As Pearl stormed out of the library, she barely made it past the hallway before running smack into Jason.
Literally.
Books went flying.
"Oh my God—" Pearl muttered, rubbing her forehead. "Do you people *ever* stop ambushing me?"
Jason blinked, stunned. "Pearl? I was actually coming to find you."
"Why? Did Armstrong send you too? Or is this part of a secret plan to ruin my mental health?"
Jason looked uncomfortable. "It's about Sheila."
Pearl tensed.
Jason's voice dropped to a grave whisper, the weight of his words sinking into the silence.
"She's missing."
Pearl blinked, confusion flashing across her face.
"Missing?" she echoed, her voice barely audible. "What do you mean *missing*?"
Jason rubbed the back of his neck, clearly distraught.
"She left this morning… never showed up for lectures. Her phone's been off all day. She didn't come home either. I thought maybe she checked in with you."
Pearl's chest tightened. A cold dread seeped in, settling like ice in her gut.
"No… she didn't say a word. Not last night. Not this morning. Nothing."Her eyes sharpened. "We need to look for her. Immediately. No police yet. Not until we're sure."
Jason gave a stiff nod, tension radiating from him.
Pearl took a breath, steadying herself.
"Do you have any idea where else she could be? Besides school?"
Jason shook his head silently, eyes dark with helplessness.
Pearl's tone shifted more biting now.
"Then think harder. Her favorite spot? A quiet hideout? You've been with her for a while now."
Pearl raised an eyebrow. Her tone sharpened a little.
She didn't hide the sting in her words. *"You should know someone you're claiming as your *girlfriend-slash-sugar crush*, shouldn't you?"
Guilt flickered across Jason's face like a lightning flash. He couldn't deny the truth in her words — or the shame that came with them.
Pearl didn't wait for a response. She stepped forward, eyes fierce.
"You go that way,"Pearl said firmly, trying to stay focused. *"Anywhere you think she might've gone. I'll double-check with her coursemates."
Jason nodded without a word, spun around, and bolted in the opposite direction.
***
Armstrong stepped out of the library, earbuds in, fully ready to tease Pearl. But then—he stopped mid-step.
There she was, talking to Jason. But it wasn't just any conversation.
They looked… intense. Their voices weren't raised, but their body language screamed tension. Pearl's arms were folded tightly, Jason's hands kept moving—pointing, waving, raking through his hair. It didn't look like two friends talking.
It looked like a couple fighting.
A second later, they both turned sharply and walked in opposite directions. No hug, no goodbye. Nothing.
*Weird* Armstrong thought. "What was that about?"
His curiosity got the better of him, and he followed Pearl at a distance.
***
After searching through nearly every possible spot on campus—benches, classrooms, even the quiet corners of the library—Pearl checked her phone. Almost time for her part-time shift. Still no sign.
She headed to the back of the faculty cafeteria to cut through the shortcut. There, beneath the old cherry tree with its brittle branches and shedding pink leaves, she saw him.
Jason.
He looked drained, sitting on the stone bench with his head lowered like a statue carved out of regret.
Pearl approached slowly.
*"Did you find anything?"* she asked quietly.
Jason looked up and shook his head once, defeated.
*"No clue. No sign. Nothing,"* he muttered.
A long sigh escaped Pearl's lips as she sank onto the bench beside him.
Then Jason turned to her and gave a small, bitter smile.
Pearl blinked, caught off guard.
"Why are you smiling like that? What's going on?"
Jason let out a dry chuckle, still wearing that ghost of a smile.
"Pearl, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry things didn't work out between us," he said softly, almost like he was confessing to a priest rather than her. "I messed up, and I know that now."
Pearl stood there frozen for a moment, processing the sudden twist in conversation. Then, without a word, she turned her back on him, ready to leave. She wasn't ready for this. Not now. Not when everything else was falling apart.
But Jason wasn't done. He reached out and caught her wrist gently, his voice now trembling.
"Pearl… please. I still… I still like you. I mean, I really like you. I just—" He choked on his words, desperate to speak what his heart had buried for too long.
"I'll make it right. Somehow. I'll fix this. I know you feel something too. You have to."
Pearl stopped. A slow, cold laugh escaped her lips as she turned to face him, eyes blazing.
"Don't touch me," she snapped, yanking her hand away. "I'm not some piece of trash you pick up when it's convenient and toss aside when you're bored, and beside isn't your sugarcrush missing ?"
Her words hit like a slap.
Without waiting for his response, she turned and stormed off, her shoes crunching angrily against the gravel.
Just as she stepped out from the shadow of the cafeteria building, she almost collided with Armstrong, who was leaning casually against the wall.
He didn't say a word.
But his eyes those sharp, unreadable eyes held something dangerous. Something that said he had heard everything.
Pearl's heart skipped.
Then, behind her, she heard Jason's voice again, calling out as he ran after her.
"Pearl! Pearl, please, hear me out. I'm sorry—"
He skidded to a stop the moment he caught sight of Armstrong standing beside her.
The tension was instant.
Armstrong crossed his arms, eyes narrowing as he glanced from Pearl to Jason.
"Why are you two coming out from behind the cafeteria building together?" he asked, tone low but laced with suspicion. "What's going on here?"
There was something in his gaze, a flicker of hurt hidden beneath all that scrutiny.
Pearl stepped forward, sensing the rising awkwardness.
"Jason's girlfriend, Sheila, is missing. I'm helping him look for her. That's all, Armstrong."
Jason nodded quickly. "Yeah, exactly. That's all."
But Armstrong didn't flinch. His eyes remained fixed on Jason.
"Then why were you apologizing just now?" he asked slowly, every word heavy with implied meaning.
Pearl jumped in before Jason could stammer out another half-truth.
"You ask too many questions, Armstrong." Her voice was sharp, light enough to seem teasing but firm enough to shut him down.
She stepped closer.
"Will you help us search or not?"
A beat of silence passed before Armstrong finally nodded.
"Sure. Where are we starting from?"
But the look in his eyes said he wasn't just joining the search for Sheila.