Grinded

chapter V.

A fan whirred in the office of the high school principal as the heat only grew more intense with every passing minute. Sarah could feel the air becoming more suffocating, fanning herself as she, Erica, and another deputy, Clint Denson, waited for the principal to bring in the next student to be interrogated.

The atmosphere of the room was filled with a quiet focus, none of them daring to mutter more than two words. Each of them were too caught up with trying to get at least one lead, praying after each interrogation that someone would slip. But it was crystal clear that whoever was responsible wasn't sloppy.

Erica anxiously shifted her weight from one foot to the other, loitering by the office door. She grazed her hands against her utility belt, beginnning to pace once again. As exciting as this had all seemed, the pressures of it were now rearing its ugly head, and it was fucking with her mentally. She could feel the weight of it starting to bare down on her chest, and it only made her question whether or not she had what it took to see a crime like this out to the end.

Her eyes drifted over to her superior, watching how calm Sarah seemed to be; she sat back in the desk chair the principal had kindly given her, making notes on the small pocketbook she stored in her vest. Although Sarah was hard to read most of the time, Erica swore that she never once saw her break a sweat. It was like it didn't phase her. And Erica didn't know how she could be so collected, especially with how horrific this whole case actually was. Her best theory was that Sarah must've experienced something a lot worse than this, desensitising her in a sense.

As if her superior was peering into her labyrinth of thoughts, Sarah's gaze met Erica's own. Refusing to pull her saucers away in embarrasment, Erica instead gave her a small, crooked smile. She hoped the glint in her eyes wouldn't betray her, and let Sarah know that she wasn't shaken at all.

But when is anything ever that simple?

"You okay, Rhodes?" Sarah asked almost instantly, glancing back down at her notepad as she scribbled a few more things down. "You look a little shakey."

Erica opened her mouth, wanting to be brave and impress the person she had idolised. But she knew it'd be pointless; Sarah wasn't a fool, and she'd easily catch on to any bullshit the deputy sprouted out.

"You just look so..." Erica started, slowly walking over to Sarah and fell into the seat next to her, "calm. Like this doesn't bother you."

The corner of Sarah's glossed lips cracked up into a fraction of a smile. "Just because I'm sitting here and not manically running around, doesn't mean this whole thing isn't fucking with me."

Both Erica and Clint shared a chuckle at her response. It was nice for them to see their Sheriff be vulnerable, even for just a second, since it wasn't something the Sheriff was ever keen on doing. Sarah was adamant about keeping her colleagues at an arms length, out of fear of losing any of them. Again, Erica thought that something in the past must contribute to the reason why Sarah is as closed off as she is.

A light tap at the office door startled all three of them, the sounds of someone knocking pulling them back to the harsh reality of what they were here for.

"Come in," Sarah called out, slipping her notepad back into her vest as she sat herself up on the chair.

Erica was quick to move off of the seat she took for herself, clearing it for the next student. 

The handle twisted and the door opened, with Principal St. John gripping the door knob and stepping to the side to reveal Paul Beauregard, a beach blonde haired student that exuberated cockiness; an air of arrogance and entitlement surrounded Paul, and it wasn't really that big of a secret. He came from a rich family that definitely weren't shy about flaunting their wealth. And Paul was no different from his tycoon father.