Another few days passed, and still no word from Meredith. No phone call, nothing.
Though her work continued to be the talk of the community art show, her mysterious disappearance was on everybody's mind. The police had been notified, and promptly released notices to the various precincts.
Meridith's vague note did suggest that she knew what she was doing, though her methods bordered on madness. Meanwhile, Amy and her mother, Alison, did their best to provide emotional support for Meredith's mother, Jane, who was understandably consumed by the worst fears. Even Meredith's father seemed genuinely concerned, though Amy could barely conceal her contempt for him.
"The reason Meredith is so messed up is because of her father," Amy explained to Ariadne. But when Ariadne asked 'why' Amy chose not to elaborate.
Ariadne held her tongue. It was a difficult time for her. Her relationship with Amy seemed stuck in neutral, and while she couldn't help feeling jealous of Amy's closeness to Meredith, Meredith's disappearance did concern her. She hoped Meredith was okay, even though she found her to be a little strange.
Ariadne knew that in a few weeks, she'd be heading off to school, and it was unlikely that Amy would be joining her. And while it saddened her, she was extremely jazzed at the prospect of living a life in the way she wanted. Regardless of what happened between her and Amy, she'd at least be able to control her own destiny.
Ariadne was a sharp young woman, and had already begun mapping out her path. One evening over the phone, she explained to a distracted Amy.
"I've already talked to a couple of my math instructors and they think if I keep acing my work, I might be able to get a partial scholarship and some paid internships."
"That's great, Ari." Amy had to admit, her Greek-American girlfriend was clever. Brief trysts with Ariadne and Meredith had convinced Amy that she liked being intimate with those of her own sex. But setting up with Ari seemed unwise. Amy wanted more time to get comfortable in her skin. Still, too many questions.
"Are your parents paying for your housing?" Amy asked Ariadne.
"Yes, and I know where you're going with that. If they're paying, then they'll want to control who I room with."
"Well, if guys are out, and girls are out, what's left?" Amy pressed her friend.
"Of course, they'd probably prefer I roomed alone, but it's too pricey, so they'll allow for me to room with another girl. And since it's not going to be you, it should be okay."
"But they know you like girls, don't they?"
"Not really. I think I've done a pretty good job of downplaying that. And it's not like she caught us having sex!" Ariadne argued.
"Yeah, but were naked in bed together," Amy added with a roll of her eyes.
"She says we looked too cozy to be just sleeping."
Amy laughed.
"Yeah, I know. I keep telling her that she's making far too much of this, but since they're paying for my tuition, I have to be very nice. Anyway, I've agreed not to see you for a while."
"So, I'm taking the fall," Amy winced.
"Hey, I'm the one who's in deep shit, not you. Once I secure scholarship money, I won't have to rely on them so much. Definitely, not possible my first year."
"And that's it?" Amy asked.
"I did tell them that I like guys, and plan to date them. Mainly so they'll allow me some breathing space. Having them constantly checking up on me is driving me fucking nuts."
"What are going to do, find a boyfriend?" Amy asked, resisting the urge to laugh at the absurdity of it.
"Pretty much. There's this guy, Martin, in my science class who wanted to date me until I told him I was into girls. He's super sweet, so I've asked him if he'd be willing to be my cover, you know, pretend he's my boyfriend, to throw my parents off the scent."
"Come on, Ari, he's probably hoping you'll date him," Amy noted, skeptically.
"No, he isn't. He's just helping me out. And he's attending an out-of-state college, so we don't have to see each other during the school year."
Amy was dubious. This was the type of deception Meredith might consider. Not Ari.
"It'll be fine. I'll invite him over for dinner and it will be awkward and embarrassing, but he'll get to enjoy my mom's cooking, and get to swim in the pool."
"And see you in that hot bikini," Amy noted in a suggestive tone.
"Not with the parents around. Oh Amy, there will come a time when I will be free of all this."
"I sure hope so," Amy agreed.
Ari was definitely determined, and she had to admit, the girl meant business. Even so, Amy and Ari needed to have some serious conversations before Ari headed off to school, of only to put Ari's mind at ease. She loved Ari, and would be devastated if she lost her friendship.
And where in the heck was Meredith? Despite everyone's growing concerns, particularly Meredith's mother, Amy held out hope. For reasons she couldn't explain, she believed that Meredith was fine. "She's going to call," Amy repeated, as her daily mantra.
Amy refused to imagine the worst. Ari was right; it was just like Meredith to disappear without letting others know what she was up to. Though why drop out of sight during the middle of a successful art show? It made no sense. She was doing well, wasn't she? And hadn't Amy stood by her side when she'd been asked to?
Jane was sure that Meredith had taken her passport, and had the police run some flight checks. Amy mentioned the man they had seen talking to Meredith at the show, and they were checking to see who he was. Amy kicked herself for not paying more attention. She had only glanced at the man's card and then given it back to Meredith.
"This is not like her," Meredith's mother, Jane insisted. "She's always been good about calling me."
Amy wondered just how true that statement was, considering that Meredith had kept her father's advances hidden from her mother, and did do a fair amount of sneaking about to avoid detection.
"I swear," Amy fumed to herself. "If she somewhere having fun, I'll never forgive her."
At the end of the week, the show closed, and Amy and Ariadne agreed to help staff strike Meredith's artwork and see that it got home safely.
