My cell phone rang.
Switchfoot's 'I dare you to move' rang out through the class room at an unbelievably loud level. We were in calculus, taking a test, and once my ring tone had made it's presence known, twenty-eight different heads shot up, and looked at me with expressions varying from amusementto annoyment, if that's even a word.
How could I have forgotten to turn the ring tone off?
My hand shot into my pocket, and I flipped the phone open, and then shut with a practiced snap of my wrist. I looked up at my teacher, who said only four words.
"Go to the office."
I plastered an extremely fake look of sheepishness on my face as I packed my things up, threw them in my bag, shouldered said bag, and left the classroom, a few not so friendly snickers following me.
Mr. Hedly wouldn't write me up for having my cell ring in class. Like every other teacher at my high school, he knew the truth. What truth? Well, the only time that my cell phone rings is when the detectives in the sixteenth precinct of the New York Police Department need me to join my friend and partner, Elliot Stabler, at wherever the crime scene is. In other words…I am a fifteen year old detective for the Special Victims Unit.
As I practically run down the halls towards the office, where I knew that I would be signing out for the rest of the day, I fished my cell out of my pocket, opened it, and called whoever had called me back.
It rang once, and then I head Olivia's voice go- "Benson."
"'Liv, it's Darlene. Sorry I had to hang up, I forgot to turn the ring tone off on my phone darn it!" I said that all in remarkably one breath. I stopped by my locker, yanked it open, and pulled out a few textbooks that I knew I needed for homework.
'It's Ok." The detective said, "The scene is downtown, in Centennial Park, you know where that is?"
"Yeah!" I said distractedly. I poked my head into the office, and whispered hoarsely, "Don't have time to sign out! Darlene Postma, out sick, won't be back for the rest of the day!" Before slamming the door shut, and throwing my weight against the double doors that led to the outside of the school.
"Okie, Ell's here!" I said into my phone, making a beeline for the sleek black sedan sitting on the curb, "He'll tell me the rest, see you in a few!"
I abruptly shut the phone, threw it in my bag, pulled the car door open, and inelegantly stuffed myself into the vehicle.
"Hello Elliot." I said lightly as we pulled away from the school in speeds far greater than what the little sign by the bike rack warned people to go, " Ok, tell me what's happening?"
"Looks like the usual, perp comes in, bashes the woman on the head, messes her up, and leaves!" He said, equally distracted.
"Rape kit?"
"Positive."
"You ID the girl yet?"
"'Liv said she'd call as soon as they do!"
Once the rapid fire questions were over, and we pulled onto the highway, I let myself relax just a little bit.
"How was school?" Elliot asked, sounding for all the world like a father talking to his daughter, on the way home from a track meet or something equally mediocre, instead of a seasoned detective picking up his underage partner from school.
"Ok, you pulled me out of a test, so that's all good." I said, then mentally adding, To bad people have to be killed for it to happen!
Elliot can have drastic mood swings, and being within a ten foot radius of him when he has one can be dangerous, so when he said distantly, "You know, our victim is about as old as Maureen would be this fall," I was sure not going to say anything that could spark said mood swing, or make him all pissy at me, giving me the usual, 'you should be in school, not seeing this type of thing on a daily basis, you could be killed' stuff that I get enough at home from my parents…
That aside, I settled for an unconvincing, "MMMmmmm…."
We rode in silence for a while, Elliot stewing in his own thoughts. It was only when we exited the high way, that I had a horrible revelation.
"CRAP!"
"What is it?" Elliot exclaimed, looking around, alarmed. He probably thought that I was talking about something to do with the road….
I groaned, and slapped my forehead with my palm, "I LEFT MY SCIENCE BOOK AT SCHOOL AND I HAVE A REPORT ON CHAPTER SEVEN DUE TOMARROW!"
Elliot arced an eyebrow, and gave me his usual, 'you should be in school, not seeing this type of thing on a daily basis, you could be killed' look that I have already explained, and expressed my loathing for.
I banged my head against the window.
Oy.