Samantha - Rebecca being weird again part 1

Rebecca isn't at school today. And I don't mean she's sick, or something. She got up with the rest of us; skipped breakfast like she always does ( "Dancers are thin, Sammy.") and went out the door a half hour before we do, like usual. She likes to go in early to practice in the studio before classes start. Anyway, we have A block together; and she wasn't there. I wasn't worried or anything; because maybe she was talking with the principle about something; or got held up in the studio, or was asked to show some new kid around. (We all have to do that at some point.) But then after C block, Melanthe caught up to me in the hallway.

" Samantha!" She called. I turned around, and saw her running towards me; her long red hair twisted into a bun, her ams full of books.

"What?" I replied, shifting though my binder to make sure I had my D block (math) homework.

" Samantha, have you seen Rebecca?" She pulled on my arm, and I looked up. Her huge green eyes looked alarmed.

" What? No - she wasn't in A block."

" She wasn't in science either." Melanthe said, frowning. "Do you think she went home sick?"

" Maybe.... she seemed OK this morning, though."

" There's a cold going around. Maybe she has that."

" Yeah, maybe. That must be it......" I said, grinning. Melanthe didn't look to convinced, but she shrugged and headed off to her D block French class. (Which Rebecca should have been in to.)

But it was during Melanthe's D block French class that we realized that something was wrong. Of course, I didn't, because I wasn't there, but Melanthe told me over lunch.

" Samantha, you will never guess what happened during French!" Melanthe said, sliding into the seat next to me, and plopping down her lunch bag.

" What?" Andrea asked; swallowing a bite of turkey sandwich. " Are you sitting with us today?"
 Here I guess I should explain that the four of us don't usually sit together at lunch, with the occasional exception of me and Melanthe. I sit with my best friend Andrea, my friends Casey, Sophia and Dezzy, and another girl named Lucy, who is more Andrea's friend then mine, and plays basketball. Lilyana sits with Ani and another girl; a shy, pretty redhead named Delia. Melanthe divides her time between us, and a loud, popular table of girls that I don't really know very well. Rebecca goes to the library; I think, or the studio.

" Yeah. Yum, can I steal a chip, Drea?" Melanthe reached over the table and grabbed a Cape Cod Potato chip from Andrea, whom she insists on calling 'Drea.'

" Hey!" Andrea protested; swatting her hand away. " Eat you own food, you little theif!" She said, pulling her chip bag out of reach. Melanthe laughed, and took a bite of her apple, which she had taken out of her brightly striped lunch bag along with a piece of cold pizza and a bag of halloween oreos; which my mom had gotten as a special treat the other day.

" ANYWAY," I interrupted, "What happened, Mel?"

" The office called about Rebecca."

" Wait.....what?" My stomach dropped. " She's not, like...."

" What? Dead? Do you think we'd be sitting here if she was?"

" No." mumbled Andrea through a mouthful of goldfish.

" So what did they call about?"

" Oh, you know." Melanthe waved her hand in the air. " Hello Miss Reinstein; this is Dorry from the main office called to see if Rebecca Rubin is in class. That type of call."

" And she's not?" Sophia butted in. " You mean she skipped? Why?"

" No clue." I said dully, pushing at my sandwich.

" Wow, Rebecca?" Said Casey, shoving her dark blond hair out of her face. " She's in my Language Arts class. Never thought she'd skip."

" Neither did we, really." Melanthe said, grinning at Casey as though they shared a special, private joke. " Little Miss Perfect most of the time."

" Boy, will your mom be pissed." Andrea said, pushing a chip at me over the table. " Remember when you skipped that test, Mel? Her mom went nuts!"

" Wait; why would Samantha's mom go nuts if Melanthe skipped school?" Casey interjected.

" Mellie and Rebecca board with Samantha. You know; through that program the school offers." Andrea explained.

" Oh yeah. Jeez, Rebecca's in for it then. Daphne - you know Daphne Halti?" We shook our heads. Mostly, Lucy moved in different circles then we did. She was part of the (small) sports program; while we were all majoring in the arts; which was what the school was for; being a preforming arts school, and all. But there was a sports program, and there were students who moved exclusively in that area, like Lucy. Then there were students like Andrea; who did both sides. Andrea was here mostly for soccer, basketball and hockey, but she also did theatre; which was how we met.

" Daphne Halti? The tall blonde on upper school basketball team?" asked Andrea; referring to the team for 10th, 11th, and 12th graders.

" Yeah. She boards with Lindsey Masenari, right? And she skipped to go into the city with her boyfriend, and they got caught."

" And?"

" She almost had to go back home."

" You mean get kicked out of the program?"

"Yeah. They come down real hard on kids in the Boarding program. But she'd done it before."

" Rebecca hasn't."

" I know." Casey said.


Ok, I am officially freaked. Where the heck is Rebecca? She wasn't there when we got home today; and it's almost three now. What is going on? Is this like what happened this summer, when she never came home that day? What is up? I mean; she hasn't seemed that off in the last couple days. No more the usual. She's been in one of her mopey, sullen moods where she won't talk to anybody. She gets like that a lot, but we've stopped paying attention. It's just who she is. But now I'm a bit worried. Where is she?

Freaked out,

Samantha