safety ~ b. loomis

one

"I'm fine, dad." I say, mouthful of cereal and coffee as he sits in front of me at the table.

"Don't lie, Jane. Liars never succeed in life." My father, Charlie Keary, a stay at home dad who occasionally helps my mom in her bookstore. Went to college at Berkeley, met my mother, got married two years later- I came into the story after 3 years after that. From what I'm told, my dad was thinking of a puppy when he said 'lets have a baby'.

"Wow what beautiful words. Thanks dad." I take another bite of fruit loops as I roll my eyes.

"Well, see if you hadn't been lying, you wouldn't be defensive." I glare at him and stand to get my backpack. "Honey, I was joking. I am sure you think you're fine, but I just...I want you to be careful, ok? I want you to be safe, and if that means sheltering you from the world than so be it."

I force a smile at him, but its clear he sees right through it.

"Thanks, dad. I am fine though, honestly." I grab my bowl and put it into the sink, walking towards the front door.

"I love you, hun. Call if you need anything."

I open the door, finding Tatum and Sidney parked on the street. I turn back to my dad and fake a smile at him again.

"I love you too. I will." He looks back at me sadly as I shut the door and skip to my friends. I open the back door of Tatum's red volkswagen, plopping down next to Sidney. They both turn to face me, their expressions full of pity.

I look back and forth between them and laugh.

"Guys, I'm ok. You can stop with the faces."

"Ok, if you say so..." Tatum faces the windshield and turns on the car. I turn back to Sidney, and find her smiling sadly at me.

"Oh my gosh, Sid, I'm fine. In fact, I'm even better now that I am with you two."

"What happened last night?"

I stare at her for a few seconds, silence filling the car. I unbuckle my seat-belt and sit criss-cross-applesauce to face her.

"Are you guys ready?"

They nod, and I act like I am only telling a ghost story.

꧁☺︎︎꧂

When we arrive at school, Tate and Sid walk on either side of me, covering me from any media.

"STEER CLEAR ASSHOLES." Tatum yells through the crowd.

"Woah, there's so many cops here."

"Does Dewey have any news about the killer?" I ask in a whisper.

"Nope. Everybody is fucking clueless- they're interrogating the entire school. Teachers, students, staff, janitors..."

"They think it's school related?" I ask again, my eyebrows furrowing. She shakes her head no.

"They don't know. Dewey said this is the worse crime they've ever seen. Even worse than..."

Sidney talks for the first time in a while, stopping Tate from coni thing, "Well it must be bad if they're bringing in the feds."

All of last night I was being interviewed by Dewey and the sheriff, only I wasn't any help. The most information I could give was about finding Steve and the breathing on the phone. Dewey was kind and tried to comfort me, eventually causing me to breakdown in his arms. It was one of the most embarrassing moments for me, but I couldn't stop. Casey was dead. And I was there. And I probably could have stopped it.