Falling For The Suspect ✔️

Chapter 7 ~ Sage

SAGE'S POV

"And we now have to assume the worst."

I hear a few gasps and chokes from around the room. The words send a shiver down my spine. I notice people glance at a certain someone sitting near the back. I follow their gaze to an expressionless Chase Rivers. His dark hair is messy as if he just woke up. My pulse quickens as his green eyes meet mine. I quickly look away, my cheeks burning.

Students begin to stand up, making a beeline for the door. I steal one glance at Chase over my shoulder and see he's yet to have moved. I follow the rest of the students out of the assembly hall, eavesdropping into multiple conversations at once.

"I can't believe it! He's gone?"

"Brett Reed can't be dead, he's Brett Reed!"

"I think I'm going to cry!"

"I don't understand! Why Brett?"

I tune into the discussion May, Alice and Sarah are having about the horrifying news we've just been told.

"Oh! Your poor Dad Sage! This must be so stressful!" May sighs, giving me a sympathetic look. "I thought this kind of stuff only happened in movies!"

"Why Mapleville of all places?" Alice ponders out loud as we come to a stop near our lockers.

I look around at the many students huddled together in the hallway. Most look terrified, some even crying. Others seem excited at the idea that a murder case could be happening in their town. I don't even need to have known Brett Reed to know the impact he has had on these people's lives. I guess he was their star, their idea of perfection in such a small, isolated town.

"So do you guys believe the rumours? Do you really think Chase Rivers is capable of murder?" Sarah asks as she tugs nervously on her brown hair.

"Why do people believe he has something to do with it?" I ask intrigued.

"He and Brett have a weird history," Alice says. "They used to be best friends, inseparable in fact. Both good football players. Brett was the boy with good grades who the teachers all loved while Chase was always more on the naughty side. They were the 'It' duo. But then something happened," she trails off, lost in thought.

"What do you mean 'something happened,'" I ask in confusion. Friends break apart all the time. What did that have to do with a possible murder?

"Nobody knows. One day they were best mates and the next day they wouldn't dare go near each other. Chase dropped out of the football team and stopped making the effort to interact with others. Brett became more guarded. That was a year ago," May sighs.

"Some people think it's because Brett was worried Chase would take over as captain of the football team, while others say that Brett didn't want to find himself too deep into Chase's troubles," Sarah says.

"But that's not all," Alice adds. "The day before Brett disappeared they had a fight in the parking lot. Well, a heated conversation that escalated into a bit of a brawl. They hadn't talked to each other in a year and then BOOM! It was during the fifth period, one class saw it happen from their window."

My mind races with thoughts.

"What I would give to know why they stopped being friends," Sarah sighs, leaning against her locker.

"Why didn't anyone ask?" I enquire.

"Oh, people tried. A guy called Max asked Chase and was met with a fist that broke his nose," Sarah says sympathetically.

"And you can't forget about Rachel! She was dating Brett at the time. She decided to ask him what happened and right then and there in the cafeteria he dumped her in front of everyone," Alice says. "She didn't return to school for a week because she was so embarrassed."

We make our way to the cafeteria for lunch. Classes have been cancelled until the afternoon so we could fully process the information about Brett Reed's possible murder. Looking around at the other students in the cafeteria I come to the conclusion that they're definitely going to need more than a few hours to recover. We sit down at a table in the corner.

"I don't believe he's dead!" May exclaims suddenly. "He can't be! He's Brett Reed! Mapleville without Brett is like a sandwich without butter! It's nothing without it!"

"Calm down May, his death isn't even confirmed," Alice says.

"Aww does May still have a crush on Brett from 9th grade?" Sarah asks teasingly, smiling at a bright red May.

"I do not! Why would I bother wasting my time crushing on a guy who doesn't even know I exist," she sighs, her hazel eyes filled with longing. "Let alone if he even exists anymore."

Right at that moment, a hush falls over the cafeteria as many conversations come to a halt. There in the doorway stands the mysterious Chase Rivers. Aware everyone's attention is on him, he scans the cafeteria with a glare as if to say 'mind your own business.' It works as everyone quickly turns away.

I keep my eyes trained on him as he skips the lunch line, grabbing himself some food. Nobody in the queue even questions his lack of patience, simply averting their glances. He saunters over to the door.

Before exiting, he slowly turns around. His eyes scan the room and then suddenly land on me. I feel my heart skip a beat. He narrows his green eyes. Then Chase Rivers does the last thing I would have expected of him. His glare turns into an amused grin as he sends a quick wink my way. I feel my cheeks go bright red and quickly try to hide my face so he can't see my reaction, but he's already gone.

I look back at my new friends who are all looking at me with wide eyes.

"Did I just imagine it or did Chase Rivers just wink at you?" Sarah asks shocked.

"Nope! I saw it too! And he smiled! He actually smiled at you, Sage!" May squeals with a large smile on her face. "Maybe he likes you!

Chase Rivers? Liking me? I highly doubt it! Not after I stole his seat and ran into him at the police station. Besides, a wink and a grin doesn't mean he likes me, it means he's cocky and arrogant.

"You're forgetting the fact that he may have had something to do with the Brett Reed case. He doesn't exactly scream safety," Alice says, giving May a warning look.

"He probably only winked because he had something in his eye," I say, convincing myself that that was it.

Yet I can't ignore that weird feeling I got when I saw the forever frowning Chase Rivers smiling at me.

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