“Did you know the victim?”
I nodded. I wondered whether I should tell them about the night before. Word about it would get out eventually.
“May we come in, Miss Scoppio?”
I nodded. “Let’s get this over with.”
I didn’t know where this attitude was coming from. Maybe I was more like Joshua than I thought.
“Oh, you think you’re tough, huh? Just like your brother? Well, let me tell you something. He’s in trouble. He’s always in trouble, but this time he can’t get out of it. I recommend that you don’t get yourself into any trouble too.”
I didn’t say anything, I just lead the cops to the second floor.
“Ask me whatever you need to know,” I said, leaning back on the couch.
The cops questioned me for over an hour. As it turned out, they already knew about the incident at the hockey game the night before. They knew that it was self-defense, just as they knew that Joshua killed Adam last night in self-defense.
“Wait, how do you know that?” I had asked when they told me.
One of them smirked and said, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
It seemed cops could be assholes too.
As the policemen were leaving, I stood on the front porch, waving. Like the smartass I am, I yelled, “Y’all come back now, ya hear?”
Once the car disappeared, I started walking to the Peribat house. Everyone else was there, and the cop interviewing me had left me a little shaken up.
When I walked through the front door, Caleb said, “Hey Chrissy, what’s up?”
“I was just questioned by the police. The cops said that Joshua killed Adam in self-defense.”
“Why?” Tyler asked.
I shrugged and said, “I don’t know.”
I sat down on the couch. We were all quiet for a long time. I don’t think anyone knew what to say. None of us had ever been in a situation like this before. A few times, Kyle would open his mouth to say something, but then he’d close it.
“Do you think Josh really did it?” Caleb asked at last.
I nodded. “He did it, alright. The police have statements from all of Adam’s friends.”
“Why would Josh run away if he didn’t do it?” Kyle asked.
“Maybe he knew he’d get blamed,” Caleb suggested.
I shook my head. “He wouldn’t care about getting blamed if he hadn’t done it. He’d know that evidence would prove him innocent. He knows they can pin the murder on him because he’s guilty. That’s why he ran,” I paused before asking, “Where did it happen? How did it happen?”
“You don’t know?” Cameron asked.
I shook my head. “No one online said how or where it happened.”
Kyle began, “Well, last night-“
Tyler held a hand up, causing Kyle to stop talking. “Are you sure you want to know?” He asked me.
I nodded. “I am. I want to know.”
Tyler sighed and turned to Kyle.
Kyle said, “Last night, I guess after you fell asleep, Josh was at the middle school, and Adam and his friends showed up. Apparently, Adam was drunk and wanted revenge on Josh for hitting on Madison. So, they got into a fight. Josh pulled out a gun and shot him.”
“How do you guys know this?” I asked.
“I messaged one of Adam’s friends,” Tyler told me.
I sat back. “I didn’t even know Joshua owned a gun,” I said quietly. I held back tears as I asked, “Why didn’t I hear him leave? I could have stopped him.”
“It’s not your fault,” Tyler told me.
We fell back into silence. After a few minutes, the Jordan’s phone rang.
What if it was Joshua?
I jumped up and ran to the phone. “Hello?”
“Chrissy! That’s my phone!” Jordan cried.
Cameron and Tyler stopped him from grabbing the phone from me.
“Is there a Joshua Scoppio there?” The woman on the other line asked.
It wasn’t uncommon for the Jordan to get calls for Joshua. I guess he’d rather have Jordan taking his calls than of Greg.
“No, he’s not. May I take a message?”
Jordan pushed past Tyler and Cameron. “It’s my phone,” He told me.
I pulled the phone away and put my hand over the mouthpiece. “Shut the fuck up,” I hissed. “It’s for Joshua!”
Jordan sighed but stepped back.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. Who is this?” I asked.
“This is Lucy Gratt. I’m Chrysanthemum Scoppio’s caseworker. I need to talk to Joshua because there are some inconsistencies regarding the birth date he gave us for himself. If you could have him call me back so we can figure this out, that’d be great.”
I took down her phone number and hung up the phone. I sat there, not quite sure what to do.
“Was it news about Joshua?” Caleb asked.
I shook my head. “That was my caseworker. I think that Joshua and I are in trouble.”
“Why would you be in trouble?” Tyler asked.
“Because when Joshua adopted me, he gave a fake I.D. You have to be eighteen to adopt someone even if you’re related to them. And I guess they found out that he’s not eighteen.”
“What’s gonna happen?” Kyle asked.
“I think... I think they’re going to take me away.”
Chapter 11
Joshua didn’t call that night. I’m pretty sure I was the only one expecting him to, though.
Oliver had left early that morning for a business trip, so I stayed the night at the Peribat’s. They all said that their dad wouldn’t have minded anyway.
Most of the group stayed up all night, watching tv, playing video games, and monitoring social media for any new information about Joshua and Adam’s incident.
That’s how I had been referring to Adam’s murder. I’d been calling it “The Incident”. I wasn’t ready to face the truth yet.
Anyway, while the rest of the group were awake, Tyler and I had fallen asleep in the big armchairs next to each other like an eighty year old couple.
The next morning, I left after breakfast. I went home and stayed in the loft all day.
Around seven that night, Greg yelled from the bottom of the stairs, “Hey Chrissy, wanna play a round of pool?”
I walked down the stairs and looked at Greg. “What? No party tonight?”
Greg shrugged. “Nah. I figured it’d be in bad taste when one kid is dead and another is missing.”
I didn’t say anything. I didn’t know what to say to something like that.
“Come on, how ‘bout that round of pool?”
I shrugged but started walking toward the stairs to the first floor.
“I’ll take that as a yes, then,” Greg said, following me.
We played a round of pool in silence. And then we played another one and another one, and before we knew it, it was eleven o’clock and someone was knocking on the front door.
I glanced at Greg. “You expecting anyone?”
Greg shook his head. “No,” He left the room and went to the front door. He came back with a policewoman.
I sighed. “Let me guess, more questions?”
The cop shook her head. “No questions. I’m here to inform you that a young man was found unconscious in a Mcdonald’s parking lot, and after looking at his phone, we discovered that you were the last person they called. We traced the call back to this address.”
I looked at Greg, who shrugged.
“Did they have an I.D.?”
The woman nodded. “Just a school ID. The name on it said Tyler Peribat.”
“Oh god, that’s my boyfriend.”
“Is there any family of his I can notify?”
I nodded. I gave her the Peribat’s address, and she left.
I felt my pockets before turning to Greg. “Have you seen my phone? I need to text Cameron and get an Uber.”
“I saw it in the kitchen earlier.” Greg told me.
I ran upstairs to get m
y phone.
As I texted Cameron and told him what was going on, Greg asked, “What are you doing?”
“Asking Cameron to tell me which hospital Tyler is at. And then once he tells me, I’m going to the hospital.”
“Is that why you need the Uber? To get to the hospital?”
I nodded.
“Shit, I’ll take you. Tyler’s my friend too.”
“Alright. Thanks.”
If I wasn’t so worried, I would have been excited about riding in Greg’s car. Greg had a ’77 Trans Am. It was black and gold, and was my favorite car in the whole world. And I loved riding in it. The excitement of being in that car never wore off.
A few minutes later, Cameron texted me the cross streets.
I showed the phone to Greg. “Do you know where this is?”
Greg nodded. “Let’s go.”
When we got to the hospital, we parked the car and ran to the Emergency Room entrance. I hurried over to the woman at the front desk. “Is there a Tyler Peribat here?” I asked.
“Are you a sister?”
I shook my head. “I’m his girlfriend.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am. I can only release that information to family.”
“Come on,” I begged.
“Chrissy?”
I turned around. Jordan was walking toward Greg and me.
“Chrissy? Greg? What are you two doing here?”
I knew that bringing Greg wasn’t the best idea. Jordan hated Greg. Why? I don’t know? I guess it had something to do with Greg being so much older than the rest of the group. That’s what Tyler had told me, anyway. Jordan thought it was weird that a 27 year old would hang out with a bunch of teenagers.
Greg was harmless, though. I think he was just trying to relive the glory of his high school years.
“Jordan,” Greg said, holding up his hands. “Tyler is my friend, too. I just wanted to make sure he’s alright.”
Jordan stopped. He sighed before saying, “Yeah, he’s alright. He said a couple of guys jumped him at a McDonalds. They said it was revenge for Adam.”
“Why would they attack him?” I asked. “He had nothing to do with Adam’s death.”
Jordan looked at me like I was an idiot. “No, but they can’t hurt Josh, and they can’t really hurt you either.”
I put my hand over my mouth. “Shit. You think they did this to get to me? Because they knew getting to me would close enough to revenge on Joshua?”
Jordan nodded.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck. It’s my fault.” I said quietly. I felt like I was going to throw up.
Jordan’s look softened. “Why don’t you go home?” He asked, putting his arm around me. “He can’t see anyone yet. Come back after school tomorrow.”
I nodded. “Alright.”
As Greg and I drove home, Greg asked, “Are you going to school tomorrow?”
I nodded. “I have to. Joshua and I could get in trouble if I don’t.”
“Chrissy, Josh is already in trouble.”
I glared at Greg. “We almost got through this whole night without you saying something stupid,” When Greg didn’t respond, I said, “I’m sorry. This has just been really hard for me.”
Greg nodded. “I know. But believe me, if anyone knows how to get out of this, it’s Josh.”
I smiled weakly. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
The next morning, Kyle, Caleb, and I were standing in front of the school. Cameron hadn’t come to school. He was probably at the hospital with Tyler. People were shouting things at us as they passed by. They weren’t particularly kind things. The bus ride hadn’t been much better either.
“Since when did people like Adam so much?” I asked. “He was an asshole.”
Kyle shrugged. “You can’t think bad thoughts about dead people, so I guess Adam’s death made him the most popular kid in school.”
“When we see Josh, remind me to kick his ass,” Caleb said.
“Why?” I asked.
“For making us put up with this.”
I sighed as we walked into the school. I was sure that whatever customers I had were going to steer clear of me. My business was over. It was too bad, I had been saving that money for a sewing machine.
There were a few kids, however, who were glad Adam was dead. They stopped to congratulate us on our friend’s kill.
It made me sick, to be honest. Adam was a horrible excuse for a human being, but he didn’t deserve to be killed.
“Your brother was the one who killed Adam Lits, right?” One girl asked.
I nodded dumbly. Where was this going?
She grinned. “That’s great. Send him my way if he’s ever looking for a girlfriend.”
I stared at her as she walked away.
“What the hell was that about?” Kyle asked.
“I- I don’t know, to be honest,” I said.
Two guys bumped into Kyle and me roughly as they walked past.
“Watch your step, assholes!” I yelled after them.
“Come on, I’ll walk you to your locker,” Kyle told me.
When we got to my locker, Jack was waiting there.
“Chrissy, funny running into you here,” He said.
I banged my fist on my locker, and it popped open. That was something that Kyle had taught me to do. “At my locker?”
“Anyway,” Jack said, ignoring my question completely. “Since your boyfriend is probably going to be killed by one of Adam’s friends, how ‘bout I pick you up at your place tonight and we can go to the movies or something?”
I glared at him. “Jack, even if someone was going to kill my boyfriend, you are the absolute last person I would ever consider going out with. Besides that, it’s bad tact to hit on a widow.”
Jack held his hands up. “Hey, I’m just trying to be friendly. Just because you aren’t friends with my sister anymore doesn’t mean that we can’t hang out.”
I flipped out my switchblade. “Get lost, Jack.”
“Fine,” He said, stalking off.
I turned to Kyle. “Do you think that Tyler is going to get killed? Like, do you think Adam’s friends are going to try to finish the job once he gets out of the hospital?”
Kyle shook his head. “They just wanted to scare you two.”
I nodded even though I wasn’t so sure.
At lunch, I was walking to the table that Caleb and Kyle were sitting at when I passed Madison and Briana’s table. Everyone was gathered around Madison, telling her how sorry they were. I couldn’t believe she had actually showed up today.
I hesitated a few feet away from her table. I may have hated Adam, but I didn’t have anything against Madison. Finally, I walked over to her table. “Madison, I just wanted to say that I’m sorry. If there’s anything I can do-”
“You!” She stood up, pointing a finger at me. “Your piece of shit brother is the reason Adam is dead!”
“Madison, it was self-defense. Even Adam’s friends say so.”
“I don’t care! You and your brother are the same. Now get away from me!”
I turned to walk away. “I really am sorry, Madison,” I told her.
I wasn’t hungry after that, so I threw my lunch away and headed out of the cafeteria. I was walking to my next class, staring at the ground, when I bumped into someone.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. I kept walking, but the person grabbed my arm. For the second time that day, I pulled out my switchblade. But when I turned to face the person, I was looking at Whitney.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“What do I want? You’re the one who bumped into me,” Whitney pointed out.
“You had plenty of time to get out of the way,” I argued.
Whitney held up her phone, smiling sheepishly. “I was on Wattpad,” She admitted.
Whitney had a huge Wattpad addiction. She liked to read fanfiction for K-Pop bands. I didn’t get it. I mean, a lot of the guys in those bands were good looking, I just didn’t like the music. I used to tease Whitn
ey about it, back when we had been friends.
“Oh, well…” I trailed off. I wasn’t sure what you were supposed to say to an ex-friend. I had never been friends with anyone long enough to have an ex-friend. So, I began to walk off.
“Hey,” Whitney said, still holding onto my arm. “I’m sorry about everything going on in your life right now. If you ever need someone to talk to, I’m around.”
I shook my head. “You called me a slut, Whitney. You said I was exactly like my brother, who you knew I hated. We were supposed to be friends.”
“Yeah, well friends don’t kiss guys that their other friends like,” Whitney said. She dropped my arm. As she walked off, she said, “Forget I said anything.”
I could feel the tears coming again. They had been doing that a lot since Saturday morning. I let out a scream as I turned and threw my binder at the lockers behind me.
A group of guys walked past me and started laughing.
“What the fuck is her problem?” One of them asked.
“Bitches are crazy,” Another one said.
“She must be a crazy bitch,” Someone else said. “She has to be if she’s Joshua Scoppio’s sister.
I turned around and punched one of them. I didn’t care which one I punched, I just wanted to punch someone.
Then I got out of there. I walked home. It was a long walk, but I was too exhausted to care. Greg was gone, and I was a little disappointed. I had been hoping to play some more pool. I laid in bed and turned the tv on. I didn’t really watch it, though. For the first time, I allowed myself to think about Joshua. I wondered what he was doing. If he was waiting until he could come back.
A few hours later, Jordan picked me up and took me to the hospital to see Tyler.
I was shaking as I walked into Tyler’s hospital room. I hated hospitals. Joshua and I both did.
Cameron was sitting next to the bed, and he and Tyler were deep in conversation.
“Hey guys,” I said shyly.
Tyler grinned when he saw me. “Chrissy, you came.”
I nodded. “I came last night, but Jordan said you couldn’t see anyone.”
Tyler looked at Cameron. “No one told me Chrissy came by last night.”
Cameron cleared his throat. “I didn’t know she did,” He was clearly confused. Something was going on.
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