Schooled [Laughing JackxReader]

4

The following month was a living Hell. Reporters from both local and national news stations filled your voicemail, clamoring to get a statement out of you. You recieved a wall of calls, texts, emails and facebook messages from terrified parents wanting to know if their kids were safe. Like you knew.
All you knew was your classroom was lines in yellow police tape. All you knew was that Laurel Anderson had been mutilated, gutted, and damn near crucified on the coat rack in your quaint little Kindergarten classroom.

The school was closed while the police investigated. The students and staff were distributed to other elementary schools in the town for an indefinite period of time.

Work felt hollow. You smiled an empty smile and attempted to soothe your confused students. Day by day, week by week, the same thing. You had no answers to give them, so way to snap your fingers and straighten everything out. You were just as lost as they were.

The end of another day rolled around and you walked back to your apartment to cycle through your evening routine. You heat up some chinese takeout and settle into your couch with your Kindle. As you picked and pecked and possibly ate some of your food, you stared blankly at the words on your eReader. You didn't know why you even pretended to read anymore. You were so gloomy a raincloud would've called you a downer. You tossed your Kindle to the side. "I give up." You mumbled and pushed yourself off the couch. You didn't even bother to change into your pajamas and elected to just flop onto your bed instead.

Just then a little red gleam caught your eye. You rolled onto your side to look at the small, round hard candy sitting on your nightstand. The one Laurel had given you.

You reached over at picked it up. The translucent treat was wrapped in clear cellophane with no brand to be found. You'd suspect it was handmade, if it didn't have such perfect color and shape. You had breifly considered turning it in to the police, but any forensic evidence it could have provides would be long gone.

Despite it's tantalizing color, you'd never dared to eat it. Just looking at it now made your heart sink deep into your stomach. The guilt you felt for Laurel's murder finally bubbled to the surface. You cracked, your sobs moving like tremors through your body. You launched the candy across the room and it bounced off the wall onto the carpet, intact. Slowly your exhaustion set in and you drifted off into sleep.