A Vampire Tale

Chapter 19

  Jason
-The next day-
I got to school a bit early, but something was different. Everybody was talking about Joshua's death and how they think Taylor killed him. As I waited for Brenda to show up, I overheard a few girls gossip that Taylor had planned to kill him ever since they met in freshman year. I rolled my eyes at their stupid rumor.

"Taylor wouldn't kill anybody. He doesn't have a reason too and he's smart enough to know the consequences of murder. So, why don't you three shut your mouths and think before you start gossiping about other people."

They turned to me and shook their heads no. "Everyone knows that the reason why he shuts everyone out is because he's crazy. I think he's the one who killed his parents and just blamed it on an imaginary person," the girl who seemed to be the leader said back with attitude. She was clearly unhappy with my remark. What she didn't know was that Taylor was standing behind her the whole time, listening to what she had to say.

"You think I would murder my own parents? Why would I get myself sent to an orphanage after getting kidnapped by strangers? Why would I put myself through hell at four years old? Time for you to face the facts. You don't know a thing about me." The girls jumped with fear when he started talking. It wasn't hard to guess that their stupid leader's comment made him angry.

"Calm down, Taylor. These idiots don't have a clue about the real you. It doesn't matter what those weaklings have to say," Hailey said as she stepped out of the corner. Dressed in skinny jeans and black tang top covered by a leather jacket, Hailey looked like she stepped out one of those fashion magazines.

"Nice outfit. It fits you perfectly," I told her. She glanced at me, acknowledging my comment, then back at Taylor.

"Don't be so reckless as to talk about someone you don't know. They may be a good person or... They could be extremely dangerous," Taylor said to them before joining Hailey's side. I followed behind them as they walked away. "Hey Jason. I heard you defend me. Thanks," Taylor said so quietly.

I shrugged, "maybe we could actually be real friends. I know how hard your life was, and if it happened to me, I would probably be the same as you."

He nodded and held out his hand. I shook it, smiling.

As the day continued, the police began talking to the traumatized students, asking for any witnesses to come forward. This is what, I believe, made Taylor nervous. Many people believe he did it. Taylor and Hailey spent all night trying to clear his name. So far, they had no luck. Brenda is still a bit angry at Taylor because her brother's training began at six in the morning. It was pretty easy keeping her away from Taylor, but it was difficult to keep her away from others.

After hearing what happened yesterday, I was determined to keep her safe. Eventually, the cops turned their attention to me. "Jason Gonzales, may we speak with you in private?" Officer Carl Nunez asked me.

I knew I had to say yes so I wouldn't draw unnecessary attention to Taylor. "Sure officer." I followed him into the principal's office and sat down in a chair. "If this is about Joshua's murder, Taylor didn't do it. I know you and your partner have been investigating other students, and I know what their saying about him."

Officer Nunez shook his head no. "I know he's your friend, but to be honest, it doesn't look good for him. We spoke to your classmates and some say he didn't commit the murder." He sounded a bit disappointed. He sighed and closed his eyes. "Look, I've known about Taylor's history since he moved into town. Who doesn't know, right? Anyways, I personally want to believe that he is innocent, but I have to arrest him if we find evidence against him. I don't want to do that because he's been through enough."

I stood up from my chair. "He was in class when the murder was in progress! Everyone heard a scream so he went out to investigate! Taylor would never be stupid enough to commit a murder, especially when he knows the consequences of his actions." Before Carl could stop me and ambush me with more questions, I walked out of the room.