by Bella King
I tried to swallow my shame as Travis took his time getting himself back to a presentable state. I gave him an angry look and he returned a smirk. He knew what he was doing.
We all looked back at the school, which seemed to be alright as the firetrucks arrived. It had apparently been a decently sized fire but had only affected the auditorium. We were told that classes would be business as usual on Monday since none of the infrastructure was damaged.
“I guess it’s time to leave,” Travis said, taking my hand.
“Not so fast,” Detective Charles said as he stepped into the crowd and placed a hand on Travis’s shoulder. “I’m afraid I’m going to need to take you both in for questioning.”
Chapter 19
“Can you tell me what’s going on?” I asked as Detective Charles placed both Travis and I into the backseat of his police car.
The detective sat down in his seat and turned back to face us. “We are investigating a murder. Unfortunately, you two are top suspects. Now, I don’t want to run around accusing two high schoolers of murder, but you are adults and I have to take this case seriously. I hope you understand.”
Travis shrugged. “We didn’t do a damn thing to Grace, if that’s what you’re talking about. She probably ran away or something.”
“Like Eve?” Detective Charles said, squinting at Travis.
“What?” Travis said, trying to figure out if the detective knew more than he was letting on.
“We know that you helped her run away,” Detective Charles said, starting up the police car and driving away from the school. “And I’m sorry to tell you that she was found dead about three hours ago.”
Travis looked shocked, and I was as well. How could this be happening? Another student dead? I wanted to trust Travis after everything we had been through, but evidence was beginning to pile up, and it was better him get in trouble than me. After all, I had done nothing wrong… yet.
“She can’t be dead,” Travis said in disbelief.
Detective Charles pursed his lips and nodded, his face looking grave in the rearview mirror. “I’m afraid so. You told me that you didn’t know anything about her disappearance, which was clearly a lie. I’m going to need you to come clean with me, son. And Alice,” he said, shaking his head, “If you know something about Travis, you need to tell me before you’re charged with obstruction of justice.”
Travis flashed a guilty look at me but kept quiet. I was growing hot in the face, confronted with the glaring reality of being close to a man that might be a murderer. There was nothing but trouble growing in the face of my involvement with him. Was it time to cut him loose and deal with the consequences on my own?
We pulled into the police station, and Travis and I were put in separate rooms for questioning. I was with Detective Charles, who pushed a cup of coffee toward me and sat down, giving me a sympathetic look.
“Listen, I know you’re not happy about being here again, but I have some serious questions for you,” he began. “Are you willing to work with me on this?”
I nodded, taking the coffee and letting the first sip burn my tongue. It was the only thing that felt real in that moment.
“Good. I am aware that Travis helped Eve run away from home. He was supplying money to her, which was found in her purse at the scene of the crime. Written directions to an abandoned mine were also found, which is where her body was discovered. This note was written and signed by Travis.”
The detective leaned forward in his seat, locking eyes with me. “Did you know about this?”
I shook my head. “He didn’t tell me about any of that,” I said. It was half true, since he had only told me that he had helped Eve run away, but not any of the details of how he had helped her.
Detective Charles leaned back and crossed his arms. “It appears that Eve was killed. It was no accident. She was found with her skull smashed in. A simple fall wouldn’t have done that kind of damage. We’ll see if Travis as an alibi, but right now he’s the only person that would have known where she was.”
My stomach dropped and I started to feel sick. What if Travis had lured Eve out into the mines and had killed her there? I could imagine him raising a big rock up over his head and smashing down on her. The thought made me want to puke.
“Are you feeling alright?” The detective asked, looking concerned.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” I said.
Detective Charles grabbed a trash can and pulled it in front of me right before I emptied the contents of my stomach in the interrogation room. He got up and circled around to the back of me, rubbing my back as I puked my guts out. The whole situation was making me feel like shit.
“We don’t know whether or not Travis did this. You seem to be quite close to him. Are you two dating?” The detective asked. Probing for more information.
I shook my head, pulling my hair from my face so I wouldn’t get vomit all over it. My dress was already ruined, but at least I could save some of my dignity. “We’re just friends, maybe not even that.”
Detective Charles frowned. “That’s not what Travis told the other detective here. He said that you two were involved.”
I groaned. “After all this, I don’t think so,” I said, lifting my head and grabbing for a napkin to wipe my mouth with.
“I would be careful with Travis if I were you. Now, I can’t say that he’s guilty of anything, but I do know that he’s been lying to the police. Maybe he was trying to protect Eve, or maybe it was something a bit more sinister than that. Right now, we don’t have enough evidence to say,” Detective Charles cautioned.
I nodded. “I don’t want to have anything to do with him right now.”
“That’s your call, but if I were you, I wouldn’t go anywhere with him alone. Don’t keep secrets and please report anything suspicious to us, even if it’s about Travis. Hell, especially if it’s about Travis.”
I nodded again. “Got it.” I just wanted to leave, and I didn’t care much to hear things I already knew.
The door to the room opened, and the detective that had been questioning Travis stepped in. “You and Travis are free to go,” he said, almost reluctantly.
I sprung up and walked out of the room, meeting Travis in the hallway. He looked as cocky as ever as we walked out of the station and took a cab back to the school where his car was parked.
“What did you tell them?” I finally asked when we arrived back at the school.
Travis smirked. “The truth. I said it before, and I’ll say it again. I didn’t kill anyone.”
“I really hope not, Travis. I’m really scared,” I said, looking up at him for some inkling of comfort.
He wrapped an arm around me as we walked to his car. “You don’t have anything to be afraid of, Alice. I’m going to protect you.”
I stopped as we arrived at his car, pulling his arm off me and backing up. “You’re saying that you’ll protect me but you’re also planning to make me blow up the basketball court at school.”
Travis shrugged. “I’ll do it. I don’t give a fuck about graduating. I’ll figure all that shit out later. What I care about right now is finding Kimberly and proving that I’m not behind any of this.”
“So, I’m off the hook?” I asked, surprised by his sudden change of heart.
Travis nodded. “Go live your life the way you want, Alice. I was wrong to pull you into this. It’s my battle to fight, not yours.”
I felt a rush of relief as Travis said those words. I wanted nothing more than to get away from all of this, and now he was giving me permission to do just that. I ran up to him and grabbed his stupid face, planting a kiss right on his lips. “Thank you, Travis.”
He shrugged. “I’ve been bad to you. I don’t want you to get hurt anymore.”
I nodded. “Well, take me home and we’ll forget about all of this, okay?”
He sighed. “Let’s go.”
Chapter 20
The next few days, I got nothing but deathly silence from Travis
. I barely saw him, as he kept his distance at school. I figured it would be better that way, because I didn’t want to get pulled into any of his plans, but the truth was that I missed him. I mean, he had been the one to take my virginity, then the very next day he was gone out of my life, maybe forever.
I tried to forget about it, but Amy kept asking me questions, begging to know what happened the night of the dance. Had we really had sex, or did we just make out? I brushed her off repeatedly until she stopped prying.
“Why don’t you hang out with Travis anymore?” Amy asked at the end of the week, noticing that I had been on my own lately.
“We had a falling out,” I said.
Amy frowned. “Is this about the police thing?”
“It wasn’t a big deal. Just normal questioning. Neither him nor I had anything to do with the fire, so they let us go, but no, it doesn’t have anything to do with that. We just aren’t a good match,” I explained.
“But you seemed like you were. I mean, something happened at the dance. You guys looked like you just got finished having sex,” Amy said, bringing up this topic once again.
“Fine, you know what, we did have sex. It was amazing and I don’t want to see him ever again,” I nearly yelled.
“Woah, that’s heavy. Did he rape you?” Amy whispered.
“No, he was a perfect gentleman. We’re just not well suited for each other. That’s all,” I explained.
Amy didn’t look convinced. “Well, something must have happened for you to suddenly get all weird about Travis. You guys were getting along so well.”
“He was a bully, Amy. We never got along well. I gave him a chance, then decided that he was too much of a dick to be my boyfriend. That’s all there is to it.”
Amy looked disappointed. “I guess I thought you had finally gotten a boyfriend. For what it’s worth, David and I broke up because he didn’t want to have sex with me at the dance.”
I laughed. “Really?”
She nodded. “Turns out, he’s gay.”
I nearly choked on my spit. “Jesus, well I guess you can’t really argue with that.”
She giggled. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s on to the next one. I have my eye on Parker. He plays for the football team.”
“They all play for the football team. You only date jocks,” I said, giving her a condescending look.
“No, I don’t. Remember Bobby?”
“You mean Bobby from the swim team?”
“Oh, I forgot about that. I guess you’re right, but I can’t help it if I like athletic guys. They have so much energy and stamina, if you know what I mean,” she said, giving me a nudge with her elbow.
I chuckled, but then remembered how it had felt to have Travis inside of me. The way that he moved in the perfect rhythm, bringing me so much pleasure so quickly. It was a dream, and one that wouldn’t get out of my head. I never wanted to forget the way Travis made love to me in the forgotten classroom.
Amy and I parted ways for class, and I wondered when Travis would be executing his plan to demolish the basketball court outside. I waited patiently for the news to come in that someone had blown up part of the school. That would cause some serious waves, and probably a legitimate school shutdown.
I was surprised the fire hadn’t, but nobody seemed to think that it was done on purpose. I was sure that Detective Charles probably thought that Travis and I were behind it, but nobody else cared enough to investigate. It was business as usual at Crimson High.
I missed Travis’s handsome face, and even his harsh words as I went about my week alone. I catch a glimpse of him in the halls, a jolt of hope surging through me as he walked in my direction, but that was squashed as he walked straight past me like I didn’t even exist. I felt like a ghost now.
I began to grow sick of being ignored by Travis. I hated to get involved with him, but I wanted him to notice me so badly, or at the very least acknowledge that I fucking existed. It was with rage that I began to track him down, appearing outside of his classes and glaring at him as he brushed past me. He couldn’t ignore me forever.
I watched Travis, acting like an obsessive creep during my second week without him. I didn’t care that he was nothing but trouble. I wanted him to feel something for me. Anything was better than the complete indifference he was showing me currently.
I tracked him down until I witnessed him slink down the old hallway that led to the forgotten classroom, and then I took a leap back into the fire. It was time for me to confront Travis.
Chapter 21
I peeked into the classroom to see Travis sitting on a desk, staring out the window. He had a notepad in his hand, scribbling down things as I crept toward him.
He twirled around abruptly when he heard the sound of my shoes against the dusty tiles. “You scared the shit out of me,” he exclaimed, jumping up from the desk.
I shrugged. “It’s better than being ignored,” I said accusingly.
He frowned. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”
I shook my head. “You’re fucking dense, Travis. I didn’t want to be part of your stupid plans to get yourself expelled. I didn’t say I wanted you to act like I didn’t exist. It’s weird.”
Travis rolled his eyes. “You’re confusing.”
“Do you really think that you can just have sex with me, and then ignore me for the rest of my life? That’s not how this works, Travis. You’re stuck with me whether you like it or not,” I said, my voice growing louder.
Travis chuckled. “You wouldn’t be the first one I fucked and dumped on the same day.”
I couldn’t believe this, but I should have known. Travis was a nasty man, and someone that I should hate with every fiber of my being. I did, but I guess my feelings of attraction to him were stronger. I was trembling with rage, but I wasn’t going to give up on him so easily.
“You’re not going to do that to me,” I said firmly.
He looked surprised. “Are you going to stop me?”
I nodded furiously. “I’m not going to let you get kicked out of school either. Why can’t we put this whole thing to rest?”
Travis shook his head. “No, Alice. I can’t do that. Kimberly deserves better than that, and so does Eve. I’m certain that if I can find Kimberly’s body then we can get to the bottom of this. Whoever the killer is, they’re still around, and probably a student here.”
“So, I’m not as important?” I asked, throwing out what I knew was a weak argument.
“Nope,” Travis answered coldly.
I already knew that he would say that, but it still hurt. “Maybe two heads are better than one. I’d like to help you,” I said.
Travis paused, letting the silence sink in, then he spoke. “If you’re going to work with me, you need to take an oath.”
“Okay,” I said without hesitation.
“A blood oath,” Travis clarified.
“Um, you’re not going to cut my wrists or something, are you?” I asked, drawing back a little.
Travis chuckled, his voice returning to its old mocking tone. “I only need a little blood. The palm of your hand will do just fine.”
“What exactly is this oath going to be about?” I asked.
“You’re going to pledge your alliance to me. You’re going to listen to me, and if I tell you to do something, you’re going to do it without question. I’ll also need something personal from you, something that you would never want anyone to know about.”
“For what?” I asked.
“Leverage. If you’re going to risk getting arrested, I need to know that you’re going to keep your mouth shut. If I have something you don’t want people to know about, then you won’t rat me out if things get tough,” Travis explained.
This was serious, and I could tell that Travis wasn’t messing around. I could have turned around and left him, never having to worry about any of this again, but I didn’t want to lose him. I felt a bond with Travis, and it wasn’t just because of the sex. I felt that he was a part of me, an
d that his struggles and successes were also mine.
I stared Travis in his deep black eyes and gave him a curt nod. “Let’s do this.”
A smile spread across his wickedly handsome face. “Take some pictures of yourself naked, and bring them with you on a flash drive. I promise I’ll only look at them when I’m bored and horny.”
I blushed. “Is that really necessary?”
“Yes, actually, because I don’t want you to turn on me. Do you want you nudes leaked?”
I shook my head.
“Then either don’t meet with me tonight, or meet with me and never rat me out. It’s really up to you. I’m not making you do anything.”
Travis was right. It was my choice now whether to trust him with pictures of me in exchange for being let in on the action. I knew the risks involved with this whole situation. Knowing that it could blow up in my face, maybe even literally, and still feeling the urge to accept his offer was insane, but people do crazy things when they fall in love.
I agreed to meet with Travis that night. I would sneak out of my house and perform some kind of oath in the woods with him, spilling some blood and giving him a very sacred part of me on a simple flash drive. I would have to trust him after that, maybe even with my life. Once I made this step, I wouldn’t have the option of turning back. This was the final decision when it came to Travis, and yet I had made it so easily. I wouldn’t lose Travis, not for anything.
“Kiss me again,” I demanded after agreeing to his insanity.
Travis smirked. “Alice, I’m going to do a lot more than that.”
Suffice to say, we made love again in that room. It wasn’t the first time we snuck off to the forgotten classroom to bang it out, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. Travis and I were quickly falling for each other harder than I ever thought possible. Who knew that my bully would end up being the love of my life?
✽✽✽
That night, I snuck out my window, walking down the street until I spotted Travis’s black car parked on the side of the road. I hopped in, pulling out a flash drive and handing it to him. “Enjoy,” I said with a wink as we pulled out onto the road. The pictures that I had loaded up on that thing were absolutely shameful, and I had taken great care to make sure he would enjoy them.