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(Alexa sat at her desk working on her computer when suddenly her phone buzzed. She picked it up to see a new message from Cody, one of her good friends. She felt her heart drop as she saw that Cody had sent her a picture of Anthony with a red cross over his face. Anthony was their friend from high school, and they had remained close even after all these years.
Alexa quickly replied back to Cody, “What happened? Is Anthony okay?”. She anxiously waited for Cody’s response, her mind racing with all the possibilities of what could have happened to Anthony.
Cody responded back, “I don’t know, but we need to find out. Meet me at the park in an hour.”
Alexa quickly gathered her things, grabbed her keys and headed out the door. She knew that something was wrong and was determined to find out what it was.
As she drove to the park her mind wouldn’t stop racing. “What could have happened to Anthony? Was he hurt? Why would someone put a red cross over his face?” she thought to herself.
Finally, she arrived at the park and saw Cody waiting for her. “What’s going on?” she asked him as she got out of the car.
Cody handed her his phone and she saw the picture of Anthony once again. “We need to find him,” he said.
“Where do we start?” Alexa asked.
“I don’t know, but we need to start somewhere,” Cody said as he looked around the area.
As they searched around the park, they caught sight of a stranger who had a familiar looking tattoo on his hand. They carefully approached him and they realized that it was Anthony.
“Anthony, are you okay?” Alexa asked anxiously.
Anthony looked up, his eyes filled with fear. “No, I’ve been trying to avoid someone who’s been following me. You guys arrived just in time,” he said with relief.
“Let’s get out of here,” Cody said in a firm voice. “We’ll take you to the police and report this.”
They quickly headed to the police station and reported what had happened to Anthony. The police immediately got to work and eventually was able to catch the person that followed Anthony.
Alexa, Cody, and Anthony all smiled with relief as they learned that they were all safe. “Thanks, you guys,” Anthony said. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“You can always count on us,” Alexa replied with a smile.
As they left the station, Alexa couldn’t help but be grateful for her friends and for the happy ending to a scary situation. It was then that she realized how much she valued her friends, and how important it was to always be there for one another.)
Alexa opened her eyes at once, realizing that it was all a dream. She wondered what the dream meant but she didn’t dwell on it for much.
Later in the day…
Nolan had been out of town for a whole week, and it was starting to worry Alexa. When he finally returned, she noticed that something was off. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days and was clearly lost. Alexa immediately went to Nolan and hugged him tightly, happy to see him home safe.
Even though she was greatly mad at him, she could not hide the happiness in her heart at the fact that he had finally returned.
Nolan held onto her tightly, feeling relief that he was finally back home. “I missed you,” he said, his voice cracking.
“I missed you too,” she replied, pulling back to look him in the eyes. “What happened? You look awful.”
Nolan let out a deep sigh before replying, “I just had a lot on my mind, and I needed to get away for a while.”
Alexa nodded, understanding Nolan’s need for space, but something still felt off. That’s when she noticed Anthony walking towards them. Alexa’s anger flared up, knowing that her father was the cause of Nolan’s distress.
“Where have you been?” Anthony barked at Nolan, ignoring Alexa’s presence.
Nolan’s face fell, knowing this wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation. “I just needed to get away, Dad,” he replied, his voice calm but tense.
“You didn’t have permission to leave,” Anthony yelled, his face turning red with anger.
Nolan tried to remain calm, but the frustration was starting to show on his face. “I don’t need your permission, Dad. I’m an adult,” he replied firmly.
Anthony’s patience had worn thin, and before anyone could react, he punched Nolan square in the face. Alexa gasped in shock, trying to process what had just happened.Content rights belong to NôvelDrama.Org.
“Nolan!” she cried out, running towards him.
Nolan stumbled back as Anthony continued yelling at him about respect and proper behavior. Frustrated, Nolan ran to his room, slamming the door shut and locking it behind him.
Alexa stood in silence for a moment, trying to process what had just happened. She knew that her father had a temper, but she never thought he would resort to violence.
She took a deep breath before heading towards Nolan’s room. She knocked gently on the door, hoping he would let her in.
“Nolan, it’s me, Alexa. Can I come in?” she asked softly.
There was a pause before Nolan replied, his voice still tense. “Yeah, sure,” he muttered.
Alexa slowly opened the door, finding her son sitting on the edge of his bed, holding his swollen cheek. She walked over to him, sitting down next to him.
“I’m sorry, Nolan. I never thought he would do something like that,” she said, placing a hand on his back.
Nolan shook his head, still trying to process what had just happened. “It’s fine. This isn’t the first time he’s lost his temper, and I doubt it will be the last,” he replied bitterly.
Alexa knew that Nolan was hurting, and she didn’t blame him for feeling resentful towards their father. She sat next to him in silence, just being there for him when he needed her the most.