Sapnap was getting impatient.

There hadn't been any news of George or from George, and he was ready to make something happen.

After the meeting with Grian they finally had an organized search going on, with over thirty students split up into groups that searched different areas of the town on their bikes every afternoon.

Sapnap found out that the "Hermits" in Grian's club had already been doing this but with Clay they knew where George was more likely to go. The other guys seemed happy for the help.

I am happy for the help, but it hasn't helped yet.

He started wondering to himself. Who even has a motive to do something to George. No one else cared about George, he was just a nerd. He wasn't in the way of anything.

Wilbur approached him at the end of lunch on Wednesday.

"Hey do you have a minute?"

"Yeah, of course," Sapnap answered.

Sapnap followed Wilbur to a quieter place.

He seemed hesitant.

"What is it, Wil?" Sapnap asked.

Wilbur brushed his hair out of his eyes.

"Did you know Techno left school?"

Sapnap frowned. He saw Techno get a phone call in the middle of second period and rush out of the room, but he didn't know what it was about nor had he seen Techno again.

He told Wilbur this and he nodded.

"I noticed he was missing, but he didn't say anything to me." He sighed.

"Of course not though, I haven't spoken to him since the party."

Sapnap paused. He wanted to ask Wilbur about his fight with Techno, but that probably wasn't what he wanted to talk about. So instead he asked about Techno's abrupt absence.

"Is something wrong?"

"I don't know." Wilbur bit his lip. "It might be that nothing is wrong."

There was a pause where Wilbur looked like he was deciding whether to tell Sapnap something or keep it from him.

Eventually he opened his mouth.

"I think he might be up to something."

Sapnap's response was immediate: "What do you mean?"

Wilbur sighed. "I'm going to tell you what we fought about, but you have to promise to keep your cool, okay?"

Fuck no.

"Yeah of course."

"Okay. All of us guys on the soccer team, we're nice to each other right? Most of us are close friends, I know you kinda also became friends with George, even though he's not on the team, and that's fine. That's fine, but Clay was also kinda- not as social as he is now- but he's always been a talented soccer player. Anyway, Techno always saw him as an obstacle for the top spot on the soccer team."

Sapnap nodded. That's obvious, why is he telling me this when I already know it?

Wilbur took a deep breath. "Well, before all this stuff happened with George, Techno didn't like him."

"But I thought it was friendly competition," Sapnap said.

"Yeah, it is. I didn't- I mean, Techno definitely respects Clay, but I wasn't talking about him. I was talking about someone he doesn't respect."

"Wil, whatever this is, just tell me already."

"Techno used to bully George."

Sapnap's fist slammed into the wall. Then he turned around and started to walk away from shell-shocked Wilbur, who ran in front of him and stopped.

"Whoa- Sapnap- wait- where are you going?"

"Where do you think?" Sapnap growled. "I'm going to Techno's house to beat him up for bullying my friend."

"OK that's valid but if you wait just a minute I can expl-"

"WILBUR WHY WOULD YOU LET THAT HAPPEN?"

Wilbur tried to get him to quiet down and Sapnap stopped yelling, but glared at him.

"What the fuck, man? You knew about this and you didn't try and stop him or tell me or do ANYTHING?"

"I didn't know about it, Sapnap! I just found out because he was acting weird and I was trying to find out why and I swear- listen to me- I wasn't going to let him keep doing it but I didn't know what to do because Dave is my best friend and he was just so angry and jealous and he took it out on him, but I didn't know it was bad or what he was really doing. I was never with him, but I wanted to find out why because he used to be okay, you know, he used to laugh more and be more friendly, but ever since-"

"I don't care the reason, Wil. I thought he was my friend too, but I don't put up with shit like this from anyone, so I'm going to his house right now and he'll be crying when I leave."

"I figured you would because you're prone to violence when you're upset, but Sapnap you aren't even thinking about what I was saying.

What if Techno had something to do with George being gone?"

Sapnap stopped.

He wouldn't. He's not evil, he was just jealous of Clay, he wouldn't have done anything messy if he could help it. He doesn't like getting his hands dirty. Unless he thinks it's necessary. But would he have really kidnapped someone in his grade? That's crazy. No, no way. He couldn't. George? George never did anything. Techno would be watching him, or he wouldn't be acting normal. He's been acting normal since the party. Since the game. He won the game. He got what he wanted; he beat Clay. He's revered. If he did something then it would be over by now, when he got what he wanted.

I don't care. I can go beat his ass for bullying George in the first place. George can't even stand up for himself, it doesn't make sense.

He looked at Wil, "You coming or not?"

Wilbur nodded. "Of course I'm coming! I won't let you burn his whole house down, but I want answers."

Five minutes later they were in Sapnap's car. He was speeding down the road and fuming at Techno, and also Wilbur for holding out on him.

It was just then he remembered what he overheard between them after soccer practice that day. Something about hiding stuff.

"What exactly do you know about what Techno did?"

Wilbur was hesitant. If Sapnap was wasting thought on him, he would've realized he was split between his kinship with Techno and his desire to do good. But Sapnap was already pissed and Wilbur's pause was enough to make him more frustrated. But Wilbur had made the decision to tell him in the first place and stuck with that; he answered before Sapnap could snap at him.

"He was never honest about anything. You know him, he likes to be mysterious and keep a flair for the dramatic. He just started to leave me out of his life and he wasn't being honest. He started dropping hints he was planning something or getting even, I didn't know what he was talking about. Then I found out he had fixated on George as an outlet for something. That was when we started arguing. He wouldn't listen to me. At the party I finally just stopped trying. Now I don't know anything that's going on; we haven't spoken. I don't know if it's because he's giving me space to change my mind or if he thinks I hate him. It feels like everything's quieter now.

I'm just not used to being without him."

Sapnap internally groaned. Wilbur was more led by emotion than anything else and he had hardly answered the question, but whatever we're here.

Sapnap stormed up to the door and was about to kick it open when Wilbur stopped him with a hand.

"Wait, I know the code."

He put 6276 in the keypad: the door clicked open. Wilbur grinned and gestured to Sapnap, beanie askew.

"Element of surprise, right?"

Sapnap gave a terse nod and pushed the door open, too tense to smile back.

They didn't see anyone directly inside but followed faint noises through the kitchen into the large living room.

Sapnap absentmindedly noticed it felt more compressed than it had at the party; it wasn't cluttered with people but still smaller in the daylight and emptiness besides furniture and the staircase running around the wall to the second floor balcony that looked over the room. He entered and stopped. Wilbur ran into him.

Techno was sitting on the couch with his back to them; he was intently focused on something in front of him, and his whole body was shaking.

And Sapnap realized with a shock that rooted him to the floor, that Techno was crying — actually crying — tears trickling down his grim face. Techno gasped and gulped and spoke to them without looking-

"Mom I said go away, how many ti-"

He glanced at them and his eyes widened as he cut off.

"You guys-? What are you-" he hurriedly wiped his face and stood up- "Get- get out. Get out!" he screamed at them, balling his hands into fists and crumpling something. "GET OUT!"

Sapnap was still standing in shock.

Wilbur stepped around him, reaching out, "Dave-"

"No- you aren't here for- you don't care-" Chest heaving, Techno turned and shot up the stairs; his door slammed.

Wilbur's hand fell; his eyes fell too.

"Dave."

What-

"Sapnap." Wilbur was pulling his arm. "Nick."

"What was..." Sapnap was so caught off guard he couldn't speak.

"We should go Sapnap come on." Wilbur tugged him back.

Sapnap moved. On the way out Techno's mom spotted them.

"Wilbur? What are you boys doing here?"

"We came to see Dave, ma'am," Wilbur said.

"Oh."

She looked down.

"That's kind of you."

"I'm sorry for intruding," Wilbur said. "May I ask what upset him?"

"He didn't tell you?"

Wilbur and Sapnap shook their heads.

The woman sighed. "His father just passed away unexpectedly. He left a note just for him and he's reading that now. Probably best if you two give him space."

"Of course, miss. Our condolences."

Sapnap and Wilbur closed the doors and sat in the car.

"Wow," Wilbur said after a minute.

"I've never seen him- he doesn't cry." Sapnap was still in disbelief.

"Doesn't? You just hadn't seen him sad enough."

"I guess I haven't."

There was another long pause.

"His dad..." Sapnap started.

"Yeah."

"She said he died unexpectedly, but how could he leave a note if it was unexpected. Doesn't make sense."

Now Wilbur sighed.

"His mom, she doesn't like facing things. I think she lied to us."

"why?"

Wilbur was slow in speaking. "If I had to guess, they just got news he killed himself. He left the family, don't you know? He was so nice when we were growing up, a good dad, but then later-" he sighed- "he got unstable. I don't know if it was stress or alcohol or what, but he left both of them and then never knew where he went. It was pretty much hushed up."

Sapnap paused in thought. "I knew he walked out. I didn't know why, or that he had stopped, like, I don't know, being a dad. Techno never said."

He started the car after another lull.

On the way back to school Wilbur asked,

"Are you still mad at him?"

Sapnap glared at the road when he remembered. Doesn't excuse what he did. But I guess...

"I'll drop it for now," he said.

The school day passed with nothing of note.

Sapnap rode on his bike for an hour, searching with the other guys.

Everything played out as normal.

Until that night when he was ignoring his homework. He got a text.

From an unknown number.

Lunch Friday. Go alone to the library. LDNRTR

(2k words)

😎