Alis Volat propiis

Chapter 21

Superficial Love By Ruth B

Nothing but trouble.

Yesterday started out pretty good, I suppose. The night before we had gone to Alex's stepmom's house and visited his siblings. He has two little sisters and one little brother. His little sister, Miley, absolutely loves me. She refused to be put down by me and denied hugs or kisses to anyone but me. We left and went to the gas station and all got sodas with the money Alex's brother gave to us. Alex's brother went straight to the bathroom when we got there as Alex and I got our sodas. Little did we know what his brother was doing in the bathroom would cause a huge ordeal. 

I sat at DQ eating lunch with two of my friends, Jade and Jena.  I was just finishing up my sundae when Jade received a call. She gave a confused look and handed the phone to me. I knit my eyebrows together in confusion and took the phone. 

"Hello?" I asked cautiously. Clayton's voice broke through the phone sounding panicked.

"Hey, your car is getting searched by police right now. Like I'm literally watching as they do it," I choked on my ice cream and swallowed quickly.

"Ok, I'll be right there," I said before hanging up quickly. I shot Jena and Jade a look before I barked at them to go. Jena screeched out of there like a bat out of hell. The whole marching band was outside, their eyes glued on the police rummaging through me and Alex's car. I jumped out of the car and marched right over to the car. 

"What do you think you're doing?" I demanded and the principal seemed to be taken back by my attitude. I was beyond mad. I was being humiliated by everyone seeing it. I could already feel the rumors beginning. 

"We're searching the car for the wallet," The officer said and lowered his sunglasses at me.

"And did you get permission?" I snapped.

"Yes ma'am. We got permission from Alex," The officer confirmed.  

"Well that's nice. This is my soda, don't touch it," I said as I pushed past them and put my soda in the cup holder. I shot them one last look before stalking away. Alex's step mom had confronted us as we had been walking into school this morning about her wallet being gone. She told us that Miley had said she saw Alex's brother take it, which didn't surprise me. 

I walked into History and was nearly swept away with the amount of whispering and talking going on about my car being searched. I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard they didn't know who's car it was. However, my relief was short lived as a girl named Kirstie butt in and pointed a finger at me.

"It's Mackenzie and Alex's car that was being searched," she said loudly enough for practically the whole school to hear. I could feel a thousand pairs of eyes on me and my heart began to race. I already didn't like the girl and I knew she hated me, so I knew this was her way of having something over me. Clayton and Wynter gave me a look of sympathy and Clayton gave my arm a pat and whispered that I'd be alright. 

Things began to quiet down as we watched a video on 9/11. There was a knock at the door and the principal walked in and asked me to come with him. Once again, the focus was back on me. I held my head high as I walked out of the room. I was then questioned by police and I told them I knew nothing about the wallet. Then when I returned to the room, the whispers began again. That's how the rest of the day went and I kept my head held high and dared anyone to confront me. Alex was getting the same treatment as well and he seemed to be taking it just fine as always. 

I went to work after school for the first time and when I got back, Alex and I went to his stepmom's house. She explained how she was sorry she brought the cops into it and that she knew it wasn't Alex or I that had taken it. She asked for details and we gave them to her, telling her everything. She blanched when we told her about going to the gas station and him going to the bathroom. She went to the football game and picked him up as we played with the little ones. 

He confessed everything. He had taken the wallet and thrown it away in the trash can of the boy's bathroom at the gas station. $125, credit cards, medical cards, and social security cards all gone. He justified it by saying the only reason he did it was because his step mom had been talking his dad and mom down. The excuse seemed to work in his favor because his mom said she deserved to have it happen for talking trash. The punishment was so unfair and now his step mom has nothing because of it and he practically got off scott free. Nothing but trouble.