My Bad Boy Is A Murderer [EDITING]

Prologue (Rewritten)

Prologue

*Arabella*

I try to keep focused on the math problem on the board, but math has always been my least favorite subject. I can feel my eyelids getting heavier and heavier by the minute. Mr. Cory, my algebra teacher, writes yet another equation on the board. I sigh lightly as I begin to copy the equation in my notebook. Just before my eyes can slip closed, a balled up piece of paper lands on my desk.

I look up to see Jess, my best friend since third grade, waving at me. She nods towards the balled up paper confirming she's the one who tossed it. I glance at Mr. Cory who is still occupied with the equation on the board before opening the paper. There's a message written in Jess's hand.

Did you see the news this morning? There was a guy murdered just a few blocks from my house. The murderer hasn't been caught yet which means there's a murderer on the loose!

I quickly crumple the paper back up and look at Jess with furrowed brows. Why would she tell me this? She knows stuff like this creeps me out. It's worse because it happened in our neighborhood. This stuff happens in the city from time to time, but we live in the suburbs. This stuff isn't supposed to happen around here. Which means this going to be big news around here for a while.

A few minutes later the classroom door opens and two police officers step into the room. Mr. Cory immediately stops his lesson and looks at the officers expectantly.

"Can I help you officers?" Mr. Cory asks.

"I'm afraid I need to remove one of your students indefinitely." One of the officers says. He scans the room before his eyes stop on someone in the back. "Derek Knight, can you come with us please."

The entire class, including myself, turns to the back of the room. Derek Knight sits casually at his desk. He rocks back and forth in his chair with his feet propped up on top his desk. It's not surprise the police are here for him, considering his reputation. He's been in and out of juvie since we were in seventh grade. When he's not beating up some poor kid, he's out stealing and robbing from people. There's even a rumor that he sells drugs.

Despite being a freshman same as me, he's definitely matured faster than most of the boys in our grade. His face has already started to lose its boyish roundness as his jaws becomes a little more defined. That's not to mention the slight stubble on his chin that makes him look a little older. He's the tallest in our grade at 5'11 and he's still growing. Everything about him screams, different.

Derek rolls his blue-green eyes before running a hand through his scruffy dark brown hair. He releases a small sigh as he touches all four legs of the chair to the ground and swings his legs off the desk. He stands and cracks his neck before slowly making his way to the front of the room. All eyes are on him, and the tension in the room is heavy. I wonder what he did this time.

One of the officers reaches out towards Derek, but before he can make contact, Derek aggressively moves his shoulder out of reach. Derek is compliant as they lead him out of the classroom. As soon as the door shuts behind them, the classroom erupts in conversation.

"What do you think he did this time?" Someone asks.

"Probably another robbery." Another kid says.

"Wait, look at this!" One of my classmates holds up their phone and we all scramble from our desks to get a closer look.

"We're live as the suspected murderer of Thomas Harding is being taken in. Thomas Harding was a local accountant." A picture of a man with graying brown hair and gray eyes pops up in the corner of the screen. "Mr. Harding was murdered late last night in his home..."

"That's enough!" Mr. Cory exclaims, snatching the phone from the student and turning off the video feed. "I have a lesson to teach."

As the class reluctantly turn their attention back to the board, my mind wanders to Derek and the news feed. It's no shock to anyone that Derek's been arrested. That's normal at this point. However, I don't think any of us would have imagined Derek being arrested for murder.