Burning Fury

IV

Instead of going home, my dad pulled up to the courthouse, the line of cop cars off to the side, and I frowned at him.

"What are we doing here?"

"They didn't tell you?" He asked.

"No."

"They wanted all of us parents to bring you guys here for more formal questioning."

I sighed. "I've already been over the story countless times today."

"Do you want to talk about it? To me, I mean."

"No. I can't."

"It's just one more time. I'll get you out of there as soon as I can."

He walked me in and we sat in the waiting room. I pulled my knees up to my chest and hid my face. I didn't move as the door opened six more times. Hushed conversation moved all around me, but I still didn't move, even when someone sat right next to me. When I finally moved slightly, I saw my dad talking to his sister, Emily's mom.

Emily had started hating me for some reason. I was convinced she'd been friends with Alice and hated me just because she had. I wasn't sure how good of friends they'd become since Alice started dating Niko. We've been in a sort of stalemate since. My dad thinks she's jealous of me, but of what?

"Miss Solace? Come with me please."

I looked up and dropped my legs heavily to the floor, noticing that Ryder had sat beside me. He looked at me with sympathy in his eyes. I followed the lady cop down the hallway, feeling everyone's stare at my back. I hoped they wouldn't make it worse for dad.

"Right in here and someone will be with you," she said, holding the door open for me.

I sat at the table and stared, unblinking, at a spot in front of me.

"Miss Solace, how are you holding up?"

One of the cops, who's name I couldn't remember, from the scene was suddenly in front of me.

"Not well," I replied, surprised at how my voice broke.

"I'd suggest seeing a therapist. It could help with feelings of survivors guilt--"

"I don't feel guilty," I said. "I'm not guilty because I didn't do anything. Don't try to twist words around me. I understand you need to do this invasive questioning when it's still so fresh in our minds, but I saw some Jeffery Dahmer level carnage. He was one of my best friends, sir, and I had to see him in that vulnerable state and I--I can't get that image out of my head. How do you propose I'm going to sleep tonight?"

"I'm sure you'll find a way."

His original concern at my mental state was immediately gone. In it's place was a steely expression that nearly sent me cowering under the table. But that was what they did. He was toying with his own Jekyll and Hyde persona, attempting to play both good and bad cop right in front of me.

"Start again from the beginning. The party last night, if you saw anything suspicious, and ending with calling the cops this morning."

I told the whole story again and the whole time it was as if he wasn't even paying attention to me. He kept twirling his pen, tapping his foot until I'd nearly had enough.

"Are we done here, sir?"

"One last thing. What's your motive?"

I clamped my teeth closed and stared him down. "I'd like a lawyer now."

"Miss Solace, guilty people need lawyers. We're just having a chat, here. I'm just curious why you've been away in Florida all this time, come back under the guise of your brother's graduation, and just happened to decide to go see your friends after years of no contact."

"We talked plenty, I just never had time to visit," I said through my teeth.

"It all just seems to add up a little too perfectly for me."

I sat back and crossed my arms, still staring him down. He wasn't going to scare me. I was innocent and he'd see that one way or another.

"Did you date Gavin? He have a new girlfriend when you came back that you didn't know about?"

I glared harder.

"Come on, now. I know you had some sort of infatuation with someone in the group. Maybe all of them. Now you've got a relationship going on with Ryder Adams, I believe."

"I'm not even going to ask how you could possibly know that. Can I leave?" I said quietly, my voice deep with suppressed rage.

"As much as I hate to admit it, you aren't under arrest, miss Solace."

I stood, shoving my chair back a little too hard and it crashed into the wall.

"Now, now, don't go breaking things in my interrogation room."

With barely contained rage, I stepped around the table and threw the door open, stalking out with the officer following me.

"Remember not to leave the county, Clover. We may need some more information."

I threw my hands up, dismissing his abhorrent behavior. Everyone was staring at me as I turned to go down the grand staircase.

"Clover, wait, what happened?" my dad asked.

I ignored him and had almost made it to the bottom of the stairs when he called me again.

"Clover Bree!"

I stopped and turned around, the rage still coursing through my veins.

"What?!"

"What happened in there?"

"They're pointing the finger at me, dad. Because I'm an outsider. In every aspect in their eyes. I come back from Florida, and I'm an outsider in my friend group. I always have been. I'm an outsider in our family because I went so far for college, and I'm an outsider in my own friend group in Florida because all they want is to see my hot friends from home. Even they're pointing their fingers at me!"

I gestured to all of my friends that had gathered at the top of the stairs to watch the scene unfold. Some of the parents stared at me, accusation evident in their eyes, but quickly turned to stone when my dad turned to look.

"Just take me home," I whispered, my voice shaking. "Please."

My dad took one last look at the parents before following me down the stairs and out of the courthouse.