Living For The Fog

Pointing Fingers

Oh sweet Jesus. I can see them walking towards me, looking straight at me. What did I do? Nothing, I did nothing, that's all I need to tell them, I'm sure they'll understand. It's all some big misunderstanding. They've got the wrong guy. I need to stop panicking, I havn't done anything, I don't even know why they're here. What's going on?

And it hits me, the spray painted lockers. "Casey Miron?" The first police officer asks me, looking very serious. Oh my god they think I spray painted those lockers. They think I spray painted my OWN locker, what the hell!?

"Yes.." I say, confused. "Can I help?" All I need to do is stay calm while they question me. They can't have any evidence against me surely, I wasn't even there. I was in PE when it must have happened, they can even ask the PE teacher, he'll know. I'll be marked in on the register too, there will be no denying that it wasn't me and I'll be proved innocent. Nothing to worry about, don't have a panic attack Casey. Please don't have a panic attack.

"We have reasons to believe that you spray painted the lockers in ground floor room 18. We'd like you to come with us so we can speak to you." He says, gesturing towards the door. I nod and walk inside, surpressing the need to violently throw up my lunch. Oh wait, I didn't eat any lunch. Man I'm hungry. I follow the second officer inside and into the first classroom on the right, before sitting down at the teacher's desk opposite both police officers. I look over at the lockers on the back wall and they too have been spraypainted pink with "DORK" written over the front of them... They must have done all of the lockers in empty rooms. Mr Harvey, my form tutor, stands behind me slightly to the right looking distinctly unimpressed. "Casey, can you tell us where you were at 12:35 this afternoon?" asks the first officer.

"I was in my PE lesson with Mr Whitall, sir." I say confidently. It was true, after all. I don't need to worry about anything, I'm innocent. The four of us look up as suddenly the deputy head teacher strides into the room.

"Mrs Hedge has just had a heart attack." She proclaims solemnly, looking rather out of breath. "She's being taken to hospital in an ambulance." Mrs Hedge had a heart attack? Mrs Hedge the invincible ancient vampire/school nurse? Wait, the school nurse. I was in the Nurse's office at 12:35 after I collapsed. Sam took me. I just told the police a lie. 

"Sir, I-" but I'm interrupted by Mr Harvey and the deputy headteacher's swift exit from the room, followed by the door closing behind them. The police officers look back at me.

"Mr Whitall told us that you left his lesson at 12:30 to go to the nurse's room after you collapsed. Which is funny, because that would mean that you weren't in your PE lesson at 12:35, you were in the Nurse's room. It does seem, however, that your school nurse is unable to speak to us at the moment, so how do we know that you were there?" This is horrible. I really think I'm going to throw up now, they think it was me. They're accusing me of spraypainting the school lockers. All of them. And then it ocurred to me - Sam.

"Sam Gardener, sir. He took me to the Nurse's office from PE. He saw me." I say too quickly, unable to keep my cool for any longer. Sam didn't see me go in, he left before Mrs Hedge opened the door. What if he doesn't back me up? What if Mrs Hedge can't back me up? It all points to me. It's all tied up in a neat little bow.

They both ignore me. "Can we check your bag please Casey?" The second officer asks me, more kindly than the other. He doesn't seem nearly as fierce so I pass him my bag and gag. I'm going to throw up. I stand up and just make it to the bin before I puke up water. The second officer sorts through my bag and the first watches me from his seat. I can see the way he's looking at me, like he's silently accusing me of some terrible crime. After about a minute the second officer speaks again "There's nothing in there that would suggest he did it." he says, "Come and sit back down Casey." and I do, but the first officer dismisses me anyway. "You can leave now, Casey. We'll be in touch." and the second hands me my bag which I put on my shoulder before hastily walking out, directly into Sam Gardener who stands outside. I look up at him, his perfect face, his 5 foot 11 frame. Wow.