Hushed

Chapter 11: An Argument

    “How did you get my beeper?” I asked Mikaela. My hands were placed on her neck; slightly choking her while I shoved her back to the tree.

    I found myself riding my bike to the abandoned playground when I realized my beeper is missing and saw her there, holding the beeper.

    “What are you doing? Stop that,” Max said, pushing me to the side. I didn’t even notice that he arrived. “Are you alright?” He asked Mikaela and she nods in response.

    “I don’t understand you. I don’t understand why you’re doing this,” he was about to continue speaking when I interrupted him.

    “You don’t understand? I already told you, I would never lie to you but why didn’t you believe me? Why don’t you listen to my explanation before you accuse me of things?” I asked.

    I already know that everything about me is a mistake, even my life but everyone just makes me realize it even more, even the person I expect to tell me otherwise.

    “Tell me, tell me what happened,” he said.

    “Why don’t you just ask her,” I said and left them alone. Our friendship is continuously being ruined which makes me think if we should still have it.

    “What did you want to tell me?” Detective Howard asked. He arrived a few minutes ago to talk to me; I thought he was here to tell me that he’s filing harassment charges.

    “I wanted to ask you a favor,” I said.

    “What would that be?”

    “I would like the students who painted my wall punished and I would also like no one to talk about me being the killer anymore,” I answered. The only way for my parents not to know what happened is to go back in time and not confess with everything but since none of that can happen this is the only way I can think of.

    “Why change your mind?”

    “I don’t like how everyone’s looking at me. It will only change if the people are punished.”

    “Why not just tell them that you’re innocent?” He really does believe in me.

    "Because the killer is one of the students.”

    “Are you confessing right now?”

    “I don’t know, you tell me.”

    Our conversation stopped when a car I’ve never seen before pulled up in front of the house. Detective Howard and I went outside and there I saw my parents for the first time in so many years.

    Good thing I finished painting the house this morning. I thought a better way of spending my time is painting the house, not homework.

    “Consider your favor done,” he said and walked up to my parents. “Leah, Richard, long time no see.”

    “Michael, is that you?” My mother asked.

    “One and only,” he said and hugged my mother. They were friends in high school.

    “Why are you here?” My father asked.

    “I just stopped by to check on your daughter, you know since she lives alone,” he answers. “Well, I’m off now.”

    “Are those the only things you guys have?” I asked when I saw my father take two luggages out of the trunk.

    “Yeah, why? Is there something wrong with them?” My father answered.

    “Aren’t you guys staying here for good?”

    “Oh no honey, we need to go back to the city. Your brother studies there and your father and I still work there,” mom said.

    “Mom, are we here now?” I heard butthole shout as he got out of the car.

    disembarked the car, scratching his eye with the dog beside him.

    “Is she our new Yaya?” He asked as soon as he saw me. He’s a stupid kid with a stupid mindset. “No baby, she’s not your Yaya,” my mother answered.