Involving The Police

Ezra felt an unsettling emptiness as his hand brushed against the cool sheets on the other side of the bed, realizing Emma was missing. He blinked awake, turning his head to search for her, but the space beside him remained empty. He sat up and let out a heavy sigh, his gaze darting around the room in confusion. “Where did she go?” he muttered to himself, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and reaching down to grab his pants from the floor.

He took a deep breath and called out her name. “Emma!” But the silence that followed was deafening. He quickly checked his phone, noting the time—eight o'clock—and felt a wave of anxiety wash over him. Father will be furious, he thought, hastily pulling on his pants and heading to the bathroom to brush his teeth. In his mind, he reassured himself that Emma had just stepped out for a moment and would be back soon. However, as he emerged from the bathroom and made his way to the bed to retrieve his shirt, he stumbled over something on the floor, barely managing to catch himself. Curiosity piqued, he turned to see what had tripped him, only to find his wallet lying there, which left him bewildered.

He bent down to pick it up and examined it closely, wondering if he had somehow acquired a second one. Just then, a realization struck him, and he gasped, glancing over at the table where he distinctly remembered leaving his wallet and car keys the night before. What is happening? he thought, his heart racing as he looked back at the table—only to find it completely empty.

He crouched down to check beneath the table, hoping to find what he had misplaced, but there was nothing there. “Maybe I just can’t recall where I put it,” he chuckled to himself as he fished his phone out of his pocket. He scrolled through his contacts, attempting to call Emma, but the call wouldn’t go through. “Is her phone dead or something?” he wondered aloud, trying again with the same frustrating result. As he made his way to the closet to grab some fresh clothes, his best friend’s voice broke through the silence as he burst through the door.

"Did you take your car out last night and forget to bring it back?"

Ezra paused, confusion washing over him. “What are you talking about?” he asked, rifling through his clothes before turning sharply to face him. “Scott, seriously, what do you mean?”

Scott clarified, “I’m asking if you went out with your car and didn’t return it because it’s not where you parked it last night.”

Ezra scoffed in disbelief. “So, you’re saying my car is missing?”

“Exactly,” Scott replied, exasperated.

Panic surged through Ezra as he slammed the wardrobe shut and rushed to the table, yanking open the drawer only to find a box of condoms. He then checked the trash, half-expecting to see his missing key, but all he found was a used condom from the previous night. “I didn’t throw that away,” he muttered, glancing at Scott.

“So, you were with a woman last night?” Scott asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ezra let out a heavy sigh and handed his wallet to Scott. “Now it all makes sense.”

“What do you mean?”

“Scott, I’ve been robbed,” Ezra revealed, the weight of realization settling in. He sighed in exasperation, glancing at his friend with a mix of disbelief and irritation. “It was her. Everything is starting to make sense now,” he said, frustration evident in his voice.

Scott raised an eyebrow, clearly confused. “And who is this ‘her’? You’re not making any sense, my friend.”

Ezra retrieved his wallet from Scott and he held it up for his friend to see. “Last night, this wallet had a decent amount of cash in it. I had withdrawn the money to help Winter, who Dad refused to give anything to because she wouldn’t come home. I thought I could send her some without leaving a trace. But now, the money is gone, along with my car key.”

“And your car, too.”

Ezra rolled his eyes. “And my car.”

“So, who do you think might have taken it? Can you walk me through what happened last night? I searched everywhere for you, and then you just vanished.”

Ezra took a deep breath and perched on the edge of the bed, arms crossed and head held high as he faced Scott. “I met this girl yesterday, and—”

“Oh no. You know how these girls are. When will you learn not to get involved with women you meet at parties?”

Ezra clenched his jaw, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. “Look, playboy, this one seemed different; at least, I thought she was. She came across as so innocent, and everything she said made perfect sense to me.”

Scott burst into laughter, shaking his head in disbelief. “Oh, come on! It’s always the one who seems innocent.”

Ezra, however, was not amused. “Scott, this isn’t a joke. Emma is gone.”

The realization hit Scott, and he paused. “Wait, the girl you met was Emma?”

Ezra’s expression shifted, his mouth opening in surprise before he quickly closed it again. “Do you know her? Because I’ve heard about your charm with women.”

Scott cleared his throat. “Yeah, I know her, but we never actually met. I was supposed to connect with her at last night’s party through her friend Phoebe. It’s ironic that she ended up with you instead of me.”

Ezra frowned, clearly confused. “I’m not following you, Scott.”

With a sigh, Scott explained, “Look, Emma’s in a tough spot financially, and I intended to help her—but there was a catch. Her friend mentioned that she was inexperienced and hadn’t been with a man before, at least not until you came along.”

Ezra shook his head, still not grasping the situation. “I don’t see where you’re going with this.”

Scott smirked, leaning in slightly. “She knew exactly what she needed to do to get money from me and spotted you first. A naive guy hiding his true self.” He chuckled, adding, “You had your way with her, and she took advantage of you.”

Ezra defended himself. “We made love. I didn’t force her; it was mutual.”

Scott erupted in laughter again. “Oh, come on, Ezra! Girls like her don’t make love; they’re driven by a desperate need for money and will do anything to get it. She recognized you and approached you with a plan, even if it meant giving up her virginity.”

Ezra exhaled sharply, frustration evident in his demeanor. He couldn’t wrap his head around the chaos unfolding around him.

“Well, my friend,” Scott said, placing a reassuring hand on Ezra's shoulder. “Come on, put your shirt on. I’ll take you home. Your dad's been trying to reach you.”

Ezra lingered in the room for a moment, watching Scott walk away, still grappling with disbelief. After a deep breath, he finally stood up, slipped on his shirt, and made his way out. Once he reached Scott’s car, he donned his sunglasses and climbed in.

Scott revved the engine and pulled away, the heavy silence between them speaking volumes about Ezra’s mood. They drove in quiet contemplation.

When they arrived at the Queen’s mansion, Scott parked and turned to Ezra, his expression serious. “You can’t tell your dad about this yet.”

Ezra, unbuckling his seatbelt, replied, “He’ll find out eventually.”

Scott leaned in, a glimmer of mischief in his eyes. “If you want to track down your car and that girl, I have an idea.”

Ezra raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “What do you suggest?”

“How about we get the police involved?”