The Traitors Charm

"Please believe me officer," Nathan's voice was calm and collected, though the situation was anything but. I watched the officer cuff his hands behind him, while Nate tried to defend himself, again. "It's not mine," he said. The authorities paid no attention. Most of the school was gathered there, along with the faculty and the headmaster. It was early morning after all. I rubbed my hands together, suddenly feeling like my bones were frozen. Maybe they were. As they all watched, a small plastic packet of white substance slipped from the gloved grasp of another officer, who was sweeping Nathan's locker. The students gasped when they saw what it was. Nathan ran his gaze over the crowd, and I followed, as the gasps and murmurs of the spectators lessened and finally grew quiet. He's always had that power. One glare from that pair of blue steel was enough to force even the devil to do his bidding. Even when his hands were cuffed, and the evidence was taken from his locker, Nathaniel Blackwell looked anything but scared. If anything, he looked furious. But the cops didn't care. Neither did the students. It was the Nathaniel Blackwell after all. And this was a juicy piece of news. And their hunger was evident in the way most of them whispered in excitement, and the others' eager recording of the incident. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall, clenching my shaking fists. "I really have no idea how that got here," Nathan's voice echoed, as the crowd hushed at the first syllable. "Come on, get real, officer," a small smile was trying to lift the corners of his mouth. "You know who I am, why on earth would I do something like that?" Sheriff Michaels stared at this young boy. And for a moment, his statement seemed to be the truth. For just a moment. The sheriff stared down at him, his lips thinned into a flat line. "We have enough evidence to take you, Mr. Blackwell. It was your girlfriend who tipped us off. We have visual evidence of you transferring the product from her phone." At that, his eyes widened, before they flashed to where I stood, in the middle of this thick crowd. A ripple flowed through them all, as their incredulous gazes came to rest on me. I felt a hand squeeze my right shoulder, a silent voice telling me to stay strong. You brought this upon yourself, the voice said. See this through. I took a deep breath, before meeting his betrayed gaze with a challenging one. "Ciph..." his whisper reached my ears before it reached the others. My heart thudded painfully in my chest. At that moment, I felt something break inside me. I kept my gaze stone cold and emotionless, as the broken sapphires roamed my face, searching for any indication that I wasn't the one. I showed none. Some girls sniffled beside me, and others murmured my name in pity. I ignored them all, fighting the overwhelming need to break down and bawl my eyes out. "Ciph!" His voice rang out, making my body stiffen. I glared at him, my eyes flashing with something I've never felt before towards him. Hate. "Is that true Ciph?" he shouted again, his body trembling with anguish. I turned away quickly, hiding a small tear that fell. At that moment, I felt two strong arms wrap around me, the same ones that touched my shoulder. I hid my face in his chest, trying to calm myself. Jake stroked my hair, whispering, "It's gonna be alright," in my ears. I shook in his arms, my body more honest than my mind. The officers had finished their discussion with the principal so it was time. Nathan kept his eyes on me the entire time, as he followed the sheriff without complaint. The crowd rushed after the party, all of them with their recording devices. The teachers tried their best to hold them back, but it was just a matter of time before the horde of curious teenagers broke through. It was a Blackwell who was being arrested, after all, that too for drug deals. People kept bumping into me and Jake, as we stood side by side. The floor seemed to sway with the shouts of the multitude, or was that just me? Some of the students approached us cautiously, sympathy gleaming in their eyes. I didn't look at any of them. I wanted to run far away, but my feet seemed glued to the cold tiles. "How could he?" Rebecca's voice shook with anger, as she stood in the far corner of my line of vision. I felt dizzy as I asked myself the same. How could I? We didn't even let him talk, let alone explain. Was there no other way? I stumbled a few steps back, as I shook uncontrollably, right into Jake's arms which wrapped around me in a warm embrace. That's when the dam broke. I sobbed and sobbed into his shirt, feeling everything that I'd kept behind bars. Jake hugged me tight, and I felt my nails dig into the fabric of his shirt as I fought back a scream. "It's all right, Ciph. Maybe it's a joke. Someone put that in his locker on purpose. People can be crazy at times," he said, his voice distant, but I shook my head as more tears flowed. "We saw him, Jake," my voice broke, "we saw what he did." Another set of arms joined ours, as we kneeled in our school hallway. Becca cried with me, whispering words of comfort in my ear. My cries came louder at that, my mind completely oblivious to the watching students and faculties, even one or two police officers. "It'll be ok Ciph," Becca whispered. I shook my head vehemently. It's not ok. It's not...