dear," Jessie tried convincing her, raising Luciana's head to her face as she did.
Tears kept on rolling from Luciana's eyes, and from Jessie's observation, she had been in that state for a while.
Dark circles had formed around Luciana's eyes, smearing the eyeliner she had applied, to every part of her face.
Her once arranged neatly packed hair, was disheveled as though she had been scratching and pulling out, and there was a high possibility that she did that.
Jessie raised her face to hers completely, then wiped away the tears, rubbing Luciana's back as she did.
Once again, it was another time in Luciana's life when she felt her heart crumple, and she was hating her existence and everything that she was currently experiencing.
She managed to stand up, held in Jessie's arms as they walked out. Jessie knew better than questioning Luciana there and then, so she decided to save it for another time.
Alyssa that stood by the side of the door, rushed to Luciana, and held her tightly in a warm embrace, muttering words of "everything will be fine" to Luciana.
And just as she was in Alyssa's hold, her eyes caught Carl who sneakily walked out from where he stood, staring at her.
Luciana pulled out immediately, taking a few steps involuntarily, trying to reach him.
"Carl," she yelled out immediately, and her knees dropped to the floor.