Chapter 11 He Does Not Have a Phone
+8 Pearls
Maggie was fuming as she threw herself down onto the couch with a frustrated thud.
“Maddy, are you sure Joshua is really attending 27th Street High?” she demanded, suddenly struck by a lingering doubt. She turned her fiery gaze toward Maddy, who was casually playing with her phone.
Maddy barely lifted her eyes from the screen and said indifferently, “I don’t know. Who cares where he goes to school?”
“You’re his sister! How can you not know where your brother is studying?” Maggie’s fury grew with every word, her voice rising sharply.
“I’m busy with work, okay? I don’t have time to keep track of where he goes!” Maddy snapped her head up defensively, a touch of annoyance creeping into her voice. “Besides, if you and Dad don’t know, how am I supposed to know?”
“Your father and…” Maggie opened her mouth to retort but found herself momentarily at a loss for words.
With a dismissive shrug, Maddy added nonchalantly, “Wherever he is, just find him and bring him back. It’s not like he’s not going to school.”
For some reason, Maddy’s nonchalant words triggered an unsettling thought in Maggie’s mind. She suddenly recalled the papers which were signed by all three of them.
“If I get my hands on him, I’ll make sure I smack his hands!” She fumed, not lingering too long on the uneasy thought.
Just then, Katherine rushed into the room, her voice urgent. “Mrs. Fraser! Mr. Stuart just sent word. It seems Mr. Joshua has indeed been attending classes at 27th Street High these past few days. However, due to the storm, the school’s on break for three days. There haven’t been any classes!”
“Then, where on earth did he go?” Maggie demanded, her patience wearing dangerously thin.
Katherine shook her head. “We don’t know. Mr. Stuart asked around, but even the teachers at 27th Street High don’t know where he’s been staying.”
“Sh*t!” Maggie was very furious. She turned toward Maggie with a hard look. “Call Wendy. Ask her if anyone else has received a call or message from Joshua.”
“Mom, why are you stressing over this so much?” Maddy groaned in frustration. “He’ll come crawling back eventually. With the storm coming, there’s no way he’s staying out. Just give it a
few days he’ll be back for sure”
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Chapter 11 He Does Not Have a Phone
+8 Pearl:
“Just ask her when I ask you to do so. Why are you making such a fuss?” Maggie’s voice was tight with frustration, her patience wearing thin.
“Fine, fine!” Maddy sighed, resigned to her mother’s impatience. She quickly sent out a message on Snapchat. After a moment, she glanced up and reported, “I’ve asked already. Wendy, Shirley, Judy, Indy, and Cassidy have heard nothing from him.”
“Then, call him!” Maggie demanded, her frustration bubbling over.
“Call who?” Maddy asked, genuinely confused.
“Who else? Call Joshua and tell him to come back!” Maggie’s words were practically spat through gritted teeth, her anger boiling over.
Maddy froze for a second before stammering, “I… I don’t have his number!”
“You don’t have his number?” Maggie’s sharp gaze narrowed in disbelief.
“Why would I have it? I don’t even have him on Snapchat anymore,” Maddy explained. “He used to annoy me all the time there, so I deleted him!”
“You!” Maggie’s eyes flared with fury. “Ask your sisters! See if any of them have his number.”
Maddy quickly sent another message, then looked up, shrugging helplessly. “The others are all in the same boat as me–no number. Cassidy didn’t respond; she was probably in class. But Mom, why don’t you just call him? Why do I have to do it?”
Maggie glared at her daughter, her frustration practically radiating from her, but without another word, she took her phone and began scrolling through her contacts.
After a minute, she suddenly paused, her face growing tight with discomfort.
“Mom… Don’t tell me you don’t have his Snapchat and number either?” Maddy asked incredulously.
“I remember… Yes, I used to have it, but…” Maggie’s expression suddenly turned dark as a realization struck her. “He must have lost his phone once, didn’t he?”
“Huh? Oh, back then…” Maddy’s expression faltered for a moment, guilt flashing across her face. “Yes, he did lose his phone last year, at the end of the year.”
“That’s what I thought! I don’t have his phone number or Snapchat anymore,” Maggie declared, her voice tinged with frustration. Then, as if suddenly remembering something,
she turned to Maddy. “Wait, does Joshua even have a phone?”
“Uh…” Maddy hesitated, suddenly unsure how to answer.
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6:20 pm
Chapter 11 He Does Not Have a Phone
+8 Pearl
In her memory, aside from the phone Joshua had lost, it seemed he never used any other phone. She wasn’t sure if she had simply forgotten, but as far as she could recall, she had never seen him with a phone, and no one ever called him directly.
After a brief pause, she finally spoke up. “He might have an old phone… One of those basic ones that can only make calls and send texts. It’s not a smartphone, so he wouldn’t have Snapchat on it.”
“What?” Maggie’s eyes widened in disbelief. “He doesn’t have a proper phone?”
“I’m not sure if Dad or Wendy got him one,” Maddy replied, clearly flustered. “We’d have to ask them. Maybe they bought him a smartphone at some point.”
Maggie frowned, and without a second thought, she immediately dialed David’s number.
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