Halsey~

      I felt the wind gushing through my hair. I stood at the brink of the stadium. Albrecht Stadium. Where my dad, Hahn Salder, had vanished. I fell onto my knees, staring at the wide, open stadium. It is now a dry, deserted place filled with insects and dust. After the incident when my dad disappeared, no one ever comes back here. Only I, Halsey Salder, stand here every day, every day since that night. Occasionally I notice my mom sneaking out, and I guess she comes here, because I saw the ring made of shiny blue topaz one day. It was covered in dust and had scratches, but I could recognize that ring anywhere. It was my parents’ wedding ring, the one that was the center of my bedtime stories. I had brought it home that day, and gently washed it. It now resides in the safest place in my room.

Jasper~
      The cold was bone-chilling, and that Halsey just won’t open the door. I rang the doorbell for the third time, and when she didn’t open, I sat down on the steps to her porch. We're gonna be late for school. But I’m sure she had a reason. I waited, and looked around. Her house amazed me every day since kindergarden. It was a small home, but not too small. The steps were vintage, and they had the names of the family members who were no longer. On each side were around ten small gnomes, each one with a different expression. My favorite one had a fluffy orange hat, a merry nose, and was always smiling. Just like Halsey, minus the hat. Just when I had given up and was about to leave, she bursts through the door. Her hair had flyaways, and her jacket was zipped only one fourth of the way. She was holding a sesame bagel that was only half done.
      “Sorry I’m late. I was up ‘till midnight.”
      “You could’ve at least let me in. I think I got hypothermia.”
      Halsey remained quiet. She wasn’t talking as much as usual, and her eyes were dull. They were usually bright and jolly, but today, they were almost gray. Almost as if she had been… crying.  But why? Halsey Salder was the perfect kid, caring, nice, and pretty. She always gets good grades, she’s always surrounded by a bunch of people, and she’s in student council. Why would she of all people be sad? We neared Collins Middle School, and parted ways. I would see her during 2nd period.

Halsey~
      He doesn’t know. I noticed Jasper sneaking glances at me every then and now. He had the same look on his face. Confusion. He doesn’t know my secrets. I have been keeping them from my best friend. I wonder if he ever thought about why I was so distant very frequently, and if he did, he never said it out loud. He probably thinks that I’m always so happy, so light-hearted. But ever since his uncle made my dad disappear, I haven’t been the same. Every time I look at him, I am reminded of my dad. Jasper’s face was long and narrow, his eyes were a little too large, and his nose went a little to the side. An exact copy of his uncle. If I didn’t despise his uncle so much, I would almost say he’s good-looking. But I learned to accept that Jasper wasn’t at fault, and that he would always stay by my side.
      It was 1st period, science class, and Mr. Azzaro was lecturing to us about why insects can’t dominate the world. Ugh. I was about to fall asleep, when I noticed something. There was a new clipping on Mr. Azzaro’s billboard, and from what I could see, the header read, “Welsh Queens: Found In Arizona.” Queens. Jasper Queens. His uncle, who had run off after the incident, was now in Arizona. Almost half-way across the country. After trudging through the entire period, I walked up to the billboard. Only half the article was there, the bottom looked as if it had been ripped off. I took the article and went up to Mr. Azzaro.
      “Do you know where the other part of this article is?”
      “I ripped it off, because in the picture there was a rodent. It was scrawling through the background, and I thought it would be nice to show it to you guys.”
       “May I please have it once you’re done? Thanks.” I ran off to 2nd period; I was about to be late.
       As I neared Mrs. Brunner’s room, I saw Jasper sitting in his seat. Did he know that his uncle has been found? If he did, he probably wouldn’t mention it anyway. I picked the seat right next to him and he turned to face me.
       “Hey, have you heard about my uncle? He was found!” Jasper’s face was enlightened by his happiness, and I couldn’t break it.
       “Really? That’s great! I’m super happy for you.”

       But of course he would be happy. His dear uncle has been found. Well. I'm not going to think about that anymore, it ruins me a little on the inside every time. Rainbows and sunshine, I told myself.