**AUTHOR'S NOTE** Rochelle's charecter is refered to mainly as "Shelly" from this chapter on. It's her nickname, I just thought I'd use it more cuz I like it better.
A few minutes after her mom left, AJ pulled up rather quickly in her driveway. AJ didn't know what was the matter- he didn't really now much about her situation at all let alone everything that had happened that night. He put the car in park and ran up to her on the porch. "Shelly, you alright? Why are you so upset?" It was dark out and he couldn't see the mark on her face yet.
"I'll be ok if I can just get away from here." she said, standing up as AJ grabbed her bag and put it in the back of his Expedition while she climbed in the passenger seat. She glanced up at her house and saw her father watching from the window. "AJ, hurry up. We need to leave now!"
AJ jumped in the car and backed out of the driveway and drove down her street. Shelly exhaled a breath she didn't realize she had been holding as they were away from her house. AJ glanced curiously at her out of the side of his eye while he drove. "Do you want me to take you to Nick's?"
Shelly thought for a minute. "Actually, could you take me someplace else? I just want some time to think. I've got my cell- I can call Nick when I'm ready to go home."
"Where do you want to go?"
"Lincoln Park, near the elementary school. It's where I go to sort things out."
AJ made a few turns through the neighborhood until they arrived at the quiet park. "Do you want me to stay here with you? We don't have to talk, I just don't feel too good leaving you all alone here at night."
"You don't have to. I'm sure you have somewhere you need to be." she said, opening the door.
When the door opened, the light in the car came on, and for the first time, AJ got a good look at the mark left on her face. He gasped. "Shelly, what happened to your face?"
"It's nothing. I'm fine, really. Does it look that bad?"
"Well, it's pretty obvious if that's what you're asking. How did this happen?"
"AJ, it's a really long story." she sighed.
"Well, I'm here to listen...."
"You sure you don't mind?"
"Shell-Bell, I know what family problems are like. I only know a little bit about what's happened, but I can try and understand. At the very least, I can be here to listen."
"Thank you, AJ. It's not that I don't want to talk to Nick, because I really do, it's just that he's come from such a great family that it would be hard for him to relate to all my feelings."
"I understand. Come on." He offered her his hand and they walked over to the playground. They climbed on to the top of the monkey bars and sat next to each other waiting for Shelly to tell her story.
When Nick hung up the phone with his family in LA, he wondered if Shelly had been trying to get a hold of him. He looked for his cell to check his messages when he realized he left it in AJ's car. "Fuck!"
He called Shelly's house and let it ring awhile before her father picked it up.
"What?" was how he answered the phone.
"Umm..is Rochelle there?" he asked, carefully.
"No, she left and I wouldn't expect her back here either." he said, his speech still slurred, though not as bad as it was earlier.
"Well, do you think you could tell me where she went?" he asked.
"I don't know. She was upset, some guy came over, she left."
"Thanks a lot!" Nick said angrily and hung up the phone.
The more Nick thought about her, the more worried she became. She had promised she would call him, and who was this guy that came and picked her up? He decided calling Julie's apartment and see if she was there or if she had heard from her.
"Hello?" Julie answerd, sleepily.
"Julie? You sleeping already?"
"Nick? What the hell do you want calling me this late?"
"I was wondering if Shelly was there with you."
"No, shouldn't she be with you? Did you guys have another fight?"
"No, actually we're great. But then I took her home, her dad was drunk and yelling, she insisted I leave but she promised she'd call. Well my line was busy cuz I was talking to my mom for awhile so I called her house and her dad said she left- some guy came and picked her up and not to expect her to be back at her house. Who do you think this guy could be?"
Julie was now wide awake. She knew something must've happened. "I don't know, Nick. She doesn't really have any other guy friends. Have you called Kate's? Maybe she's there?"
"No, I called you first. I'll call Kate and then I'll call you back, ok?"
"Yeah, ok Nick." Julie hung up and explained to Brian what was going one while Nick called Kate.
"Kate? Have you heard from Shelly tonight?"
"No, why what's wrong?"
"She's kind of missing. Her dad was really drunk tonight and now she's gone from her house. Her dad said she left with some guy but we can't figure out who it could be. Shit! This is my fault! If only I hadn't left my cell in AJ's car or tied up the phone so long, she could have called me! Fuck!" Nick was starting to panic.
"Nick, get a grip. I'm sure she's fine. She wouldn't have had some complete stranger come pick her up. She'll turn up, just be calm! Now, I'm going back to sleep. Call if you hear anything important, ok?"
"Yeah, whatever." Nick answered. He called Julie back. "Jules, she's not with Kate. Do you think we should just wait to find her?"
"I don't know, Nick. If it'll make you feel better, I'll help you look for her now. Was it really that bad with her father? You seem really worked up."
"I don't know what it was- maybe the look in his eyes or something. I just don't have a good feeling."
"Ok. I'll take my cell and go looking. I know a few places she could be. Why don't you just stay there in case she's headed that way? Call me if she turns up so I can go back to bed, ok?"
"Thanks Julie!"
"Sure, Nick." Julie hung up and woke Brian up, who had slept through the entire phone call. "Brian! Why don't you go over to Nick's? He's worried out of his mind cuz he can't find Shelly anywhere. I'm going to go look for her."
"Ya know, I was having a really nice dream and you just woke me up!" Brian complained.
"Oh really? What about?"
"You and I were....nevermind!" Brian blushed.
"Yeah, that's what I thought! Now get dressed!
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