Jan
-So,how was your Saturday night? I bet you enjoyed it quite a lot...
-You'd better not ask, French. Putz will have to be very convincing if...
-C'mom, Jan, don't play the tough girl. You two are head over heels with each other, we all know that!
-Well, maybe he ain't that much. Anyway, I don't wanna talk about it, huh?
At first period, we had Math. I don't like it at all, so it was a kind of relief when Ms Thompson told us there would be no class that day. Ms McGee had to tell all of us something important , and we all had to go to the boys' gym. I guess it was then when first worries appeared. What if...?
As I walked to the gym, I saw Danny and Kenickie...maybe they knew something about Putz. But they didn't either, and I was trying to be ready for whatever Ms McGee would have to say. I was pretty sure what it was...
The gym was overcrowded, and it was really hard hearing nothing, with everyone gossiping and chatting aloud. I could only hear some words, here and there: " Murderer" " Arrested"... I wanted to go out of there, but managed to hide it...As we looked for a place to sit, I could notice everyone looking at me.
-Hey, has anyone seen Putz this morning?
I gave Doody a stern glance, and he asked no more. Finally, Ms McGee came and started talking...
-Class, as you all will know by now, one of your fellow students, Debbie Sheridan, was killed here last Friday.
A big roar was heard. I was dreading for what would come next.
-I deeply regret to inform you that the presumed killer, that has already been arrested, is also one of your fellows. Still, police is still investigating and things can change in any moment. And now, I would like all of us to pray silently for Debbie and her killer.
-Who is the killer, Principal McGee?
-Randy, we all know who it was! Look at those ones-and he pointed at us-The one missing, that's the killer!
-I dare you to say one more thing, you son of a...!
-Whenever you want, jerk!
-I'll catch you later, Taylor...
-Looking forward to it!
I couldn't hold my tears any longer.. While Marty and the other gals tried to confort me, the guys had started a fight with that Randy and his friends...
The gathering finally ended, and everyone left. I stayed in the gym for a while, with Sonny and Marty...
-I can't believe he's arrested. And me, what a fool I was, getting mad with him for not coming pick me...guess he had already been...
I broke down, finally, and began to sob.
-Gonna try to see him, who knows what he'll be going through... Will have to talk to his folks, too...
-I'll go with you.
" How long have I been here? Damn, being locked will drive me crazy...if at least someone listened. I didn't even know that girl, why the hell would I have killed her?"
-Inspectors want to talk to you. Move.
Not again...how many times will I have to tell the same story? I got up slowly and followed the officer, to the same interrogation room I had been in the day before. First thing I saw when I went in, was the bludgeon, over the table, as a reminder of what was waiting for me. I shivered just by seeing it.
The same cops from the day before came in...
-Are you ready to talk?
-God...I told you. My jacket was stolen, and I didn't kill that girl. How many times will I have to repeat it?
-You're too cocky for your own sake, know that? And you'd better not lie us if you don't want me to...-and he took the bludgeon.
I shrugged...
-What's the point in all this? You've decided I'm guilty, and no matter what I say, it won't change a thing, right?
-C'mon, kid, make things easier for everyone, including yourself. If you confess now, we'll be generous with you.
What else could I do? I feared being beaten again, and if I kept denying being Debbie's killer, it was pretty likely they would beat me again... I gave up.
-Yes. I did it. That's what you wanted me to say, huh? Well, you've got it!
-That's better. We've got a confession here, just sign it and all this will be over.
One of the cops handed me a pen and I signed the paper... Right after, he took the paper from me, and by the way he looked at me I knew I had just fallen in their trap. The older cop opened the door, and called someone...
-Harris! Tell the lawyer he can come in now.
I couldn't believe it...there was a lawyer waiting outside and they hadn't let him in? How had they fooled me that way?
-Good morning, lawyer... Sorry to keep you occupied. Your client has just admitted having killed this girl, and he will be sent tomorrow to the juvenile detention center in Carson City, Nevada.
-What? No, you can't do this to me...you know that confession ain't true...I did nothing! Please don't...
As much as I protested, it was useless. I was dragged again to my cell until the following morning... How had I been such a fool to believe what that cop said? I