Deleted Scenes - Missing
Hello everyone,
I wanted to give a little gift to everyone for having me nominated in Times Leader's Best of Best 2023 awards. I am incredibly grateful for being nominated and can't wait to see the winners. Voting ended the 24th and as a token of my appreciation, I wanted to share a deleted scene that didn't make it to the final draft of Missing.
Originally chapter ten was much longer! Mr. Barnett and Emily had a much longer discussion in their office. Mostly about her future in college and her indecisiveness of a future college. While I loved this scene, it was cut because that wasn't the main focus of this book. I originally had it in there because I wanted Emily to have a future to have plans, but unfortunately, didn't get to participate in it. The little excerpt will be down below and please note that formatting is changed so that it makes it easier to read.
Spoilers Ahead! "Are you done taking inventory?" he asked me. I made sure to whirl my eyes around the room once more. I nodded my head with significant force and turned forward to meet his eyes. "I have four things that I want to talk to you about." He held up his fingers like I didn't know how to count and waited until I shook my head before finding a notepad and jotting notes down. "Let me list them off and then I'll go through it in more detail with you." He paused but looked down at what he had written before looking back up. "Your attendance in class, how you are doing since you have been out, your future goals, and concerns I have." I eyed him but nodded anyway. "So first up, your attendance. Why weren't you in class?" He stared at me and I felt myself stuttering. Any excuse that I could come up with was bubbling up and down my throat, but nothing wanted to come out. "I want the truth," he warned. I just shrugged my shoulders and listened to him sigh. It sounded like the disapproval all adults had when you didn't do exactly what they wanted.
Was I going to lie? Would he know if I'm lying? Before today I had never seen him face-to-face, so if my poker face is good, I might be able to fool him. I contemplated whether I wanted to lie or not, but it was hard to choose. What did I have to lose? Technically, he was a counselor and he was not able to tell anyone anything outside of our meeting. At least I think so. He didn't say the mantra, but I was assuming. I looked up at him and he must have been staring at me while I was thinking because he shifted his eyes back down to his paper.
"Is it confidential?" I asked. That probably made me seem even guiltier than I was, but I had to cover my bases. I didn't want my family to know that I was in his office. They would think that something tragic is happening at school and then they would want to get involved. All accusations would fall onto Chad. Technically, he was the cause of all of this, but I didn't want to admit it. I waited for Mr. Barnett's response and he shook his head yes when I needed him to. I breathed a sigh of relief and slumped in my chair. Was I going to tell him the truth? Probably not. However, it gave me a sense of relaxation knowing that nobody would know of this conversation except us. "I was in the bathroom," I lied. I felt my cheeks beginning to turn a tint of red and cleared my throat. "When you're caught off guard..." I drawled to see if he would understand where I was going, but he stared at me blankly. I cleared my throat again and finished my statement, whispering it to add effect to what I was saying. "I didn't have any pads." It seemed to work because Mr. Barnett immediately cleared his throat, straightened his back, and his lips pursed.
"Well, how did you get one?" he asked. His eyebrows arched and I could clearly tell that he did not want to continue this conversation. He shifted his eyes to the notebook and sighed. "Next time, just try to be prepared." I nodded my head and he made a motion of a check mark being ticked off of the checklist. "How are you doing back in school?" he whispered. He looked up at me with a pleasant smile on his face. He knew that I heard the question so he did not need to repeat himself.
"I'm working my body to regain my physical strength."
I paused. Mr. Barnett just sat up from his chair a little to look my body over. It sent chills down my spine and made me shiver. I grabbed my bag and immediately pulled it over my body. I tried to not make it obvious, but I'm not sure how I couldn't. I'm sure seeing me snuggling a huge backpack couldn't have looked comfortable.
"What about mentally and socially?" he asked as he cleared his throat. I scrunched my eyebrows at his question.
It made me think. How was I socially and mentally? Before I left, I didn't have any friends. Now that I'm back, I have Bri. Before I left, my relationship with Chad was strained. Now that I'm back, I've been hit and rumors are being spread about us, but it feels like brand new love. The notes were also new. Did they impact me socially? I felt like I couldn't speak out without someone hearing about it and going to my locker. I also didn't understand what the person had to gain from me getting these notes. Like yes, it's making me more self-conscious, but that's it. I'm not crying and going off to feel bad for myself. They're notes.
"I have more friends than I ever had before." I look up and smile. It felt genuine too.
"Oh, who are they?" he asked.
"The co-captain of the soccer team, Bri." His eyes arched and he seemed interested in what I had to say about her. "You would think it's weird that we are friends."
"Why's that?"
"Well," I stuttered. I looked at him and was slightly confused. What does he mean? "We're both the co-captains, you would think we would be competing against each other."
"Not everyone in the sport wants it to be their career," he mentioned. I looked at him and frowned a bit. I felt like he wasn't approving of what my goals were. Then again, how would he know? "This brings me to our next topic." He got out of his seat and grabbed a stack of papers off his desk, sitting down in the chair next to me. "Your future goals." He paused and when I was going to open my mouth to talk, he shut me down. "You have wanted to be the same thing since you were in seventh grade." He motioned towards his lap and I saw that the papers were a bunch of letters I had written to myself. I blushed because I had never realized those assignments would be kept for future me to see. "An Olympic soccer player." I nodded my head and he looked up at me through his glasses. He gently reached over and placed his hand on my knee. I felt my body melt under the touch. "I think that it is about time for you to grow up." Immediately I perked up and moved my knee out of the way. His hand came along with it and I felt a sudden urgency to run. "There is barely any chance that you will make it with soccer in college." He retracted his hand, but it didn't comfort me at all. "Have you applied to any colleges yet?" I shook my head no and kept my guard up. Whenever he moved, my eyes went to whatever body part was moving. "Most applications are due in a month." I nodded my head. I knew where I was applying, I just hadn't applied yet. "I've noticed in your records that you haven't used your free campus tour slip." I didn't say anything. "We are getting a little group together to help tour some campuses and I think you would greatly benefit.”
He got up and I felt myself shrink in my seat. He went back over to his desk and got papers from a drawer. He handed me them and I briefly looked at them. It read about a campus tour and how I would be responsible for getting my school work the day before. I shook my head and just gently put it inside my book bag. I hesitated before I put the bag on the ground because it seemed as though he was staying over on his side of the desk. I breathed a sigh of relief for a second before he jumped into his next subject.
I listened to the bell ring from outside of his room and he hesitated a moment. He lifted a finger to signal me to wait and clicked the keys on his computer. He turned his attention to his phone before calling my teacher and telling them that I would not be there for class today. He said I was excused, and as I glanced at the clock on the wall, I noticed that this was my last period. I felt relieved and the weight instantly dropped from my shoulders. I knew that everyone would want to know what I and the guidance counselor were talking about.
"Now," he said as the final bell rang. I wasn't sure if he was patiently waiting for the bell or if he was waiting for me to stop daydreaming. Either way, he grabbed my attention and I forced myself to refocus on what he was saying. "There have been rumors going around the school." He paused strategically and I felt myself shift in my seat. What rumors was he talking about? "I have to get involved because another student has brought them to my attention." I stared at him innocently. I felt like every pause he did was purposeful. Maybe he wanted me to spill my guts and then I would accidentally spill the wrong secrets. "We need to talk about how lies can hurt people and their reputation." My eyebrows instantly sunk down in confusion, but I tried to keep my face still and emotionless. "There have been rumors that you have been telling people that Chad hit you."
Just a little inside knowledge of what could have been in the book! Do you think that this excerpt changes anything? Do you think this makes Mr. Barnett seem more humane? Tell me down below!
- Amy
I wanted to give a little gift to everyone for having me nominated in Times Leader's Best of Best 2023 awards. I am incredibly grateful for being nominated and can't wait to see the winners. Voting ended the 24th and as a token of my appreciation, I wanted to share a deleted scene that didn't make it to the final draft of Missing.
Originally chapter ten was much longer! Mr. Barnett and Emily had a much longer discussion in their office. Mostly about her future in college and her indecisiveness of a future college. While I loved this scene, it was cut because that wasn't the main focus of this book. I originally had it in there because I wanted Emily to have a future to have plans, but unfortunately, didn't get to participate in it. The little excerpt will be down below and please note that formatting is changed so that it makes it easier to read.
Spoilers Ahead!
"Are you done taking inventory?" he asked me. I made sure to whirl my eyes around the room once more. I nodded my head with significant force and turned forward to meet his eyes. "I have four things that I want to talk to you about." He held up his fingers like I didn't know how to count and waited until I shook my head before finding a notepad and jotting notes down. "Let me list them off and then I'll go through it in more detail with you." He paused but looked down at what he had written before looking back up. "Your attendance in class, how you are doing since you have been out, your future goals, and concerns I have." I eyed him but nodded anyway. "So first up, your attendance. Why weren't you in class?" He stared at me and I felt myself stuttering. Any excuse that I could come up with was bubbling up and down my throat, but nothing wanted to come out. "I want the truth," he warned. I just shrugged my shoulders and listened to him sigh. It sounded like the disapproval all adults had when you didn't do exactly what they wanted.Was I going to lie? Would he know if I'm lying? Before today I had never seen him face-to-face, so if my poker face is good, I might be able to fool him. I contemplated whether I wanted to lie or not, but it was hard to choose. What did I have to lose? Technically, he was a counselor and he was not able to tell anyone anything outside of our meeting. At least I think so. He didn't say the mantra, but I was assuming. I looked up at him and he must have been staring at me while I was thinking because he shifted his eyes back down to his paper.
"Is it confidential?" I asked. That probably made me seem even guiltier than I was, but I had to cover my bases. I didn't want my family to know that I was in his office. They would think that something tragic is happening at school and then they would want to get involved. All accusations would fall onto Chad. Technically, he was the cause of all of this, but I didn't want to admit it. I waited for Mr. Barnett's response and he shook his head yes when I needed him to. I breathed a sigh of relief and slumped in my chair. Was I going to tell him the truth? Probably not. However, it gave me a sense of relaxation knowing that nobody would know of this conversation except us. "I was in the bathroom," I lied. I felt my cheeks beginning to turn a tint of red and cleared my throat. "When you're caught off guard..." I drawled to see if he would understand where I was going, but he stared at me blankly. I cleared my throat again and finished my statement, whispering it to add effect to what I was saying. "I didn't have any pads." It seemed to work because Mr. Barnett immediately cleared his throat, straightened his back, and his lips pursed.
"Well, how did you get one?" he asked. His eyebrows arched and I could clearly tell that he did not want to continue this conversation. He shifted his eyes to the notebook and sighed. "Next time, just try to be prepared." I nodded my head and he made a motion of a check mark being ticked off of the checklist. "How are you doing back in school?" he whispered. He looked up at me with a pleasant smile on his face. He knew that I heard the question so he did not need to repeat himself.
"I'm working my body to regain my physical strength."
I paused. Mr. Barnett just sat up from his chair a little to look my body over. It sent chills down my spine and made me shiver. I grabbed my bag and immediately pulled it over my body. I tried to not make it obvious, but I'm not sure how I couldn't. I'm sure seeing me snuggling a huge backpack couldn't have looked comfortable.
"What about mentally and socially?" he asked as he cleared his throat. I scrunched my eyebrows at his question.
It made me think. How was I socially and mentally? Before I left, I didn't have any friends. Now that I'm back, I have Bri. Before I left, my relationship with Chad was strained. Now that I'm back, I've been hit and rumors are being spread about us, but it feels like brand new love. The notes were also new. Did they impact me socially? I felt like I couldn't speak out without someone hearing about it and going to my locker. I also didn't understand what the person had to gain from me getting these notes. Like yes, it's making me more self-conscious, but that's it. I'm not crying and going off to feel bad for myself. They're notes.
"I have more friends than I ever had before." I look up and smile. It felt genuine too.
"Oh, who are they?" he asked.
"The co-captain of the soccer team, Bri." His eyes arched and he seemed interested in what I had to say about her. "You would think it's weird that we are friends."
"Why's that?"
"Well," I stuttered. I looked at him and was slightly confused. What does he mean? "We're both the co-captains, you would think we would be competing against each other."
"Not everyone in the sport wants it to be their career," he mentioned. I looked at him and frowned a bit. I felt like he wasn't approving of what my goals were. Then again, how would he know? "This brings me to our next topic." He got out of his seat and grabbed a stack of papers off his desk, sitting down in the chair next to me. "Your future goals." He paused and when I was going to open my mouth to talk, he shut me down. "You have wanted to be the same thing since you were in seventh grade." He motioned towards his lap and I saw that the papers were a bunch of letters I had written to myself. I blushed because I had never realized those assignments would be kept for future me to see. "An Olympic soccer player." I nodded my head and he looked up at me through his glasses. He gently reached over and placed his hand on my knee. I felt my body melt under the touch. "I think that it is about time for you to grow up." Immediately I perked up and moved my knee out of the way. His hand came along with it and I felt a sudden urgency to run. "There is barely any chance that you will make it with soccer in college." He retracted his hand, but it didn't comfort me at all. "Have you applied to any colleges yet?" I shook my head no and kept my guard up. Whenever he moved, my eyes went to whatever body part was moving. "Most applications are due in a month." I nodded my head. I knew where I was applying, I just hadn't applied yet. "I've noticed in your records that you haven't used your free campus tour slip." I didn't say anything. "We are getting a little group together to help tour some campuses and I think you would greatly benefit.”
He got up and I felt myself shrink in my seat. He went back over to his desk and got papers from a drawer. He handed me them and I briefly looked at them. It read about a campus tour and how I would be responsible for getting my school work the day before. I shook my head and just gently put it inside my book bag. I hesitated before I put the bag on the ground because it seemed as though he was staying over on his side of the desk. I breathed a sigh of relief for a second before he jumped into his next subject.
I listened to the bell ring from outside of his room and he hesitated a moment. He lifted a finger to signal me to wait and clicked the keys on his computer. He turned his attention to his phone before calling my teacher and telling them that I would not be there for class today. He said I was excused, and as I glanced at the clock on the wall, I noticed that this was my last period. I felt relieved and the weight instantly dropped from my shoulders. I knew that everyone would want to know what I and the guidance counselor were talking about.
"Now," he said as the final bell rang. I wasn't sure if he was patiently waiting for the bell or if he was waiting for me to stop daydreaming. Either way, he grabbed my attention and I forced myself to refocus on what he was saying. "There have been rumors going around the school." He paused strategically and I felt myself shift in my seat. What rumors was he talking about? "I have to get involved because another student has brought them to my attention." I stared at him innocently. I felt like every pause he did was purposeful. Maybe he wanted me to spill my guts and then I would accidentally spill the wrong secrets. "We need to talk about how lies can hurt people and their reputation." My eyebrows instantly sunk down in confusion, but I tried to keep my face still and emotionless. "There have been rumors that you have been telling people that Chad hit you."
Just a little inside knowledge of what could have been in the book! Do you think that this excerpt changes anything? Do you think this makes Mr. Barnett seem more humane? Tell me down below!
- Amy
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