The words were still ringing in my ears. My heart was racing in my chest. I turned to look at Staton one more time, hoping we would have the same realization.

"Where's Julia?" He asks, standing on his tippy toes to try and get a better look at the crowd. I shake my head hoping for this night be to over once more and wishing that Julia was just in the bathroom or something.

I pushed past the people, trying to get to Breygan and Aria. They were the last two people to have seen her, and if anyone knew where she was it would be them.

"Where is Julia!" I shouted, grabbing Breygan's shirt as I launched through the last group of people. He stuttered backwards and I could smell the alcohol on his breath. How much had he have to drink? I did my best to hold him stable, but Aria was jumping on my back trying to pull me off of him. "She is missing where is she?" I asked a little more calm, but that didn't mean I had eased up. I was freaking out, my veins snapping at every passing second.

I felt responsible for her.

She was the only one that had real dreams, ambitions and here we were taking her away from all of that. Now was she was gone and I wasn't sure where to look first.

"She is probably just in the bathroom," Aria muttered, her words slurring together. My eyes shot to the empty glass on the table, the smallest amount of blue liquid still oozing over the ice cubes. Shit!

"You freaking idiots!" I shout once again before pushing Breygan as hard as I could. I needed to get some air to breathe, but I knew that wouldn't be an option until I could find Julia. She was so young, and she had no clue where we were at.

I felt like the worst friend in the entire world.

I shove my way through as many people as I could, searching for anything sign that would lead me to the bathroom. She could possibly be in there, but I felt like we would have seen her leaving the group if she had.

"Damn!" I shout, cursing myself for paying too much attention to Staton. If I would have been more focused this wouldn't even be a problem. But here I was, paying for my own lack of attention.

Finally the lights hit my eyes, the only one in this entire club that was solid. A large neon pink sign was tacked up on the wall and waiting below it was a long line of girls. Julia would never be in the bathroom if the line was this long. I scoff before jumping to the end of the line, scanning all of the girls to make sure she wasn't one of the ones waiting.

She was nowhere to be seen.

I found Staton as quickly as I could, hoping he would have more information for us. Unfortunately for me this was not the case.

"Where do you think she could have gone?" I question, hoping to come up with something quick. Images of the 'First 48' starts flashing through my mind, only allowing the anxiety to build up inside me. Soon I was going to explode.

"Should I run back to the truck?" Staton asks, looking at me with a fear in his eyes I hadn't seen before the shooting. One that I wished I would never see again. A bit was forming in my stomach. Things were continuously going bad for us. The longer we were away from our families the more it seemed like everything was falling apart. Were we really not ready to be on our own?

I could almost hear my mother's voice in the back of my head. She would be shouting at me, telling me how stupid I was and how I've ruined yet another party for her. I used to ruin parties all the time.

"Maple!" I hear Staton shout, pulling me out of my thoughts. I shake my head.

"No I will run to the truck and check for her, the three of you need to keep searching in here." I threw my hands in the air running them through the long red hair hanging from my head. We needed to find her and I felt like with the boys in here we would have a better chance.

Without even giving Staton a chance to answer me, I turn on my heel heading straight for the main exit. If she was stupid enough to leave I wanted to be the one to find her.

I scoffed once again, trying to bury all the feelings the thoughts of my mother were bringing up.

You're not good enough, not smart enough, not pretty enough. Oh Maple don't do that, girls can't do that, and why are you such a slob?

I couldn't help it, as the people begin to thin out my thoughts were growing heavier with anger. Building up like a wall that was ready to crash down and destroy me. Squished below the weight of the memories I realized I needed the fresh air more than I had thought. I tugged at the dress I was wearing, trying to find any sense of common ground.

I needed to be in my best mindset.

I'd never find Julia if I was so distracted.

I burst through the doors of the club, nearly flinging them into a younger couple that were trying to head it. I decide to check the line first, maybe she had gone outside for a moment and was now trying to get back in. It wrapped nearly around the entire block.

Did this make it better or worse?

If people were out here when she came out then that means no one kidnapped her right?

But maybe someone would have assumed all these kids were too focused on their own lives to give a shit about a poor nineteen year old girl that shouldn't have been out in the first place.

I tried to reel myself back in. Reminding myself that Julia was okay, we would find her, but as I tried to convince myself an overwhelming shaky feeling started to take over my body. If I wanted to be useful I needed to act fast.

"Julia!" I shout, as girls turn to look at me, their faces screwed up in disgust. I couldn't be bothered with the glares though. My friend was much more important. "Julia!"

I made my way further down the line, checking every single face I could before stepping to the next person. Julia wasn't here. I felt my heart start to race even harder. All of my ideas were running out. I was grasping for straws, and air, hoping to find the girl I should have never swept away from her family.

I felt like I'd kidnapped her, and if I hadn't told her it was a good idea we would have never been in this situation.

The couples could have fled, we needed to get away from our homes. Julia would have made new friends. She was charismatic like that, always loving to be around people.

But maybe tonight that would be her downfall.

What was I supposed to do if something bad had happened to her? When were we supposed to just call our mothers and explain to them everything that has happened?

I thought about what it would be like to return home. My mother would berate me every chance she could. She would make me feel small, and tear me apart until the therapy I would be forced to go to would no longer have anything to do with the shooting and everything to do with her.

I rounded the corner realizing the line ended minutes ago. I shook my head once again.

"Shit Maple, focus." I muttered under my breath as I turned to walk towards the parking garage.

I needed her to be there, to be somewhere nearby. Then I realized one very big mistake we all had forgotten. I pull my phone out of my purse quickly dialing her number and waiting for her soft voice to pickup on the other line.

The phone range, and with every single shrill of that annoying sound my heart sank in my chest even deeper.

Julia answer your phone.

My heart was pounding so hard on my chest I felt like it was going to rip right out of my chest. Nervous sweats were forming on my body and I was probably honestly starting to smell because of it.

"Shit." I muttered once again, redialing her number when the phone goes to voicemail.

"Julia!" I shout, checking the alleys as I pass by them, hoping to see any sign of her.

I was ready to start sprinting towards the truck. Hoping she would have found her way back. Mentally cursing Breygan forever giving her any alcohol. She couldn't handle it. She never drank back home, this would have been her first night ever touching the stuff that I knew of.

Why would she have done something like that?

I glanced down the last alley before entering the garage. Near the end of it was a group of people, standing around a barrel. Orange flames were growing higher and higher, lighting the peoples faces with every dance of the embers.

A tall girl in what looked like the same dress as Julia was wearing stands with her back turned to me, a red solo cup in her hand. There were guys there, all watching her with hungry eyes as she takes yet another sip of her drink. I cursed mentally. Realizing I wouldn't be able to take on all of these guys.

I sat carefully watching for a moment. Begging for her to just turn around and walk away. But would she be able to hear my worry? I could sense she was a little on edge, awkwardly shifting from one foot to the other, or maybe something else was going on. She stumbled backwards for a second, one of the guys placing his hand on the small of her back.

Anger lit up inside me dancing higher than the flames that had shown me their faces. They were ragged, and bruised, as if they were living on the streets. I scoffed, realizing I had made a noise.

Jumping to hide myself with the building I pulled my phone out and quickly dialed 911.

"Julia!" I shouted, as I turned back around the building.

Her legs seemed weak as she turned to look at me, those rosy red cheeks and full lips smiling back at me as she recognized my voice. Her eyes were half closed though, fading with the drink in her hand. They must have put something else in it.

"Julia come here," I muttered, one of the guys jumping to grab her arm. Holding her so she couldn't take any steps towards me.

"I have the police on the line, let go of my friend or I will send them straight to your location." I say as calmly as I can while still sounding big and tough. Would he really fall for it. I held the phone in the air so that they could see I was serious. I turned to look towards the street hoping for a miracle to happen, where someone would come rushing to help us.

I should have called Staton.

"We have a liar on our hands here boys," The man closest to Julia mutters, his voice dancing through the air like a bad cigarette, sending chills down my spine. I focused on his hand as it rests on her arm.

I panicked, my finger pressing the button to actually call the police.

His eyes lit up at the sight, I held the phone to my ear.

"Oh fuck just take your dumbass friend!" He scoffs, using the grip he had on her to force her towards me. "We will be gone by the time the pigs get here anyways." He flipped me the bird, holding his hand high in the air as they quickly put out the fire.

Julia turned to look at me, her eyes still hazy, I just needed her to make it the last few feet to me and we would be able to go home.

Home?

As she tried her best to walk towards me, her shoe slips up and Julia stumbles past her means of balance, falling for the ground as everything around me goes black.