Life's Fear

Chapter Thirty-One

Social media was exceedingly frenzied by the next morning, and the local news reports.

As all thought the true culprit of the vandalisms had been apprehended, no one could comprehend that the cops may have gotten the wrong guy or if Jason had been working with several people and the duty to graffiti was burdened upon them. Some people were trying to decipher the meanings behind each individual piece and then the ultimate one. Some had gone as far as deeming it the final piece of vandalism. That made me sigh of relief, especially when Jesse came barging into my room before he was set to leave for the hospital.

"I think you've done it," he said, a proud smile on his face.

"You think so?" I replied, biting my lip but only for a second or two.

"Definitely." He nodded copiously as he gestured down to my phone in my hands which I had temporarily neglected since he'd came wandering into my room. "Everyone's saying Jason has to be released now there's a new piece of graffiti and he's been locked up. They can't prove they were all him, especially with the one last night. And I think you really did manage to pass it off as Jason. The contrast of writing is a little different, but I don't think many people would notice that."

"I hope he gets out," I mumbled, mainly to myself though I didn't conceal it enough for Jesse to not hear me.

He sighed and said, "I'm positive he will. He'll probably just get a fine. Maybe even if that. The cops might just be able to decide without the use of a jury. There are probably rules like that." He waited to see if I'd reply but when I didn't. "I need to go to work. Jason will be out by the end of the day, I bet you anything."

His words had little comfort over me, but I guess they kind of helped. It made me want to get out of bed and have the day pass away with a click of someone's fingers, so I could see if Jesse's prediction was accurate. But realising I still had my phone in my hand, I looked down at it. There was something I'd missed: a text from Max.

Max: I know you vandalised the sports hall considering Jason is still at the station.

What did I even care that she knew? She had no valid proof and even if she went to the cops and declared herself as the one who handed in the photograph – my photograph – they still wouldn't take her seriously without any substantial evidence. It left me a little worried, I wouldn't deny, but not wholly that I didn't even want to face school. She might gossip and commence a rumour saying I'd done it to protect Jason now that we'd have sex and whatever else she would embellish with (even though that was the truth), but no one knew for sure. They only had Max's words. And I really hoped she wouldn't be that spiteful.

That didn't stop her from not talking to me all day. She still sat by me in home room, however, but she barely glanced in my direction. She checked out her nails for the entire duration. Even when I nudged her or whispered her name, she still didn't even glance at me, so I shut my mouth and turned back to Miss Wayne who was calling out all the names in the register with higher levels of monotone than normal, and I almost groaned aloud.

My graffiti had been in the sports hall all day. I confirmed this for myself when exiting school. Jason hadn't shown up at all today, so it made me question whether he had been released yet or not. I hadn't seen anything online, and I'd been checking consistently throughout the day.

My default exit path never entailed ambling past the sports hall, but with the door wide open, I couldn't help myself. I needed to look at it. Everyone was turning their heads as they walked past it too, so I wouldn't appear shifty in the slightest... just intrigued. No one had gotten rid of it yet, but I had wondered if the cops would get involved after school once all the pupils would be out of the way. There was no way they could trace it back to me. Absolutely no way, I thought, continuing to flee from school.