Free Someone Like You by Kathryn Shay Page B

Matt and get him to see Rich ASAP.” He stared at her, numb with pain and regret. “You do what you have to and so will I.”
    o0o
    Dylan was in a meeting with his administrative staff when Brie got to his office. She did the unthinkable—marched by his secretary and knocked on the door. When he answered, she insisted she speak with him. He drew her into the conference room and let the other administrators continue the meeting without him.
    Stifling the image of the shock and hurt on Nick’s face, Brie said, “Something’s happened that you need to know about.”
    He reached over and touched her hand. “I can see how upset you are. Say it outright, Brie.”
    When she finished, he sat back in his chair and sighed heavily. “I see. Where’s the boy now?”
    “Nick went to find him.”
    He picked up the phone on the conference table and pressed a button. “Sheryl, go get Matt Keller out of class and bring him to me.”
    “I can’t, Dylan. Nick Corelli is here with me wanting to know if Matt had an early excuse today. He went to the boy’s class, then checked the cafe, the library and the senior lounge and can’t find him.”
    “Send Nick back to the conference room.”
    Moments later, Nick showed up at the door. His face was blank but every muscle in his body was rigid. He didn’t even glance at Brie. “I assume she told you.”
    Dylan nodded. “Yes. I wish you had, but that’s not the issue now. We have to find Matt.”
    “I called the therapist he’s been seeing. Matt hasn’t contacted him.”
    “Then let’s start with his father. I’ll phone him.”
    “No, Dylan, don’t do that!”
    “I realize you think I’m wrong, Nick. But I’ve been in situations like this before and we have to bring in the family. Meanwhile, you check with your team. Sheryl can call up the roster and find out where each player is. Maybe one of them knows where Matt might have gone.” 
    Brie asked, “What can I do?”
    “You two spilt up Matt’s friends.” She bit her lip. “Don’t worry, we’ll find him.”
    Nick still wouldn’t look at her. He ignored her in the outer office and only spoke when they divvied up the names. Her heart ached for him, for what she’d done to him and possibly his career, and also over the knee jerk reaction of the football comment. But she put all of it aside in order to find a child in trouble. Never once did it occur to her that she was wrong and Nick was right but, still, she regretted more than she could express that she’d hurt him.
    o0o
    Nick finished canvassing the kids, who claimed not to know Matt’s whereabouts but did say the boy had been acting strange lately. He couldn’t think of where else to search so he returned to the principal’s office. Inside were Dylan, Matt’s guidance counselor and Brie. “No luck?”
    “No.” Dylan’s face was grim. “You?”
    “None. But I checked the student parking lot and didn’t see Matt’s truck. He has an orange jeep that stands out.”
    A rap on the door, then Sheryl showed the mayor inside. Calm, John Keller took a chair and nodded to them. “I came as soon as I could. What do you mean, Matt can’t be found? Isn’t he in class?”
    “No,” Dylan said. “He apparently left school after a talk with Mrs. Gorman. He was quite upset.”
    The mayor faced Brie. “What was the problem?”
    “She saw Matt’s arm,” Dylan told the father. “He’s been cutting himself.”
    “Excuse me?”
    “Matt’s been cutting himself, Mr. Keller.”
    “What does that mean?” Parents often had no idea what cutting even was.
    Dylan looked to the counselor. She said, “Sometimes, when kids are in too much pain for them to bear, they take razor blades and cut their arms or legs to relieve it.”
    “Cutting themselves relieves pain?”
    “Physical pain alleviates the intolerable feelings a kid has. I understand Matt’s mother died recently.”
    “A year ago.” Keller’s face went blank. “He’s still suffering over that. I am,