ride continued to be quiet until I realized that we weren’t on our way back to school, back to my car. We were driving toward my house.
“Hey, wait you have to take me to my car,” I said.
“I’m already half-way to your house.”
“I can’t get to school tomorrow without my car.”
He gave a frustrated sigh. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow, ‘kay?”
My lips thinned. “Fine, whatever,” I said.
“Are you mad at me or something?”
Was I? I didn’t know. It wasn’t like he did anything for me to be mad at him for. Hell, he’d offered to help me figure out who wanted to blow up the entire school. Still though, I felt upset with him.
“No, I’m not mad,” I said and tried to forget the strange little twist that I’d felt in my stomach.
10
I was Hoping You were Different
B rant arrived at my house the next morning earlier than I expected. I opened the car door and saw him sitting there leaning back in his seat, one hand on the wheel, and his seatbelt, unbuckled, hanging loose by the door. It smelled like smoke, which both Brant and his car always did, but more so just then, as if he’d just tossed his cigarette out the window before pulling up to my house. I got in and we took off in the direction of school with more speed than necessary. I quickly buckled my seatbelt. He turned to me after a moment and looked me up and down.
“So, I’ve got an idea on where we should start to look for our mystery murderer.”
“Alright, what’ve you got?” I asked glad that he had an idea of where to start, as I was still feeling like all of this was out of my league.
“Craig Fister.”
“Huh?”
“Craig Fister.”
“Not a clue.”
“He’s in my Physics class, my grade, dreadlocks, ‘hates the world’ attitude, one of those totally self-absorbed types that thinks he’s the only person on the face of the planet to ever have anything bad happen to him. I heard he skinned a cat last year for kicks and giggles. Seems like our type.”
I nodded. I didn’t really know who Craig was, but off Brant’s description he definitely seemed like someone we should check out. I had someone else in mind that I wanted to talk to though, someone who didn’t seem as obviously homicidal as Craig.
“I wanna talk to Eric Thompson too,” I said.
“Teddy Bear Thompson, the guy looks big enough to crush the whole school with his gut, but he doesn’t seem like the type to go all Unabomber .”
“Ryan Morgan gave him a nosebleed at lunch on Monday. Guess some of the football players in his gym class have been giving him a hard time too.”
“You’re thinking he might be out for revenge?”
“I’m thinking that maybe he’s getting sick of being picked on.”
Brant nodded. We were silent the rest of the short ride to school. The air whistled through my window, as it was open only a crack, but I didn’t roll it up. Without the radio, I had nothing but that shrill to occupy my thoughts and I focused on it to keep from thinking about Eric. Even still, my mind conjured the image of Teddy Bear Thompson filling a pipe bomb and lighting its fuse. Brant was right, that image didn’t look right. Eric was a warm, good natured person. He didn’t have a lot of friends but he was nice to everyone. He didn’t seem like the kind of person to try and blow up the school. Still, I was learning that people weren’t always how they appeared to be. Brant pulled into the student lot and turned off the car. We sat there for a moment then he turned to me.
Sorry for my friends being dicks the other day , he thought and I rolled my eyes. He wanted to apologize but couldn’t even say it aloud. Then I saw his jaw twitch just ever so slightly and realized that this wasn’t easy for him to do.
“Don’t worry
“Hey, wait you have to take me to my car,” I said.
“I’m already half-way to your house.”
“I can’t get to school tomorrow without my car.”
He gave a frustrated sigh. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow, ‘kay?”
My lips thinned. “Fine, whatever,” I said.
“Are you mad at me or something?”
Was I? I didn’t know. It wasn’t like he did anything for me to be mad at him for. Hell, he’d offered to help me figure out who wanted to blow up the entire school. Still though, I felt upset with him.
“No, I’m not mad,” I said and tried to forget the strange little twist that I’d felt in my stomach.
10
I was Hoping You were Different
B rant arrived at my house the next morning earlier than I expected. I opened the car door and saw him sitting there leaning back in his seat, one hand on the wheel, and his seatbelt, unbuckled, hanging loose by the door. It smelled like smoke, which both Brant and his car always did, but more so just then, as if he’d just tossed his cigarette out the window before pulling up to my house. I got in and we took off in the direction of school with more speed than necessary. I quickly buckled my seatbelt. He turned to me after a moment and looked me up and down.
“So, I’ve got an idea on where we should start to look for our mystery murderer.”
“Alright, what’ve you got?” I asked glad that he had an idea of where to start, as I was still feeling like all of this was out of my league.
“Craig Fister.”
“Huh?”
“Craig Fister.”
“Not a clue.”
“He’s in my Physics class, my grade, dreadlocks, ‘hates the world’ attitude, one of those totally self-absorbed types that thinks he’s the only person on the face of the planet to ever have anything bad happen to him. I heard he skinned a cat last year for kicks and giggles. Seems like our type.”
I nodded. I didn’t really know who Craig was, but off Brant’s description he definitely seemed like someone we should check out. I had someone else in mind that I wanted to talk to though, someone who didn’t seem as obviously homicidal as Craig.
“I wanna talk to Eric Thompson too,” I said.
“Teddy Bear Thompson, the guy looks big enough to crush the whole school with his gut, but he doesn’t seem like the type to go all Unabomber .”
“Ryan Morgan gave him a nosebleed at lunch on Monday. Guess some of the football players in his gym class have been giving him a hard time too.”
“You’re thinking he might be out for revenge?”
“I’m thinking that maybe he’s getting sick of being picked on.”
Brant nodded. We were silent the rest of the short ride to school. The air whistled through my window, as it was open only a crack, but I didn’t roll it up. Without the radio, I had nothing but that shrill to occupy my thoughts and I focused on it to keep from thinking about Eric. Even still, my mind conjured the image of Teddy Bear Thompson filling a pipe bomb and lighting its fuse. Brant was right, that image didn’t look right. Eric was a warm, good natured person. He didn’t have a lot of friends but he was nice to everyone. He didn’t seem like the kind of person to try and blow up the school. Still, I was learning that people weren’t always how they appeared to be. Brant pulled into the student lot and turned off the car. We sat there for a moment then he turned to me.
Sorry for my friends being dicks the other day , he thought and I rolled my eyes. He wanted to apologize but couldn’t even say it aloud. Then I saw his jaw twitch just ever so slightly and realized that this wasn’t easy for him to do.
“Don’t worry
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