"The Cut"

Chapter 47- Stone Cold Busted

Chapter 47- Stone Cold Busted

Jared Fullman pulled into the faculty parking lot of FHS anticipating  a run-in with Bailey and Chase. He had already texted Carson and even called her a couple of times, but to no avail. Her voice recording was all that replied, but he didn't dare leave a message. He had NO idea if she'd gone home, or if she she'd left the dance with Jess, Logan, and Kelsey.

 He only hoped that for her own sake, she didn't attempt to join the Ryan's "after" party. There were too many students lingering in the hallway of the lobby when Chase made his declaration to quit the team, and Carson was only several feet from each of them. 

 Anything was possible if she showed up at the Morrison's place!

 He was aware that more than a few students had seen the altercation, not to mention Chase calling him a "cradle robber" upon his departure. He and Chase had been through many disputes over the course of the season, but nothing on the field could have enraged him enough to throw such a low-blow in his direction.

 Even if there was the slightest chance that no one connected the dots, Jared knew his soccer team contained a few gossips. Gavin Steehl was one for sure, and possibly Ryan Morrison himself. Chase was best friends with Evan, who was out with his recent injury; that minimized the chances of more fuel dousing the fire. And he KNEW Chase wasn't going out without "evening the score", just as he'd promised at the dance before he left.

 Jared Fullman was convinced that he and Carson Pierce were in trouble- the sooner they corroborated a believable story, the greater the chance of it being dismissed by the town of Fairview. He pulled through the first row of the lot, where he saw a few remaining cars that he assumed were left behind.

  There were over 3,000 students attending FHS- nearly half were juniors and seniors. There was definitely alcohol mixed into the evening's equation, and he figured it would be safer if the cars remained in the lot for the night. The last thing the school needed was for a student to be arrested for drunk driving or involved in an accident of any sort.

 As he approached one of the SUV's, he scoped it out to ensure it wasn't Bud Cooper's Excursion. 

 He hadn't heard a word from Sissy since he left her home; he assumed they were still missing. When he pulled up beside the vehicle, he saw that it was a Cadillac XT-6 that was smoky- gray in color. He shook his head at the thought of turning over such a sophisticated model to an inexperienced teen.

"Rich bastards." he muttered as he pulled around to a red Mustang convertible. 

 He was certain that the owner was Brad Jacoby, and figured he and his girlfriend, Casey, must have caught a ride to Ryan's party with friends. Though the windows were tinted, he could see from the front windshield that the car was empty. He continued inspecting vacant cars, until he suddenly noticed movement near the recycling dumpsters that backed up to the rear entrance of the cafeteria. He sped up until he had a clearer view.

 It was Carson's GS-F and he was certain someone was getting into it at that very moment!

 He cut the wheel and pulled in diagonally, his headlights facing her car. He could see her black, sparkling, high heels, and it looked as though she was bending into the backseat to retrieve something. He quickly placed the Tahoe in park and hopped out of the driver's seat.

  As he approached the Lexus, he scanned the parking lot. There was not a soul in sight.

"Why would Carson be in the faculty parking lot so late, and what was she doing alone?" he wondered.

 He slowed his pace when he reached the open driver's side door. It looked like she was wearing a lightweight, hooded sweater. It was black as night and covered her beautiful, golden strands of hair that had been curled with precision for the dance just hours before. She was moving her hands about the backseat, as though she were still searching for something. He could feel himself breathing a sigh of relief, though he was still perplexed as to what motivated her to drive back to the school grounds. 

  ALONE.

 Jared spoke before reaching out, so as not to startle her. She slowly turned toward him, backing her way out of the rear seat. He began to smile when suddenly, he saw a car pulling out from behind the building; it's headlights were turned down. He couldn't make out the model OR the owner. The smile quickly faded from his face.

 He turned back to Carson.

"Hey. I tried texting you. I called you twice. Is everything okay?" he placed his hand gently on her slender arm, feeling the texture of the Cashmere blend. It was lengthy and rough, and draped all the way down to the beds of her shimmering fingernails. He let his hand slide down toward her wrist when she finally lifted her hood to meet his gaze.

"Carson, I said is everything okay?" he repeated. He gasped when the set of beautiful, long-lashed eyes landed on his, and the voice behind the cloaked woman finally spoke.

"No, Coach Fullman, I'm afraid you've made a dreadful mistake. It isn't CARSON."

 He saw a series of flashes in the distance and the unknown car squealed in reverse. He heard the muffled sounds fade completely as it slipped out of sight.

 Before he could open his mouth to utter another word, he felt the blow of a blunt, metal object striking the back of his head with unimaginable force. The taste of blood filled his throat instantaneously. He blacked out as his body hit the asphalt with a lifeless sound.

 PHLOOMP.

 A couple of voices whispered through frantic, rapid movements. A few moments later, they disappeared into the DEAD of the night, as the eery sound of Radiohead's "Creep" looped repeatedly from Coach Jared Fullman's Chevy Tahoe in the desolate FHS parking lot.