Journalism for Dummies: As Told by Casey Summers

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

“Hey Britain! Come over here!” I turn with a grimace when Jeremy yells directly in my ear. His tall body is turned away from me with his hand raised to cup his mouth. I follow his gaze to see Micah at the entrance of the cafeteria, obviously surprised to find my best friend yelling for his attention.

            I smack Jeremy's arm. “Did you have to yell in my ear? He would've noticed us eventually. You're kind of hard to miss.”

            Jeremy turns to me to stick out his tongue. “Oh ha, ha.” He rolls his eyes. “You're so funny, you know that?” Wrapping his arm around my neck, he tugs me into him and starts grinding his knuckles into my head.

            “Jeremy! Stop!” I cry helplessly as I try to pry his hands off of me. I know people in the lunch line must be giving us weird looks, but I am pretty used to it. While being the editor-in-chief and walking around with the school's tallest boy gave me some recognition, there is also the fact of my bright red hair. It's not exactly a trait that blends in with everyone else.

            My best friend's hands are finally pulled off of me and my own hands shoot up to my hair to fix it as I give him my best glare. “You're horrible.”

            “And you're welcome.” Micah is holding Jeremy away from me with an amused expression on his face. “I suppose this happens often between you two?”

            I roll my eyes as I pick up a tray and begin choosing my lunch. Some of the girls are eyeing Micah as if he's a piece of candy. “Unfortunately so.”

            “However do you live?”

            “If only I knew.” I reply dramatically as I pay the lunch lady for my food.

            Jeremy rolls his eyes. “Oh, puh-lease. You wouldn't survive a day without me.”

            Well, he is correct on that notion. Rule Number Eight of Journalism did state that a journalist would be nothing without her handy photographer. However, I didn't need to inflate Jeremy's ego anymore. I merely shook my head at him before paying for my lunch and heading off to find a relatively empty table. Jeremy and Micah waste no time to catch up with me.

            “So, what is there to do for fun around here?” Micah asks leisurely after we had all sat down and were eating.

            Both Jeremy and I shrug. “Well, we mostly scavenge about for great stories.” I tell him. “Or let Jer-Bear here release his inner photographer.” I remember the last time he had done that. It had taken literally hours before Jeremy had finally become satisfied with an angle of which he took a picture of a chair.

            “But there is a laser-tag place that is opening up around here soon-”

                        “Hey, Casey, did you hear?” The freckled face of Andrew Qusay appears in my view, interrupting our conversation. He's a sophomore in one of Mr. Brown's writing classes. Jeremy only spares him a glance before returning to his meal consisting of a squashed peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Micah, on the other hand, puts down his school lunch and watches Andrew with curious eyes.

            I set my fork down on my plate, giving Andrew my full attention. “What is it, Andy?”

            He plops down across the table from me, looking as if he is mentally preparing himself. “Some girl disappeared! She went to our school!” Andrew gushes.

            “What?” I ask, intrigued now. “Did she runaway? Get kidnapped?”

            Rule Number Nine of Journalism: A well-trained journalist always makes sure to get as many facts as she can.

            Micah jumps into the conversation. “Was there a ransom?” He adds to my list of questions.

            Andrew shakes his head. “No, that's the weird part! The police are totally stumped! All of her things are still in her room, no sign of a struggle or break in. It's just like she disappeared! Besides, it’s not like her parents are filthy rich or anything… It’s really weird.”

            “What's the girl's name?” I question, as I pull out a notepad and pen out of my bag.

            “Amy Saucer.”

            Why does this name seem so familiar to me? Jeremy seems to be paying attention now. “Casey, wasn't that one of the freshman you interviewed on the first day of school?”

            I frown as I realize he's right. “So, there's no information on her? How long has she been missing?”

            “Since Friday, apparently.” Andrew answers. “Her parents say she went to a party and never came home.”

            Micah visibly pales. Concerned, I look at Andrew. “A party?”

            “Yeah. The police questioned the kids who her parents said picked her up to go. They all testified that they hadn't seen her leave the party. It was like she was just wiped off the face of the planet.”

            I feel as if my brain is running one hundred miles a minute. None of it makes sense. It had been four days since the girl's disappearance and there was no ransom or clue as to where she was? I quickly jot down the facts Andrew had given me. “Thanks for the information, Andy.”

            “Anytime, Casey. I thought if anyone should know about it, it should be you.” He shoots me a quick wave before heading back to his own lunch table.

            I stare down at the notes I had taken. The confusing facts are still throwing me a curveball. With a sigh, I look back up to see Micah and Jeremy looking at me. “What?” I ask.

            “Looks like there’s something to do now.” Jeremy says this empathetically, glancing over at a table of sad-looking freshmen.

            I run a hand through my hair as I bite my lip, nodding in agreement to Jeremy’s statement. “Unfortunately you’re right. It’s so crazy; nothing ever happens in this town. And why Amy Saucer?” I fix my glasses before seeing Micah’s face. He’s staring at his half-eaten lunch. “It’s not your fault, Micah.”

            “I know, but-”

            Jeremy places a hand on our friend’s shoulder. “There’s nothing you could’ve done. How would you have known?” He asks as the bell rings, signalizing the end of our lunch period. “Come on; we better get to psychics so Ms. Glom can flirt with me again.”

            We all laugh, but there’s obvious strain on our faces. The three of us stand up to leave the lunchroom and head to the science wing. As we reach the doors, I glance back at the freshmen, spotting a particular blonde girl with a red nose and eyes to match. It was obvious she had to have been close to the missing girl. I decide that after a proper amount of time, I would ask her a few questions.

            Rule Number Nineteen of Journalism: A journalist should have morals concerning when, where, and whom to interview – especially when it concerns a tragedy such as a missing girl.

            I shake my head, thinking about the poor girl’s family, before I rush to catch up to Micah and Jeremy. They’ve walked quite a bit ahead of me and as much as I like psychics, I was not walking in there alone. Someone would make fun of my ‘rocking’ shirt. It had minerals printed on it. The three of us enter the classroom together and find seats. All around us are whispers of Amy Saucer. I exchange looks with Jeremy and we both understand what we’ll be doing after school; investigating.

Well. It sucks. I know. Bear with me. I'm finally getting back in the swing of things. :/ Sorry.