I can’t write long — I’m literally between classes right now, but I’m totally freaking out and I have no one to talk to.

Maddie was gone when I woke up this morning.

We had a good night last night — we ordered Thai food for dinner, and watched X-Files, and talked about Georgia and random shit idk. I tried to get her to talk about the woods, but she looked at me super earnestly and said, “Please can we not? Can we just have a good night tonight?”

And I don’t know, she seemed so helpless so I just kinda agreed. I figured I’d get her to talk about it when she wasn’t so freaked out. And like, it was a super good night. Totally normal. Better than normal actually. We were like friends from a starry-eyed 90s kids movie where one of the kids dies at the end.

But like before the part where he dies, just the like magical friendship montage part. Honestly I don’t remember that movie that well I’ve only seen it once and I hated it I’m sorta freaking out right now and I don’t know what I’m talking about.

And then this morning she’s just gone. I asked Georgia if she’d seen her, but Georgia hasn’t heard from her since last night.

Shit the bell rang, I have to go.

I’m sure she just had to run home before class. She’ll turn up at lunch and explain everything.

She’s gone.

She didn’t show up at school, her phone goes straight to voicemail, and her parents haven’t seen her.

Her parents called the police at around six when no one had heard from her. They think she must have run away or something — Sheriff Marlow said it wasn’t uncommon for gifted kids to run off senior year. But that’s not Maddie. She’s like immune to pressure.

I don’t know what else to say. I’m so freaked out. I just need her to call me.