Heart

Seven

I pushed through the library doors in a daze. Detective Novak had simply dismissed me after the harsh lashing. He’d written several things in his notepad while I walked away, probably things in big block lettering that said: Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!

The cop who had escorted me to the library had apparently left during my interrogation, because now he was coming back with Gabriella’s boyfriend. I avoided eye contact with everybody I encountered--which weren’t many--and absently made my way back to class. I didn’t see what time it was, I didn’t see Mr. Hatcher, and I didn’t see the expressions on the teens in my class; I only lowered myself in my chair,  fleetingly wondering if I was going into some kind of shock.

Before I knew it, the bell rang, ending the class. Everyone screeched out of their chairs and poured out into the hallway within a few seconds, but I was slower. With great precision, I stacked my notebooks, binders, and textbooks in a neat mound and slid out of my seat, clutching everything to my chest.

“Fraser,” Mr. Hatcher called before I got far, “You gonna be alright? You look a little pale around the mouth, there.”

I swallowed a few times and then nodded. “I’m okay. Thanks.” Rather than stick around for a pointless conversation, I hurriedly slipped out the door and into the hallway. Lockers were opening and slamming shut as students snatched lunches or money, and I clutched my books even tighter as I weaved through the crowd. I saw that my hands were trembling a little when I raised one to open my locker.

By the time I made it to the cafeteria, half the school’s population knew about the cops coming and taking me out of class for questioning. I thought I should probably warn my classmates that their faces were in serious danger of becoming stuck in greater-than-thou expressions, but hey, some things just needed to be learned the hard way.

I tried to ignore everyone though, as I breezed through the lunch line and found my usual table. Alan was already there, no surprise, and he didn’t look happy. He had his head lowered, staring at his full tray, both arms were on the table, and his hands were clenched into fists. When I joined him, the shirt covering his back tightened at the shoulders, as if he had hunched them in frustration.

“Figures,” he muttered under his breath.

“What?” I rasped.

“She just has to disappear the day after you threaten her, doesn’t she?” He shook his head, the light wavering over his gelled hair in thick bars, and then looked up. His eyes were hard with anger, his jaw taunt. “She sure is a piece of work.”

I swallowed and picked at the food on my tray. “You’ve probably heard by now, but the cops came and took me out of class.”

“Took me too.”

“They think I did it, Al.”

He laughed without humor and jabbed his hand in my direction. “Well, what do you expect, Kara? You said ‘I swear I will kill you’ in front of dozens of people. Where else are the cops going to turn? You have the perfect motive.”

I flinched, avoiding my pal’s gaze. He was right, of course. I shouldn’t have let my anger get to me, but then, I would never have guessed that Gabriella would disappear the very next day. Could she have done this just as another prank? Would she go that far?

As much as I hated her, I didn’t believe that she would.

I pushed away the tray and crossed my arms over my stomach, suddenly losing my appetite. This was serious; this was real. Gabriella was truly missing and I was truly a suspect. Maybe the main suspect. 

What would happen when my parents found out about this?!

“Oh, god,” I mumbled, holding my head up with my hand and placing my elbow on the table.