A small group of my classmates were in Georgia for the animation festival. We were all staying with Cheryl during the 2-day event.
When the festival was nearing its end, they held an awards ceremony as usual. They took the ceremony over to a small cupcake shop downtown instead of holding it in the main SCAD building where all the movies had been screened. It was dark out by then. Me and my classmates wanted to grab some dinner and then head over to the cupcake shop, but because we were unfamiliar with the city, it took us a while to decide on a diner and make our way over there.
As far as I can remember, Ryan, Heather, Seto, Amanda, Silvia, Jessica, Greg, and Dan were with us. Ryan, Heather, Greg, Jessica, and Dan were mostly sticking together while I stuck with Amanda, Seto, and Silvia.
Once we had decided on a restaurant downtown, we drove over there. Heather was in my car with us, and I had to parallel park for the first time. Heather talked me through it, and I did fine. We got out and met up with the others. We walked over to the restaurant we'd chosen... only to find out it was closed for renovations. We stood around for a couple minutes trying to decide where to go next, until we decided to just walk around and look at what was in the area.
It was around this time that we all started feeling something was wrong with Jessica. She stayed a bit distant as we walked.
Eventually we stumbled upon a diner and decided it was good enough. Ryan, Greg, Heather, and Dan sat and one table, and Amanda, Seto, Silvia, Jessica, and me sat at another table. The service was terrible. Ryan's table got their food, ate, and was finished before our food ever arrived at our table.
Jessica barely talked during dinner.
Eventually we finished and started making our way toward the cupcake shop. We got lost a few times and ended up walking around downtown for a while. Jessica remained distant and didn't want to talk to anyone. Heather was acting like an insensitive jerk. At some point or another, the two of them got in a fight. Harsh words were said, and Heather was the only one who really deserved it.
At some point during the walk, Jessica started crying. Greg and Dan were concerned about her, but she wouldn't tell anyone what was wrong. I felt bad, but there was nothing I could do. Jessica decided to walk off on her own, in the dark of downtown Savannah. She didn't want anyone going with her. Greg and Dan insisted on following her, and they split up with the group, telling us they'd meet us at the cupcake shop.
Eventually we found our way to the shop. Greg, Dan, and Jessica came in afterward. I found out later that while they had been out, Jessica tried to lose Greg and Dan, but they wouldn't let her out of their sight.
Jessica was still upset. I could see that. Still nobody knew what was bothering her. Heather was still acting like a jerk, calling Jessica a bitch and trashtalking her the whole time.
Not much time passed, as the awards ceremony started, before I felt something pulling at the pit of my stomach. With a sense of urgency, I stared across the cramped room that was holding too many people. Jessica wasn't among them. My heart starting to beat faster, fearing the worst... I moved around the room, still searching, and hoping I was wrong.
It was a small room, and only took a couple minutes to decide she wasn't there. I grabbed Greg's attention.
"Jessica's gone," I told him.
"What? No, she's here, I just saw her over by the counter," he replied. He glanced over to the counter, not finding her there.
"I've looked everywhere. She's not here."
After further convincing, Greg started to believe me. He looked around the room himself, as well as down the sidewalk outside the shop door. I told him we needed to tell Cheryl. He insisted that we shouldn't worry her.
My nerves were exploding inside my head. I didn't want to think about what could happen to Jessica out there in the dark, secluded streets.
Jessica and I had never been particularly good friends in school. She was on the other production team, and we just never interacted much. By that reasoning, I don't really know why I was reacting so strongly to the fear of her being alone. No one else seemed as worried. But really... she was part of my class. I loved my class, and she was a part of it. I felt very protective of my classmates, and didn't intend to let any harm come to any of them.
After a few more minutes of searching and waiting for her to show up, Greg gave in. I found Cheryl and told her that we couldn't find Jessica. She didn't understand what I was saying at first. I explained that Jessica seemed upset and distant earlier in the evening, and that now I was afraid she'd run off.
Cheryl kind of freaked out. I could see that she was terrified of something happening to Jessica while she was Cheryl's responsibility. She emphasized how downtown Savannah was far more dangerous than Orlando. Cheryl also spent a couple minutes looking for her, and told me to check the bathroom. I went in the bathroom, and it was empty. I felt myself starting to crumble... and I started to cry. A few tears escaped down my cheeks before I could wipe them away and leave the bathroom, hoping that I looked less terrified than I felt.
Greg was attempting to call and text Jessica, with no reply. The rest of our classmates were now aware of the situation. When I told Heather what was happening, she said she didn't care if something happened to Jessica. (That was the moment I decided I never wanted to associate myself with Heather after graduation. How big of a bitch do you have to be to not care when someone is in serious potential danger?) Many of my other classmates could see how rattled I was and kept asking if I was okay.
By this point, at least 15 minutes had passed since I saw Jessica was missing.
Cheryl asked if we'd checked to see if she went back to the car. Greg insisted that he knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't be there. I told him that we were going to go check anyway, because at least we'd know for sure.
A group of us went out looking for Jessica. I scanned the small shops along the streets as we walked to the car, but didn't see her anywhere. She wasn't in the car either.
We left to return to the cupcake shop, and when we got back... Jessica was there. She stood outside with Cheryl. I should have been angry, but I was washed with a wave of relief. Cheryl told us to go back inside the shop and leave them alone. Once back inside, I realized how little I cared about the award ceremony at that point. I told Amanda, Seto, Silvia, and Heather that I just wanted to leave, and they said okay. On the way back out I asked Jessica if she was okay and she said yes in a guarded tone. Cheryl said that we'd been looking for her because we loved her. I told her I was worried about her, and she said she was sorry, and we hugged.
No one ever found out why Jessica was that upset that night.
On the way back to the car, I broke down in tears. I couldn't stop them this time. After the fear of losing Jessica, and the relief of finding her safe, my emotions overwhelmed me. I cried for most of the walk. Seto, Amanda, and Silvia walked with me. Seto rubbed my back. Heather lagged behind, making bullshit comments that I really didn't care to hear. At some point I think she asked if there was something wrong with me, but I said no.
Luckily I stopped crying soon enough to drive the car back to Cheryl's house.
There was an unspoken bond between me and Jessica ever since that night. It became clear to me that my concern made an impact on her. As ashamed I felt about falling apart over the event, that night told me a lot about myself.
I'm protective of anyone close to me. If I'm ever accepted into a group, I welcome the group under a wing of almost maternal instinct. I'm severely paranoid, but extremely empathetic. I remain aware of what's going on. Even though I normally prefer a place in the sidelines, I know when to step up to protect someone I care about.
And I still pride myself in the fact that I was the first one to notice Jessica's disappearance. Nobody even wanted to believe me when I knew she had left. I knew what my gut was telling me, and I knew that other people needed to be concerned.
Out of everyone there, I'm proud of the person I was that night, and the concern I held. I touched Jessica's heart that night.
That's all I ever have wanted, I guess. To mean something to someone.