by Blair Burden
Despite being on the dance team, Hannah hated being around the jocks. One, because believe it or not, boys made her nervous. Two, she didn't like how they stared at her like she was a slice of seasoned meat.
Nervously, Hannah walked onto the field where the football players where clowning around with the basketball players. She waved like an idiot and walked into the center of the group. “Hi.”
“Hannah?” they all said.
With a smile, Hannah took a deep breath, “I'll start by saying—”
“That you and your gang are suspects in the largest murder case,” said Jacob, a basketball player. He stood out the most because he was at least six foot five. Not only that, but had a white beard—right, who has a white beard in high school?
“That is what I am here to talk about. You seriously don't think me and my friends have the power to hurt anyone. We are all little punks. Especially, Michael—he's gay so he won't hurt anyone. He's too nice,” Hannah said. “I'm just here to ask if you guys know anything about Mandy Perez?”
“Mandy, the dead chick from last year?” one guy asked.
“Yeah, you don't have to be so rude about it,” she snapped.
“You should know lots about her,” Jacob said. “You tried to be her friend a few times—”
“Until I realized how much of a bitch she was,” Hannah snapped. “Excuse my language.”
“She hung around our lockers a lot,” said Jason, a football player. “Yeah, she would play hard to get a lot.”
“There is a difference between the dance team and the cheerleaders,” Jacob said.
“Oh, tell me about it,” Hannah sighed. “The cheerleaders are tramps and the dance team members have class.”
“True, but also not. Some of the younger girls from the dance team want to be on the cheerleaders side because you can only be a junior or senior on the team. So, the little freshmen would do anything to be on their good side,” Jacob explained. “Mandy was definitely the ringleader—”
Hannah paused and a flashback came back to her. She was a sophomore in high school and her dream was to be on the cheerleading squad because it seemed that they got all the attention even though she hated attention. But, they got the attention from the boys, teachers, and got to leave early on Fridays. Not only that, but the school paid for their uniforms, tutoring, and anything else they needed.
“You're too thick to be on the team,” she remembered Mandy laughing. “How the hell would someone lift you. Look at your thighs for heaven's sake.”
“I'm only one-hundred and twenty pounds,” Hannah had said.
“Sugar, but I’m only one-hundred and five pounds.”
“Please, I'll do anything!”
“Fine, if you won't lose weight and you want to be on the team, you have to do a dare.”
“What dare?”
“I dare you to strip and walk into the boys' locker room—”
“No way!”
“Then, you won't be on the team unless you get down to like eighty pounds. And we all know that's impossible because you eat like ten times a day.”
Hannah had cried that night. It wouldn't be until her junior year when she became head of the dance team that she didn't feel like an outcast. And it was the same year Mandy was murdered.
She snapped back to reality, “She hazed them, right? What types of hazing would she put the girls through?”
“I'm not sure; but it varied from innocent things to degrading things. I’m not sure how she got away with it most of the time. I remember seeing one girl running across the field early in the morning nude.”
“I could imagine. What about some of your other teammates that were here?” Hannah said. “Were any of them like suspicious?”
“You mean, do we think they would ever kill someone?” Jason giggled. “Of course—anyone is capable of murder, but the real question is, is someone crazy enough to enjoy it?”
“How would we know,” said another guy.
“I'm not sure, you should know your friends—”
“Creepy Tyler was kind of sketchy,” Jacob said.
“You didn't get the memo?” Hannah laughed. “Tyler was a cop.”
“What?” they all gasped.
“Yeah, he was one-hundred percent undercover.”
All the guys joked and laughed. They said a lot of “I told you so,” and “Crap! He knows all the stuff we do!”
Jason waved his hands for everyone to shut up, “Adam is pretty sketchy if you ask me. Once I spotted him peaking into the girls' locker room. He made it seem okay because he said he knew we all wanted to do that. And he even said that he only hung out with us so girls would talk to him. I mean, yeah guys think like that, but it's the way he said it.”
“Adam?” Hannah said.
“Adam, the dude who is hanging out with you and your crew—Adam Black.”
“Adam?” Hannah said confused again. “Lucy's ex-boyfriend?”
“He's been on Linda’s hip for the last few days since the dance. He worries me—he worries a lot of people. If you left your circle of friends for once, Hannah, you would realize who people trust or not. You would know Adam is sketchy.”
The bell rang and all the jocks picked up their backpacks to leave. They all hugged Hannah and ran off to class, not wanting to be late. Jason paused, and tried to read Hannah's expressions.
“Thanks! You guys are awesome. You helped out a lot. I have a lot of things to think about,” Hannah said to Jason.
“You're not going to tell anyone what I said?” Jason said.
“I won't. Bye, Jason.”
Hannah spotted Linda talking to Michael outside the school building. She held her hair so her hair wouldn't get frizzy as she ran across the field. Nearly tripping over her feet, she jumped in front of them.
Linda pulled Hannah in, “What did you find out?”
“Um, well...” Hannah said as she stuffed her notes into her pocket.
“I got nothing,” Michael said. “The geeks know nothing!”
Linda rolled her eyes, “Did you tell Hannah what we saw about Lucy—”
Lucy joined the circle, “Find what about me?”
“Um...” they all said. “Nothing...”
“I meant Mandy,” Linda said. “What we found about Mandy.”
“I didn't get much info,” Lucy said. “What about you guys?”
“Us either,” Michael said as he stared at Hannah, his face reading to not say anything.
“Me either,” Hannah said as she caught on. “I didn't find out nothing.”
“So, this was a waste,” Lucy laughed. “Where is Adam?”
“Who cares,” Linda and Hannah said, then they stared at each other shocked they said the same thing.
“Well, I need to go find my History book. I'll see you guys later at my home,” Lucy said as she ran off.
Michael pretended to gag, “Lucy doesn’t even have History class this year. Why would she go find the book? Did she forget we have all the same teachers?”
Linda lifted one eyebrow, “Because the bitch is lying. She's busted.”
“She's probably going to go find Adam,” Hannah added. “Sketchy Adam.”
Michael stared at Hannah, “Huh?”
“Nothing.”
Linda’s eyes grew large as she spotted the school's old counselor, “What is Mr. Rivers doing here?”
“He got his job back,” Michael said. “Well, that's what I heard.”
Hannah pulled Linda and Michael’s arm, “Come on, let's go see him. I always thought Mr. Rivers was tasty looking.”
Mr. Rivers was the dream teacher that anyone would want. He was fashionable yet professional. He looked to be in his twenties, with his hair shorter cut than they last remembered. Hannah had a huge crush on him the moment she first saw him in ninth-grade. She would fake to have issues just to go sit in his messy office.
As the gang entered his office, he jumped in fear. “Hello,” he said.
“I swear we won't ax
your head off,” Linda joked. “I'm glad to see you're back. I thought you left on bad terms with Dr. Smith.”
Mr. Rivers laughed and his eyes sparkled. “I was on my knees to get this job.”
“I'm sure you've heard the news about us,” Hannah said as she sat down. “Are you afraid of us too?”
“No, because I know you guys aren't like that. You are good kids. It's scary to know that someone is crazy out there. I didn't even want to come back...but, times are rough. And I’m one of the few accredited to have this job in this town.”
“So, you're back as the school's counselor?” Michael asked, as he realized they were in the front office.
“Nope,” he beamed. “I'm going to be the new principle.”
“HUH?” they all said.
“Dr. Smith has resigned. He quit yesterday.”
The gang all looked at each other in disbelief. Linda was the only idiot smiling from ear to ear as the news was no surprise to her—she expected it sooner or later because he was still a suspect in her head.
“Ain't that odd,” Linda said. “Odd because he quit the day detectives would be questioning random people, including the faculty.”
Mr. Rivers laughed, “Don't be silly you guys, Dr. Smith isn't a murderer. He's moving to bigger and better things. I guess Simon is too small for him.”
“Did he really quit?” Hannah said in a sadden tone. A tone Linda thought was mistrustful.
Linda’s eyes narrowed, “Why do you care so much?”
Hannah crossed her arms, with her eyes still on Mr. Rivers. “Well, he's helped the dance team out a lot this year.”
“I can help you guys still,” Mr. Rivers said. “It won't be easy, but I have my ways.”
“But, it's different. He was a cool principle; not that you won't be cool,” Hannah said.
“But, he's a suspect. And suspects don't have the privilege to be cool,” Linda said.
“What is she talking about?” Mr. Rivers questioned.
“Truthfully, I have no idea,” Michael sighed.
“Well, if you guys don't mind I need to make some calls. It was nice seeing you guys again. We can talk some other time,” Mr. Rivers said. “My office is always open for any of you.”
The gang walked out his office and they noticed Lucy talking to Adam. They were about four inches away from each other and it seemed as if they were having a heavy conversation.
As if he weren't staring at them too, Linda elbowed Michael in the gut. “Look at that.”
“I know,” he snapped. “Since when have they been talking again?”
“Since she's been pregnant with his baby,” Linda said.
“You guys don't believe her, do you?” Hannah said. “That doesn't make sense. Her and Adam haven't talked since summer. And if she were pregnant wouldn't she be showing by now?”
“Maybe they hooked up recently?” Michael said.
“No, Adam can't stand Lucy,” Linda said. “I'm not sure what is going on with them.”
Hannah gasped as she suspiciously walked over to her locker. Her eyes turned watery as she stared at a drawing of her shooting a cheerleader. Whoever drew the photo wasn't too bad—but, that was the last thing she was thinking about.
She snatched the drawing off her locker and read it: Hannah Walton hates cheerleaders because she was too fat to make the team. So, now she kills them.
She ripped the photo into pieces and looked the hall and noticed cheerleaders laughing at her. “That's it! I’m sick of this!”
“I'll kick their ass!” Linda shouted.
“No! That's the last thing we need!” Michael said.
“I swear, cheerleaders are dumbasses. What if I were the killer? Why would they put this on my locker. If I were a sociopath I would kill them—idiots,” Hannah snapped.
“Please, don't say crap like that aloud,” Michael nagged.
“We have to do something,” Linda paused, “we have to do it now.”
“I don't give a damn anymore!” Hannah shouted. “We need to find out who the killer is. And we need to put those bitches on their list!”
Linda pulled Hannah aside, “Shut up! There are detectives all over the school. Just stop talking like you're a sociopath!”
Hannah took a deep breath, “Sorry. Sometimes I just get so angry.”
Michael’s eyes narrowed at Lucy, “Not that angry.”
“What do you mean?”
“Not like someone we know—not like Lucy.”
And they all stared at her. She knew how to throw a fit.
12 | Countdown
Poor Hannah's jaw was nearly touching the disgusting table at Starbucks as Linda told her about Lucy's website. Michael put a napkin under Hannah's mouth as it was open for the last ten minutes.
“Adam is our key suspect right now,” Linda said as she wrote his name on a paper. “Then, it's Lucy, and then Dr. Smith.”
“Why Lucy?” Hannah said.
“Because she knows more than we think. She used to be on the dance team so she knows what is going on behind those lockers. She quit for a reason. If she is linked to Adam, the guy everyone thinks is sketchy, then, she knows something. She said she was pregnant too.”
“By him?”
“I assume so.”
Michael rolled his eyes as a group of elder people pointed at them, “This is really getting out of hand. We need to find out who the murderer is before I kill myself.”
The gang stared at the window where two teens posted a sign saying: Don't go into this Starbucks. The murderers are in there! Beware of murderers! Beware!
Hannah threw down the local newspaper that had them on the front page, calling them the suspects of the murders. “Oh my gosh! Kill me already!”
“Stop it, you guys,” Linda snapped. “We will be fine.”
“So, what's the plan?” Hannah said as she sipped her coffee. “What can we do now since we have our key suspects?”
“I'm not sure,” she said. “So, far what we know is that Mandy would haze girls into being on her team if they wouldn't do as she said or if they didn't qualify. What if Mandy was linking the girls to men online?”
“That's possible, but what about Lucy?” Michael said.
“Lucy is less of a suspect but more of a witness—”
“But, if Lucy is a witness, I’m just as much of a witness,” Hannah said.
“But, Lucy was a cheerleader for two months last year before Mandy died, then she joined the dance team with you because she supposedly wanted to hang out with you instead. Then, she quit the dance team. But, we remember how she was back when she was on the cheer team—all moody and bitchy,” Linda said. “When I worked for the dance camp to make up physical education credits, Lucy was such a bitch. I mean, I barely remember the trip because I was drunk out of my mind—”
“And you said you don't drink,” Michael nagged.
“That isn't the point. I’m saying that after the first day of camp she was so different. Meaner than usual—quieter too. I guess she hated being a cheerleader.”
“I still don't understand how she became a cheerleader before me!” Hannah whined. “I wanted to make the team so bad, but they...never mind.”
“I have no idea because like I said...I remember hardly nothing from that summer. I was high on everything.”
Hannah sighed and flipped her hair, “Okay, so what about Dr. Smith?”
Linda sighed as if she were annoyed. “He is a suspect. I’ve been suspecting him since day one and him quitting just puts the icing on the cake.”
“Trust me, he is not a suspect. Dr. Smith is one-hundred percent innocent. He's dealing with family issues,” Hannah said. “Can you just drop it?”
“How do you know so much about him?” Linda snapped. “Were you guys dating?”
“No, for the millionth time! Ew!”
“Then, speak!”
She bit her nail and stared at Michael. “Well, after school one day I saw him crying in his office. Let's just say we bonded
over how screwed up our family situation was. It's nothing serious like us dating. We just bonded.”
“Is that why he helped out the dance team?”
“Yes. He felt bad because he put so much into the school but yet he was labeled a failure by the district. He has a hard life and I listened.”
“Hmm...so should I cross him off the list?” Linda said as she sipped her coffee.
“YES!” Hannah said. “I swear, he's a good guy.”
“So, all we have on our list is Adam and Lucy...ew, how lame,” Linda said. “It was better with Dr. Smith on it.”
“And what about that site?” Michael added.
Linda handed Hannah the printed papers. “Do you know about this site?”
“Oh yeah, the girls from the cheer team would always talk about that. Lot's of the jocks used it, but they would usually use it to talk trash to each other. Mainly trash about other girls from school because you can post comments anonymously if you wanted to.”
“And this once again gets me nowhere,” Linda said.
“What about the comment that Adam posted?” Michael said.
“What about it? Hannah just answered my question. They all talked trash.”
“But, there were anonymous comments on there. Someone obviously didn't like her much,” Michael said as he bit into his bagel.
“Obviously! No one liked that bitch!” Linda snapped. “We are just at a dead end now.”
Michael’s eyes narrowed as he stared across the street. “I think that person in that car is watching us. We should split up now. This doesn't look good with us talking to each other. He probably can read lips.”
“If he can read lips, he's reading it now..and now...and now—”
Linda smacked Hannah to shut up, “Be quiet then. We should all just go home then.”
“Yeah, I agree,” Hannah said.
“Drive me home, Linda?” Michael asked.
“Of course, sweetie.”
The ride to Michael’s home was silent as their thoughts were in the air. The only thing on Michael’s mind was that he could possibly go to prison—he had to figure out the real murderer because the police were obviously doing nothing.