Her way ✧ (Richie White)

17.

As promised, Judy drove me to school in the morning. Heading into New Granada Junior High School wasn't the same anymore. It was quiet, too quiet. There were dozens of flower bouquets placed by the bike rack and candles were lit in his memory.

I felt that sharp pain in my chest again. When I walked past Richie's locker I couldn't look at it, I didn't even want to think about it but after a moment, I felt myself being drawn back. I almost felt guilty if I didn't stop to see it. His locker had been emptied with the door taken off the hinges and inside was a single photograph of him.

Tears welled in my eyes which I roughly wiped away. A hand on my shoulder caught my attention, turning my head. "You'll be okay" Cory smiled sadly, pulling me into a hug. I needed that comfort badly. The bell eventually rang and together we walked to class.

Everyone watched me in silence as I sat next to Cory. Claude was busy drawing doodles on the desk. The teacher picked up a pile of papers and began handing them out to each student in order.

"Okay you guys, you are to take these home to your parents. It's to let them know about a special emergency meeting. It will be here tonight in the auditorium at eight o'clock and it's to discuss the problems about you people."

I scoffed under my breath. There was nothing wrong with us, the adults were the problem.

She continued on. "Has anyone seen Carl Willat? This is a really serious matter and his parents really are worried. If you've seen him, you've got to be straight with me. Listen, we're only concerned about his safety. Nothing bad is going to happen to him."

The silence lingered on.

I knew where Carl was. So did Cory. He was hiding out in the condo so we would bring him food and water in the late evening, creeping through the dark so we wouldn't be seen having contact with him. Maybe it was wrong to keep this secret but that's what he wanted and I respected him.

Throughout the day, it was hard for me to concentrate. My pen never touched the paper, even when my teachers encouraged me. I spent most of the time staring out of the window, thinking about Richie. What would he be doing if he were here right now? It eventually got to a point where Mrs Montgomery called me into her office. Well, her luxury office. 

"Take a seat, Adrien. Would you like a drink, maybe even a biscuit?"

"Oh um, no thanks."

She took a deep breath and looked right at me. "I know this is an incredibly tough time for you Miss Walton but as unfair as it is, life moves on. I want you to get the best grades possible and that can only happen if you put in the effort to work."

"I don't mean to be rude Mrs Montgomery but isn't this about the school's reputation more than my grades? I don't care about schoolwork, I care about Richie and he's gone. The only reason I'm here is so that I can see my friends so that they can distract me and maybe make the suffering a little easier." 

Mrs Montgomery peeled her glasses off, gave them a wipe and slid them back on.

My attitude didn't faze her. "What can I do for you, Adrien? You tell me. What can I do for you to make this healing process easier for you?" She asked me. I stayed quiet. There was so much I wanted that seemed impossible. Most importantly, I wanted Richie back but that would never happen.

"Do you really wanna know what I'd like for you to do?"

"Yes, do tell me and I'll see what I can do."

"I want you to tell every single parent at that meeting tonight that Richie was murdered in cold blood. It wasn't an accident. He was just a kid. I want you to tell Doberman that he will not get away with this. If you really care about the students here at your school, you'll do better at listening to us. I want you to do what's right, if not for me, then for Richie. He might've been a troublemaker but he was still one of your students."

Her eyes widened and I noticed her body tensed up but I didn't bother to wait for her response because I walked straight out, having said enough.

Cory and the others found me in the lunch hall shortly after. "How're you holding up?" Claude asked, stabbing at his food with his fork. I told them I was okay and then proceeded to talk about my chat with the principal.

"Good on you for telling her. These adults think they're superior or something" Claude scoffed. "He's right, it's like one big joke around here" Cory replied. "Do they really believe one PTA meeting is going to change things?" I asked. "All they're going to do is lie and talk crap about the kids," Claude responded.

Lowering my voice, I asked "When do y'all think Carl will go back home to his parents? I mean, he can't stay at the condo for much longer without going insane."

"I'm guessing he'll crack anytime soon," Claude shrugged. "Well, I'm going to do something about it," I said. "Like what?" Cory asked curiously. "Give me time, I'll think of something," I answered before getting up and walking away.