“So what was something people would notice about her right away?”
“You mean besides her hair?” Mrs. Anderson chuckled. “One thing everyone always admired about Jen was her honesty; ask any of her friends or teachers. Whenever anybody even asked her how she was doing she would never just say ‘I’m good, you?’ it was always ‘Hey, I’m not dead yet’. I never really knew what that meant. I always thought of it as a good thing but sometimes she sounded sad about it. That was her way of telling people the truth without them knowing what’s really going on.”
“I see, so what all did Jen do outside of school?”
“I don’t really know. She hung out with Tony a fair amount. Oh and of course Cody, they weren’t dating or anything, but they barely spent any time apart from each other. They were the best of friends, it was nearly impossible to get one without the other.”
“Well what do you think was going on with her?”
She was a teenager, mostly hung out with older boys, not really in with the best crowd, that sort of thing, was what Mrs. Anderson wanted to say. She started to open her mouth and then closed it again. She was worried that this was getting a bit too far, even if it would help her find her daughter. She promised she wouldn’t tell anyone what she knew. So she just sat there, staring blankly at the wall.
“I have no idea” She said in a monotone voice that nearly gave away it all. She could understand the impact that it would have on Jen if anybody, even herself knew the exact city where she really was. There would be stress and trouble and pressure. As long as she was still in contact with her baby she was okay. The night it all happened Jen had called her in the morning from a pay phone so that she wouldn’t be worried. She told her exactly what she needed to know and that she loved her and hoped to be home soon.