528

chapter five

"I-I'll go," Alissa stuttered.

"Alissa you seem the most nervous out of everyone."

"S-she was l-looking at me."

"Ok, why don't you start from the beginning."

I stared at Alissa straight in the eye as she began telling her story. I needed to make sure that everything she was saying was true.

"I killed my mom. I-I looked her in the eye while doing it."

"Why?" Milo asked.

"I ask the questions," I demanded. I turned my head towards Alissa and repeated Milo's question. "Why?"

"U-um." Alissa paused for a moment, not knowing what to say. Most people wouldn't have caught the hesitation, but I did. "B-because she killed my dad!"

"Stop lying," I insisted.

"What?"

"I said. Stop lying."

"I-I'm not lying."

"If you don't want to tell me what really happened, the door's right behind you."

"Ok, who wants to go nex-"

I was cut off by Alissa sobbing. I could barely make out the words she was saying but I knew she was ready to talk and wanted my help.

"I don't have a h-home. Or a f-family. My mom died right after she had me and my father blamed me for it. He threw me out when I was three. He couldn't stand my face. Every time he saw me, it reminded him of her. He sent me to a group home and left me there. I always thought to myself that he would come back. But when I turned six, I knew that any chance of him coming back to get me was gone."

Alissa stopped talking and began to cry again. I knew what it was like, to grow up without a family, so I walked over to her and engulfed her in a hug. She sobbed into my arms and we stood there for a few minutes. When Alissa calmed down, she continued her story.

"Since I knew he wasn't coming back, I ran. The only reason I stayed in that placed was for the hope that he would come back and get me. I began to make plans for my future as soon as I left. I had no money so I helped mop the floors of a gym in exchange for a storage room to sleep in at night. I began to create a new life for myself, a new identity. I applied for Silvermen High and became the popular kid at school. The kid everyone wanted to be. But no one knew the truth. Nobody. Well, until now."

I had always hated Alissa. It was because I was jealous. I thought she lived the dream life. Happy family, good grades, a nice group of friends. But I guess everyone has secrets.

"Anyways, I needed clothes and food to live off of so I tried to get a job. But, no one would hire me. That's when I began to steal. I would go to stores and try on the clothes but when I came out of the changing rooms, I would be wearing the clothing I tried on with the tags off. I would always get away with it somehow. I would go to the grocery stores and steal there as well. That was a lot easier than stealing clothes. I just needed a big purse."

I thought about the gasoline tank I had stolen for earlier in the day. Technically, I didn't steal it. I paid extra at the counter.

"Well, there was this one clothing store I would go to just about everyday. I loved it there. Everyone was so friendly. The owner of the store was like a sister to me. She was really young for someone with their own store. She would always help me when I got into trouble at school. But even she didn't know about my real life. One day, she caught me stealing at her store and was going to call the police. I tried to tell her that she can't. That they would send me back to that horrid group home. But she didn't listen. I didn't want to. I-I really didn't."

Alissa began to cry again and out of the corner of my eye I saw Milo roll his eyes. Jessica sighed and went over to Alissa to comfort her.

"It's ok, keep going. What happened?" Jessica soothed.

"W-well, she c-couldn't call the police. I-I didn't want to go back. S-so, I took one of the clothing racks and j-jammed it into her. That only k-knocked her down. S-so I took one of her measuring tapes and I wrapped it around her head. I-I didn't know h-how to choke someone. I thought that I was supposed to stand in front of her while I did it. Not the back."

"What difference does it make?"

"S-she l-looked at me," Alissa said while trembling. "She looked at me w-while I was killing her. I-I can still see it. It's engraved into my head. Make it s-stop. Mak-."

Alissa didn't finish her sentence. She just fell to her knees and started to cry again. This girl and her tears. I mean I get it, she killed someone but she has got to stop with the crying. It's starting to get really annoying.

"Get up," I demanded.

Slowly, Alissa stood up and wiped away her tears.

"You killed someone. Now you're dealing with the consequences. There's no time to feel sorry for yourself. Clear?"

Alissa nodded.

"Good." I paused for a second and then said, "Milo? Jessica?"