A twinge of concern crept in. Pedro stood straighter, eyes scanning the street, then the tree. Nothing. He couldn’t leave the cart, not during the lunch rush, and besides, Lola was a stray—she could’ve wandered off anywhere. Still, something about her absence felt wrong, and Pedro couldn’t help but worry that something was wrong.
The thought weighed on him all afternoon. When it was finally time to close, Pedro packed up quickly and set off across the campus, eyes darting between trees and benches, calling her name under his breath. Maybe she was sick. Or hurt. Maybe she was lying somewhere, waiting to be found.