The Color of Truth

eight: greysen

I don't understand why everyone stares. The four of us, Aris, Tanden, Jaryd and I walked to the pizza place that was hardly a block from our school and I swear I had at least 15 pairs of eyes on me from strangers I'd never spoken too. "Hey Grey." Aris said pulling me from my on-coming anxiety attack. "Hi." I replied with a soft smile. She gently wrapped her small arm around mine and leaned her head against me as we walked. Aris was the perfect comfort.

Jaryd looked back at us, "So what are you guys hooking up or something?" He said. I swear I could hear it in his voice, anger or jealousy, or maybe something else entirely. But he was wrong. "No, just being here for my best friend Jar. Quit getting your panties in a twist." Aris said nonchalantly, sticking her tongue out at him at the end. His shoulders seemed to relax and he began talking about how Coach Degard, the girls volleyball coach, was under investigation for having a relationship with a student.

"Why are all of our teachers so fucked up?" Tanden said, it was the first time he'd spoken in awhile and it had stopped Aris and I from laughing. "What do you mean?" I asked him. He suddenly looked serious. Tanden was hardly every serious. "Mr. Campbell disappearing mysteriously only weeks after Greysen's parents are murdered doesn't raise suspicion in any one else?" He looked at all of us with a raised eyebrow and continued. "He hated Greysen, the perfect student, for some unknown fucking reason. And he developed a stutter when you came back to school. What 40 something year old man develops a stutter out of nowhere. Guilty ones. He tried to get you too Greysen. The killer came after you but gave up. Probably to tired or fatigued. Had to be someone older, someone out of shape. I've been looking into this since it happened. So much adds up, I have it all written in a notebook at home. I can show you." He said looking at me for some sort of reaction. I'd never even though of this possibility, but maybe he was right, it was all super weird.

"No, that's enough!" Jaryd yelled. We all stopped walking and looked at him. "Mr. Campbell was a grumpy old dude who hated his job. Plain and simple. Enough with the conspiracy theories Tanden. You're gonna get his hopes up that they find his parents killers. I doubt they ever will. What did the people chalk it up to be after they found you innocent? Robbery gone wrong? Leave it alone. The guy probably had no connection to you. He probably wandered into town and needed some cash and went to rob your house, terrible for your parents but they were home. Stop digging, you won't find anything." His eyes were wild and angry. I didn't understand why he was angry. My parents killer needed to be brought to justice, I wasn't just going to give up.

I hadn't realized but my eyes had started watering and Aris looked at me like she could feel all of my pain and confusion. She probably could, we knew each other that well. "What the fuck Jaryd? Greysen deserves the closure. He deserves to see the man or woman that ruined his family and watch them be put to justice. Why are you so cold? Why are you defending that dick of a teacher?" Tanden said to Jaryd with accusing eyes. I was tired of hearing this. I wanted to go and hide in my room and pretend I wasn't here.

"I'm not feeling well so I'm gonna skip pizza and probably head home." I said. They all turned and looked at me. "Okay Grey lets go home." Aris said walking the other way, towards the school and her car and away from our friends. Leaving them shocked and confused. We never just bailed that way. "Aris you don't have to come with, I just can't listen to them anymore." I told her in a hushed tone when I caught up to her. "We're a team Grey. This is what we do, we take care of each other. And I could use a nap. I didn't sleep well last night." She shrugged, wanting to say more but not wanting to bring up what Tanden and Jaryd were talking about.

"We can talk about it later. I just can't right now." I told her as we walked in silence. She just nodded. "You should call your dad. Tell him I got sick and we're going home. I know he doesn't want us at the house without them." I told her. "I'll call him when we get to the car, he won't mind." She reassured me. "Thank you." Was the last thing I said. We walked the rest of the way in silence.

We got to the car and she dialed her dad's number and put her phone on speaker, something she often did. "Aris what's wrong? Shouldn't you be in class?" He said as soon as he picked up, panic obvious in his tone. "Nothing Dad, we're fine. Greysen isn't feeling well and I was going to take him home so he could rest. Is that alright?" She said, covering for the fact that I'm not sick, I'm having a mental break down. "You scared me kid, if he's just sick. No worries. Your mom should be home in about an hour or so. Get him home and rested. Be careful babe, love you." He said, his tone relaxing as the conversation went on. "Sorry for worrying you pops. Love you too. I'll call you if anything gets to crazy." She laughed lightly and hung up the phone.

We started the quick drive home, some random song playing. And then a thought pops into my head, I turn the music down and look at Aris. She looks at me raising an eyebrow. "Can we drive passed my house? I just wanna see it." I ask her tentatively. She nods. "If my dad knew, he'd have us police escorted to and from school every day. So I guess he just can't know." She smiles. God she always makes me feel better. And I smile too, then turn the music back on. And just listen for a calming moment, ignoring my intense thoughts of the place we're going too. The place that my family was made and then demolished.