The Incident. By: Aviya Joshi

 6TH GRADE                                                                   

                                                 THE INCIDENT  

Chapter 1: Sweet moments

 It was a normal afternoon, and I was watching the sun set with Kaia.

               “I don’t ever want summer to end!” Kaia whines, flopping backwards onto the sand. I flopped over with her. The cold-water brushes against our feet, and it makes Kaia smile. That’s why I love Kaia, why she’s my best friend. She always has a positive attitude, and her happiness makes ME happy!

               “Then why are slopping on the sand? Let’s go do something else.” I exclaim. She giggles as she pushes off the floor and runs to the water. She picks up a stone and grins at me. I smile as I get up and go on a hunt for a rock.

               “Why does your rock look like a camel Alice? You need a flat one, like mine!” She explains, showing me her paper-thin rock.

               “Do I have to?” I moan, as she nods her head yes.

               “Now watch!” She keeps her rock positioned, super straight. She focuses on the rock and throws it! It goes flying straight as she makes 4 skips.

               “What the?” I yell as I watch the rock skip. I act angry as she hops around, but really, I’m happy for her.

               “Here!” Kaia smiles as she hands me a grey rock. I had seen it before, but I couldn’t remember where it was from.

               “A rock?” I question, slowly examining it. Then I see 2 faded letters on the back. “A+K” I smile. “I remember, we found this rock when we were 6!”

               “Yup! I still remember you telling me that you wanted to write your name with the pink marker!” She giggles as I see that the “A” is written in pink. I give her a warm smile as I hug her. “I’ll see you tomorrow in school Alice” she says.

 

Chapter 2: A New Start!

          “What are you doing!?” My mom yells.

               “I’m trying to figure out my outfit. Is the pink or blue one better?” I say as I switch my eyes to look at each dress.

               “Wear whatever you want! Just come downstairs for breakfast! We are leaving in 15 minutes!” She says, full of panic. I think it’s surprising, she’s more worried about me reaching on time than me myself!

 I look at my dresses. I’m super excited, but also nervous for junior year. There is going to be so many people, and so much homework! The only class me and Kaia have together, is history, so I’m looking forward for that. I smile and decide on the pink one. It gives me positivity.

“ALICE!” My mom screams. I wear my socks as quickly as I pull my backpack over my shoulder. I ran down the stairs.  I smell my pancakes, my favorite! I eat as fast as I can. “Slow down! I took a long time on that!” My mom says.

“I don’t have any time!” I mumble, with my mouth stuffed with pancakes. “Bye mom!” I yell as I run out the door. My bus is waiting down the street, and people are still boarding. I let out a sigh of relief, as I boarded the bus as well.

I walk off the bus as I look at the humongous school. “Wow!” I excitedly say as I run through the crowd to find Kaia. I search for 5 minutes straight, and I get a lump in my throat when I can’t find her. I get all scared. I’m not the best at making friends, and neither is she. We made a promise to walk together into the school, and walking into the school without my only friend is a bummer. I suddenly remember everything that I pushed away. Lots of classes with no friends, (except for history) a bunch of homework, growing older, etc.

Suddenly, I turned my head over to see Kaia! I ran to her as I forgot everything all over again, but I stopped. She’s with another girl? I had no idea who she was, so I just walked over to her. “Hey Kaia!” I exclaim. She completely ignores me. “Hello?” I ask.

“Omg! Hey Alice! Meet my friend, Rosy!” She smiles, as she points to the girl. She has long black hair, brown eyes, and cute glasses. In short words, pretty. “She used to be my old friend.”

“Good for you!” I smile. I’m so happy that Kaia was able to find someone she knew. It was already a problem of mine, but the good thing is she has someone!

“Also, she’s in all of my classes!” Kaia squeals as she hops around. Another good thing! She isn’t alone in any of her classes. I sigh with relief. I don’t think she saw how happy I was for her.

The bell rings as everyone heads through the doors. “Ready?” I ask, as I reach out my hand for Kaia’s.

“Ready!” she says. I notice Rosy also started holding hands with Kaia, but it’s ok. We all walk through the doors together. I see a humungous crowd of people, as Rosy and Kaia leave.

“Where are you guys headed?” I ask.

“Spanish!” Kaia yells as she walks away. I feel a punch in my gut. It felt like envy. I slap myself. Can’t I be happy for Kaia? We are always together, so stop acting selfish Alice! I think. I shake my head as I go up the stairs, ready for science.

The day goes by, as I watch the clock, waiting for my last period, history. “RING, RING!”

“YES!” I shout as I pick up my backpack and stand up. As I look at the clock, it’s blocked by my teacher, Mr. Davis.

“Detention! For 2 reasons, you blurted out, and no getting up until I say so!”

“What?!?” I yell.

“You’re lucky I’m not too strict. So, I’m not sending you to the detention room. But, for blurting out, you must stay in my room until the day ends.” He explains, acting all calm.

I slump back into my chair, and I watch everyone leave. I see the next class walk in.

“Oh, and also, you have to participate in this class again!” He grins as he walks back up to the front of the room, and acts like nothing happened. I don’t think I’ve ever met a teacher this strict.

The bell finally rings for school to be over. I learned my lesson, so I stayed in my chair.

“Class in dismissed” he says. I walk out the door, and he looks at me “I hoped you learned your lesson.”

Oh, I did. Trust me! I angrily think in my mind. I missed the one class I had Kaia in. I feel horrible. I walked out the door, and I saw Kaia.

“Kaia I’m so-” I start but she interrupts me.

“I was waiting for you. And I don’t want to hear one of your silly excuses. I’m lucky I at least had Rosy!” She yells as she walks away. I let out a tear. I feel another punch in the gut. This time, it’s guilt.

 

Chapter 3: Wrong path

The next day, I go to school with a sad face, and I don’t even bother looking for Kaia. But suddenly, I saw Kaia running up to me. She gives me a tight hug; The same one she always gives me when I’m sad. I smile again.

“I’m sorry for how I acted yesterday, I missed the one chance we were together.” I said.

“No worries! We will be together today, right?” She emphasized, trying to make me feel better. I smile, as I nod my head. The bell rings, so Kaia heads to her first class. “Bye!” She says, as she walks away. I miss her already, as I see her black braids swing around. I brush off the thought of her, as I walk to my first class, (which is English) I notice rosy sitting in the back, reading a book. Didn’t she have all her classes with Kaia? I think.

“Ahem!” I clear my throat. I’m not the best at talking to new people, but I have got to give it a shot to fit in with Kaia more. “Hello! My name is rosy- I mean Kaia-I mean ALICE!” I stutter and then yell. She looks at me blankly as I give her a shy giggle. “Soo… I thought that you have all classes with Kaia.”

“Don’t tell anyone but I ditched this class yesterday, and I went to Kaia’s class.” She says with no emotion, staring blankly.

“Ok, well can I offer you a water bottle?” I ask, pulling out my extra one.”

“Sure.” She takes the bottle from me. Then, she turns her head back into her book. Yeah… she is NOT for me! I think as I smile. I walk back to my desk, as I slump down in my chair.

“Ok y’all, I’m your sub today.”  Says a man walking into the classroom. The first thing I could think of was how he looked like. He had red poofy hair, with a beard and glasses. Bob ross. I couldn’t hold it in, so I let out a giggle, and he turns to me like a dart. “Pay attention!” He yells, and I blush the hottest red ever. But then, I hear a giggle.

“Even I find that funny!” Rosy said, with a smile. I give her a smile back, and I turn back with a grin. I shoot my hand up in the air.

“Shouldn’t you be teaching art? I mean, look at that beard! Looks like you haven’t shaved in weeks!”

“DETENTION! No making fun of the teachers!” he shouts, as he points to the door. My smile shifted to a frown in a Mili- second. I pick up my books, and I head to the door, hiding my face in my books. I turn back, to see rosy back in her book.

“Oh, can you throw away the bottle you gave me? I’m finished.” Rosy asks.

“Yeah, sure.” I say, taking the bottle. I stuff it into my bag, as I leave with a sigh.

 

Chapter 4: Detention

I had NEVER been sent to detention. Even though I had been held back, it was not as serious as this. I struggle trying to find the room, as I run up and down the stairs.

“You should be in your class! Where are you headed?” A kind looking lady asks. To me, she kind of looked like Edna from Despicable Me. I have got to stop thinking of people as someone else! This got me in trouble to start with! I think.

“Um... I’m headed to detention…” I awkwardly stated.

“Oh! Um… that would be right down that hall, room number 112.” She says, with a disgusted look on her face.

“Thanks!” I yell, acting like telling the teacher it was no big deal to ask her that. I go down the hall and I see it. 112. I let out a sigh, as I open the door. A man stares at me for a second, and then moves his head back down. I make a nervous smile as I walk over to a seat in the back.

“Front.” He says without looking at me.

“Um… ok.” I say, feeling extremely embarrassed. I wanted to impress someone, and I ended up here! I am not a bad kid, no doubt! Yet, I end up here to impress a bozo! I frown, letting thoughts race through my mind. Then, the door creaks open. I’m very depressed that I can’t even turn my head to the person who walks through the door. I see black shorts swift past me, too the back. They take a seat. How come they didn’t get sent to the front? I think to myself, as I turn my head back. I see 2 long black braids, with a frown. I smile. “Kaia! Over here!” I whisper. The teacher looks at me and Kaia, and she turns a bright red. She covers her face with a book, and this makes me sad. Is she… embarrassed of me? I think it’s nothing, maybe she just didn’t want her name to be called out. I turn around, as I watch the clock tick. I groan, and the teacher turns to me.

“Do your homework early.” he says, with a deep, growly voice. I think it’s boring, but at least I get a head start. I walk up to the front of the room. I grab a roll of tape, and I stuff it in my backpack. I pull out my laptop, and I see Kaia waving in the reflection behind my wavy blonde hair. I turned around, and she handed me a note.

I miss you! I’m here because I spilled my water on my teacher. Even though it’s detention, we can still be together!

I turn back to her, and she’s giving me her classic smile. I felt… amazing. It has already been 2 weeks of school, and she had rarely talked to me. I wanted this more, where were BFFS. I wanted her smiles, and horrible jokes. Maybe junior year was just pulling us apart? I grab the note and flip it over. I write, “Wanna hang out at the mall after school?” I fold it up and toss it back to her. She looks at it, and gives me a frown, along with a thumbs down.

“Sorry! I have homework! And so do you! Maybe Saturday.” She whispers, moving her face back to her notebook. I feel a tear, but I brush it off. I mean, Saturday works for me, so I have nothing to worry about. I plop a smile on my face and continue my homework. Kaia keeps on making faces in the background of my head, and I watch her through my laptop. I quickly turn around, and she acts normal. I turn back around and jot my head back. I see her sticking out her tongue and trying not to laugh.

“GOT YOU!” I yell, and the teacher looks at us like a dart. We silently snicker, while continuing our work.

 

Chapter 5: Getting closer.

The bell rings. “IT’S FRIDAY!” everyone yells, as they run out the door. I join in with the crowd, as I push myself through. What is so special about the weekend? It’s just time for homework. I think, grumpily. I head down the staircase, searching for Kaia. I see her long black braids, swinging around, next to Rosy.

“What is so special about that girl?” I ask myself as I run to her. “Hey Kaia!”
               “Bye Rosy!” She says, as she turns to me. “Hey! Remember our plans for the mall on Saturday?” Kaia askes.

“Actually, I want to go somewhere else, but it’s a surprise!” I exclaim, as she raises an eyebrow.

“A surprise? Now how in the world are you supposed to keep going somewhere a secret?” She says, with a… actually, I don’t know! It’s like a grumpy and happy face.

“You look like your constipated!” I giggle as she slaps me on my back.

“So funny! Anyways, um, I kind of have to meet Rosy on Saturday for a homework project. You know, homework comes first! But let’s meet today night!” She says, continuing to look for her mom’s car.

“Yeah! That works! Meet me at my house by 6!” I exclaim, as I spot my mom’s car. “Bye!” I yell, opening the car door. She waves back and walks away. I turn to my mom with a grin on my face. “Mom, you look so good today! Like, what did you do with your hair!” I praise.

“What do you want?” My mom questions, as she signals to turn left.

“Well, I wanted to meet with Kaia today at 6! Can I please go?” I beg.

“I do not want you spending more at the mall! Go outside or spend time with me.” She says.

“But mom, I’m meeting her at the beach! You know the one we always used to go to? I’m keeping it a surprise for her!” I explain, as she nods her head along with it.

“Want me to drop you, it’s a pretty long walk!” She asks.

“Nope, we’ve got it!” I smile, as I look out the window.

I shift my dress side to side. “SO ICHTY!” I yell, as I flop over to the bed. My mom walks in and tosses me a comfy blue sweatshirt. “Thanks mom.” I say, as I change into it. “Bye mom!” I say, super excited to meet Kaia. I head downstairs to the door. “DING DONG!” Perfect timing! I think to myself. I open the door to see Kaia, with her hair down!

“Your hair is open! It looks so beautiful!” I exclaim, lifting her hair, and feeling it through for the first time. Her soft and silky hair brushes through my fingers, as I smile.

“Thanks! It’s just that Rosy is so pretty, and I opened my hair like her!” Kaia said. She looks so much prettier than Rosy with braids too, why did she have to change for her? I think. “But I will be back to braids soon.” She assures as she takes out her hand. I smile, and I reach for it. We hop down the street as we set our journey to the beach.

After what felt like forever, we were at the breezy beach. It was empty, like always. And we loved it. Kaia smiled, as splashed her feet into the water. She smiles with her beautiful teeth and lifts her hand out like she’s in the titanic.

“I miss this beach, even though it’s been 2 weeks!” She exclaims, limping back to the sand, dripping with water.

“I know right!” I say, understanding every bit of what she said. We run around the beach and stop to talk for a bit. We skip rocks as well. “You are still so good at it!” I yell, as she makes 4 skips. She does a spin, and giggles.

“I can’t wait to see you at school on Monday, but I should get going.” Kaia explains. I feel a little bit sad that she has to go, but I can’t wait to see her on Monday either.

“Yeah! That’s okay. Bye!” I smile, as I head to the direction of my home. I turn to look back, as she takes out her phone, and giggles. I let out a sigh, and I continue the walk.

 

Chapter 6: Cafeteria Mayhem!

“Ring, Ring!” The bell shakes as everyone stands up, blocking my short head completely. So much for being in the back I think, as I roll my eyes.

“Class dismissed.” Mrs. Hannah says, chewing gum louder than ever. She reminds me of those kids who think they are so cool, while putting their feet on the desks. I squeeze my way through the crowd, and I push myself out of the door.

Finally! Lunch time!” I think about Kaia, and my stomach goes in for some reason. I couldn’t wait to see Kaia, and I was also super hungry. I head to the cafeteria, and a get a hamburger with mustard. My usual. I start heading over to the table we normally sit at. Kaia wasn’t there, like usual. I was always first, because she would stop to use the bathroom. I start running over to our table, when a tall guy in a black sweatshirt bumps into me.

CRASH! My food splatters all over me, with mustard smeared across my face. It sticks up my nose, and it really, really burned!

“ACK!” I yelp, sitting up. I try taking the inner of my shirt to wipe of the meat and mustard from my face, but barely any wipes off. I look up, to see the guy, and he just shrugs, and walks away. Everyone looks at me, as I walk into the bathroom, with slushing sounds coming from my shoes. I look into the mirror, and I see my mustard face. It seemed thick, but it slowly turned watery as tears went down my face.

Chapter 7: Whispers

As I walk down the hallway, everyone stares at me. I want to tell them that I’m on my way to call my mom for new clothes, but I don’t bother.

               “What happened to you?” A girl says, walking in my direction.

               “Well, someone bumped into me, and I fell straight on my food.” I exclaim, pointing to the mess on my sweatshirt.

“Ooh, that happened just because someone bumped into you?”

I hesitate. “Yup!” I gleefully say, for a reason I don’t understand.

“Well, you’ve still got ketchup on your shoes…”

I get confused, until I look at the red smeared on my shoe. “Yeah, I still haven’t changed. I have to go call my mom for new clothes, so I should go.”

“Ok, I’ll see you around!” She smiles, as she runs up the stairs. I head to the office, and I pick up the black phone.

“RING, RING” I wait. And wait. And wait. No one picks up the phone, so I try my dad.

“RING, RING!” I wait. And wait. And wait. No one picks up either.

“AGH!” I stomp, and the teachers look at me. “Sorry!” I whisper, turning my head to the door. How the heck am I going to survive like this? I take a deep breath, and I walk out of the doors in my stinky clothes.

Chapter 8: Where’s Kaia?

I couldn’t believe that I had to wear these clothes. Like, what were my parents doing? I start heading to my history class, room number 114. At least I can see Kaia. I think, frowning as I enter the door.

“Your late Alice. And maybe clean those clothes.” Mr. Stevens said. He had a black beard, but no hair on the head. I thought it was crazy how he could have so much hair on his chin, but none on the head. I turn to my chair, and I sit down. Where’s Kaia? I think, looking at her empty seat. My stomach goes in. Why does my stomach go in every time I think of her? I have to quit being such a baby! I think, as I straighten up.

“Grace?” Mr. Stevens asks.

“Here!”

“Lacey?”

“Here.”

“Todd?”

“NOT HERE, AHAHA”

“Alice?”
“Here!” I say super squeaky. I really have to stop practicing saying, “Here!” It just makes it worse.

“And Kaia!”

“…”

“Oooh! Someone’s tardy!” Todd says, looking at the door. “And Alice was also tardy, so don’t forget to mark her tardy!” Todd grins, as he looks at me.

“Teacher’s pet.” I mumble under my mouth.

“Thank you for that Todd, but now, let’s begin.”

____________________________________________________________________________________
              

“Class Dismissed!” Mr. Stevens said, as he erases everything on the chalkboard. I turn around, to see Kaia’s empty desk. Where is she? I think as I get up. Kaia had told me that she would be there on Monday, which was today.

“Mr. Stevens? Do you know where Kaia is? I thought you might know since you might have dismissed her.”

“Well, I saw Kaia walking past my room for Lunch, but I haven’t gotten a reason why she wasn’t here yet.

“Oh, well have a great day!” I say as I start heading down the hallway stairs. Me and Kaia were walking home together, so I was concerned where she might be. I took out my phone to call her, but it immediately went to, “Unavailable.” What? I think as I sit down on a bench. I thought that she might have been in the bathroom, since she always uses it before leaving. I wait and wait. She didn’t come out. I got scared, because I had no idea what to do. I walked up to the bathroom door, and I pulled the handle. Rosy comes out, walking at the speed with her head down.  What the heck? I think as I take steps into the bathroom.

“Hello? Is anyone in here?” I hear my echo in the empty bathroom, as I push stalls. All of them slip open except for one. “Hello?” I ask as I knock on the stall. No answer. I see 2 black strings of yarn, as I bend down to feel them. I started to tug, but they wouldn’t budge, like they were connected to something. I hesitate as I start to bend down to see what it might have been. I lean my hands closer in and I start to feel something like skin. My hands get a small tint of red. My heart starts beating, like it might fall out of my body.  What is this? I wonder as I start to kick the door. I kick and kick, and a screw falls out. “HELLO?” I yell as I kick the door, and it wobbles back and forth. “Help!” No response. I give it one last kick, and the door tumbles over a little, as I try to peek into the open area. My heart stops. I feel tears as I gasp. The world becomes dizzy, and I almost feel like throwing up from the stench and sight. There is innocent little Kaia, lying on the floor, dead.

 

Chapter 9: Feeling lost

My head starts throbbing, like it’s about to fall off. I look around and the world gets dizzy. I get uncertain where to go, and I quickly turn away from the sight. I kneel, as I start shivering, but I couldn’t get a tear out. My phone! I think I checked my right and left pocket. I pull it out and I immediately call my mom. “RING, RING!” Come on! Pick up! I think as I watched the call end. “Shoot!” I exclaim as I click to call her again. Just as I clicked the call button, my phone dies. “No!” I yell.

“Hey! Are your parents going to pick you up? School’s out!” The janitor says, looking at me. He sees my tears, and the red on my fingers. He hesitates, as he turns his head to see the broken stall in the back. He takes one look and releases a gag. “Get out of here!’” He says, pulling my hand and running out. “Are you okay?” I freeze. I wasn’t okay, in fact, I couldn’t even speak. I had so many questions. Was she dead? Did she faint? Why was there so much blood on her? But I knew that there was a lot to explain.

When I reached my house, I didn’t feel any better. I didn’t know what was going to happen. How could it happen? What would her parents think? What would my mom say? I couldn’t believe what had happened. I lost the only friend I had. I hoped that it was nothing serious, but it definitely looked like it. I rang my doorbell, and my mom opened it.

“Alice! Why are you so late? What happened? Are you okay?” The question gushed into my mind, but my mouth was frozen. I did not have the energy to say anything, but I pushed myself.

“Kaia… she was laying on the bathroom floor, with blood on her.” I started. But I couldn’t hold it in. I broke into tears. “And I was worried, my phone died, I didn’t know what to do! She’s still at the school, and I don’t know if anyone is helping her!” I burst, hugging my mom. She stares blankly.

“I don’t believe it!” She exclaims, running to her car. “We are going to that school.

Chapter 10: Investigations

“I’m sorry mam, you’re going to have to wait outside. This place is under investigation.” A police officer says.

“My daughter’s best friend is in there, dead or who knows what! At least give me some information!”

“I’m sorry, we aren’t too sure ourselves. We have already called the ambulance who is arriving very soon. I’ll keep you updated.”

“Okay, but can I visit her?”

“No, I’m sorry, it’s only family.” My mom walks away holding my hand without saying another word. We pushed the crowd to find Kaia’s mom. She looked hopeless. There she was, sitting on a rock, crying as her mascara ran down her face. I thought that it only happened it TV shows.

“Hey, are you okay?” My mom says, rubbing her back.

“No, I’m not! I was praying that it was nothing, but they are making this a really big thing with all this caution tape, and police! I’m worrying that it’s not just an injury!” She said, wiping her eyes with her sweatshirt. I watch her cry, as I realize I need to cry too. But just then, I saw the ambulance as I ran after it as fast as I could. I watched several officers carrying out a small figure into the back. I see Kaia from a far distance, being carried on a small bed, with plaster covering her.

“I hope you’ll be okay Kaia.” I sniffle as I sit on a bench. I knew that someone had purposely hurt her. “I’ll find out who did this”

I watch Kaia, with breathing tubes and a screen. Almost every 2 minutes, a different doctor comes in with different injections. “Thank you again for letting us be here with you.” My mom says, looking at Kaia’s mom.

“Thank you for being here.” She replies, looking at poor little Kaia.

I stared blankly at Kaia, with my tears dried onto my face. I couldn’t cry anymore; it was like all the water out of my eyes had been drained.

“Honey, everything will be okay! She’s a strong girl.” My mom says, hugging me. I wished what she said was true, but I had seriously doubted it.

“Mrs. Malvin? Will she be, okay?” I ask.

“I don’t know sweetie, I really hope so.”

“So…” The doctor said coming in with some sheets of paper. “Every year something like this happens, car accidents, plane crashes, beatings, etc. And Kaia here was stabbed 27 times with something sharp. We believe it’s a kitchen knife, which is why the person stabbed her so many times, but I don’t think she will make it. I’m extremely sorry for your loss. Me and my team will do everything to make sure we know who intentionally did this.”

“NO!” I scream.

“Please! There must be something you can do! I don’t need to know who did this! Just please don’t make me lose her! Everyone relies on her, she’s important to lots!” Mrs. Malvin yells as she gets on both knees.

“I’m sorry, there is nothing we can do. We will make sure we tell you as soon as we can who did this. Mrs. Malvin bursts out of the room, and me and my mom look at each other, knowing our life was going to change.

 

Chapter 11: Why me?!

               “Alice, I let you skip 2 hours of school already, you can’t miss anymore!” My mom exclaims.

               “Don’t want to go.” I moan, eating my chocolate ice cream. It was my favorite, and it always made me feel better, but this time, it barely helped.

               “I know about the whole Kaia thing, but you must get over it. I understand you miss her, but we can’t let this affect out daily life!” She says, sitting down next to me.

               “But what’s the point of going without her.”

               “Alice, get up right now! I’m waiting in the car!” She says, as she stomps out. I close the ice cream, and I roll off the bed.

 

“Ok I’m ready.” I moan, as I weakly sit into the car.

               “Change at least change out of your pajamas!” My mom says, pointing at my unicorn set.

               “I don’t care, can we just go and get the day over with?” I yelp, as I slump back into the seat.

____________________________________________________________________________________

               “Newtons first law is when an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by a net external force. Blah blah... and the third... blah blah…” I watch his mouth move, as I almost fall asleep. “Alice! What happened? You’re always the most energetic! Come on, it’s history!” Mr. Calvin says, with his hands on his hips.

               I don’t bother to straighten, as I look at Kaia’s spot behind me. They had completely taken it away.  “I’m sorry, I’m just having a rough day.” Then suddenly, a thought struck me, “Can I use the bathroom?” I ask.

               “Go for it.” He says with a sigh.

A random burst of energy runs throughout me as I sprint through the halls. I take a deep breath, as I push the door open. I walk over to the last stall, and I notice Kaia isn’t there anymore. I put my hands on my head. I had been such a bad friend. I didn’t know why, but I just knew it somehow.

“Hello Soaring Eagles of West Brooke Highschool! I hope everyone is having a wonderful day. I just wanted to call in a few kids due to an incident that happened earlier. Could Macy, Rosy, Brooke, Thai, Ian, Katie, Ivy, Freya, Evelyn, and Alice please report to the office? Thank you very much!” The speaker boomed. I had a feeling I knew what that “incident” was, but it didn’t make sense. Why was I called? The office was right next to the bathroom, so I was the first one to arrive.

“Hi! What’s your name?” A teacher asked. She had pink frizzy hair, with green eyeliner. I thought it was weird, but I did not care. At least it made her look more energetic, unlike me in my pajamas.

“Um… my name is Alice. I was wondering why I got called down here.”

“Yes, the principal will take you in! Just wait around for a bit, and if you would like you may color!” She said walking away. I look at the table of coloring sheets, but I was in no mood to color mermaids. I sigh as I find a seat. Rosy walks in, as she finds a seat next to me.

“It’s weird, isn’t it? How we are called down here.” Rosy says.

“Yeah.” I say. I couldn’t care less about Rosy, she had never spoken to me, and this is the one time she decides to. A few other girls walk in, and two boys follow.

“Hi everyone, I’m here to tell you that the principal is ready to take you in!” A woman exclaims, pointing to the door. We all get up and scrummage through the skinny door.

“Hello everyone, I’m Principal Johnson as you all know, and I’m going to take attendance, and just say here if you are present.” He says, sounding like a doctor. I get nervous, and I could tell everyone around me was nervous too. We get through attendance, and all, of us get impatient about what is going on. “Ok, hello everyone! This was requested by the police, and we will have small sessions every day, and everything will be solved soon, so you will be free to go by a month or so.”

“But what are we here for?” Ivy asks. I notice she’s the same girl I met in the Hallway.

“Well, there was a girl named Kaia, and she had an incident, and we need to know who lead her into this… incident.” The principal explains trying not to claim that she’s dead. I get slightly annoyed.

“But why am I involved in this?” I ask showing random hand movements.

“Well… you guys are all suspects because you were there at that moment.” My face freezes. I couldn’t believe that I was a suspect of my friend’s murder! I think back to the scene, and I remember something. Rosy… storming out of the bathroom door with her head down. I look at Rosy, and she wipes her forehead, and rubs her palm. I knew something was up.

Chapter 12: First meeting

We all take a moment to look at each other. A few people start whispering and pointing at people. Rosy just looks to the floor. Why is she acting so suspicious? I think as I wait in my seat for the teacher to say something else.

“Ok, who in here is Rosy?” Principal Johnson asks.

“That would be me.” Rosy says, wiping her forehead, and walking up to sit on the seat he was pointing at.

“I don’t want you guys to feel nervous, so don’t worry! Today, all I want from you guys is to state why you were still inside the school after the bell rang. Rosy, please state your case.”

“Um… I was in the bathroom because I needed to use it. I didn’t even realize she was in the last stall.” Rosy says, rubbing her palm.

“Ok… so you didn’t notice any of the blood found on the floor? Or her hair sticking out?” Rosy paused. It looked like she was going to start crying, but I could see her holding it in.

“No, I did not.”

“Thank you. Now who’s Ivy?” Ivy walks to the seat, and waves at me, immediately recognizing me.

“I was giving Mr. Calvin, the history teacher my poster for the Newton’s laws assignment. I had to stay back for like 10 minutes, but I didn’t think it would matter much.”

“Ok! Thank you, Ivy, you may go back.” He says. Ivy smiles and heads back to her chair. Everyone walks up, states their claim, and I just wait for my turn. I wish I hadn’t got my turn last, because that’s when I was nervous after watching everyone else go. “Alice?” I look up and walk over to the “truth chair.”

“So, me and Kaia are best friends. On that day, we were walking together. I didn’t see her anywhere, so I went to check in the bathroom. Then, I noticed there was hair sticking out from under the stall, so I kicked the door open a lot of times, until it gave in. I told the janitor about it, and that’s when everyone realized it was Kaia, and she was dead.” I had tried to summarize my case a lot, but it somehow was the longest one. That’s when I realized everyone was giving me weird looks. He wrote something down, and pointed to my chair, signaling me to go back.

“Ok! Thank you very much, and I will be double checking and going over your claims! As for now, please head back to your 6^th period, and when you get home, inform your parents about the sessions! Thank you!” He says, opening the door for us. Rosy is the first one to escape the door. I watch her sprint out, running up the stairs. I did not trust that girl, and I had an idea of who created the “incident.”

Chapter 13: I was there

               “How was your day today?” My mom asks, as I get into the car.

               “Literally the worst day ever.” I groaned, looking out the window.

               “I know her death is hard on you, it’s hard on everyone. But they will figure it out. Do you know how hard it is for a person to hide from a murder scene when there are police behind it? My stomach goes in. I feel sick, I feel like this should never have happened.

               “Yeah, I guess your right. But I don’t think YOU understand how sad it is to lose your best friend!” I argue, sitting up straight.

               “Don’t yell! It won’t help this situation. And don’t over think! Everything will be fine; it will only get worse when you think about it!”

               “NO MOM! She is my friend! YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW BIG OF A DEAL THIS IS?!?”

               “Do not yell in my face! I’m here, trying to make you feel better, and you’re just yelling at me!”

               “Not everything can be solved with telling me that I’ll be okay, BECAUSE I WON’T! SO JUST STOP!” We enter the garage.

               “Go to your room, right now! And I hope you can understand what you have done wrong!”

               “Good! I like it in there much better than being next to you for another SECOND!” I yell, slamming the car door. I stomp up the stairs and slam the door of my room behind me.      

          A few hours go by, as I finish my work that I missed when I went to the session. I hear footsteps coming up the stairs, as I jump onto my bed and hide under the covers.

               “Alice?” My mom asks, as she sits down on my bed. She lifts the covers from on top of me.

               “What do you want mom.” I say bluntly.

               “Sit up, we need to talk.” I moan sitting up and laying against the back of my bed. “I know Kaia’s lose is hard on you, and I understand that. I never had a close relationship with Kaia, but when she died, I was trying to hide my sadness from you. It hurt that my daughter’s best friend died.” I look at her, as she looks down.

               “But mom! I know your trying to make me feel better, but if you feel hurt, I feel a thousand times that amount!”

               “I know, but as your mom, I don’t want you to feel like that. I know it’s been just us for a long time, but we’ve made it work, haven’t we?” I look at her, feeling down. That’s when it hit me. How much she had done for me.

“Your right. I shouldn’t have acted like that. I know you’re just trying to help, and I’m sorry for making things harder for you.” She smiles and gives me a hug.

“Anytime you’re feeling down, talk to me about it okay?” That’s when a thought struck me.

“So, mom, in school today, they started these sessions that were requested by the police. They want to find out who murdered Kaia.”

“Oh, well I’m sure they’ll find out who did it, right?”

“No, I don’t think you understand. They called me down too…” I watch my mom stare blankly at me.

“They called you down? Out of everyone else, her best friend? I won’t let this happen!” My mom says, dialing the school’s number down.

“Mom! It’s okay! I didn’t do anything wrong, and I’m sure they’ll figure that out! Just leave it up to me.” She looks at her phone, and places it down.

“Fine, but you better know what’s right and what’s wrong! I hope you can make the right decisions.” My mom says, leaving my room.

Chapter 14: Let me out!

“Alice, Rosy, you guys may go down to the office for your detectives’ group!” My ears were deceived when I heard how happy his voice sounded. And the detectives’ group? More like the murder group. Me and Rosy head out the door, walking towards the office. We don’t look at each other, we just keep on walking.

“Alice?” Rosy asks. Her voice sounded sincere once.

“What do you want.” I say, looking straight ahead of me.

“I hope we don’t have any beef between us…” She says looking at me. Any beef? I was surprised she was even asking this. She totally ignores me, pushes me away from Kaia, and sent me to detention.

“Of course not! Why would I?” I fake, with a big smile smeared across my face.

“Good.” She says, continuing to have no emotion. She speeds walks down the stairs, as I stare at her blankly. Why has she been acting so weird? I think, heading to the office.

“Hello everyone, I hope you told your parents about this! A few parents didn’t take it well, sending me a call about it…” Principal Johnson says looking straight at me. Oh my god… I think, trying to make it look like he wasn’t talking about me. “So! I thought about your claims, and one person will be getting released from the club.”

I cross my fingers, rocking myself back and forth. Please release me! I think, feeling tense.

“Ivy, your free to go!” He says, crossing her name of the attendance list.

“Thank you!” She says walking out of the room. “Bye!” She whispers, looking at me. I wave back, feeling happy for her, but doomed for myself.

“Ok, so I’m going to pass around a quiz, and don’t stress about it. We just want to see what you know!” He says, passing the pages around. When it comes to me, I immediately start. The test was too easy, and I completed in under a minute. Wait, what if I shouldn’t know all this! What if they are releasing people who don’t about the incident? I think. I quickly erase all my answers and change them up into answers that are obviously not correct. “Ok guys thank you very much, head back to your 6^th period.”

 

               “Hey honey, how was your day?” She said, cooking a hashbrown on the stove, using her hands to spin it around on the pan like no big deal.

               “Not great.” I said, sitting down on a chair. I watched her continue to cook her hashbrown.

               “Oh no! What happened?” She replied, not looking at me.

               “You know what happened. You made it worse by calling him.” I say, running up the stairs. What do I do? I don’t want to be a part of this anymore, it’s too much! I think, flopping onto my bed. We will just have to wait and see.

“Your gonna hear me ROARRR!” I sing jumping around the room, using my brush as a mic.

“Alice! What are you doing?! The bus will arrive in 10 minutes!” My mom yells from downstairs.

“Got it mom!” I exclaim, running to the bathroom. My random burst of energy in the morning was rare. I was energetic, but for some reason, chill. I looked at my frizzy blonde hair in the mirror. Maybe I could do some braids! Kaia taught me how to do two braids. I think, twisting my hair up.

“Wow Alice! I love those braids; they make you look like Kaia!” There was a long silence.

“Um, I think I’d prefer my hair in a ponytail. Could you do it for me?” I say, pulling out the rubber bands. I sit down at the kitchen table and eat my blueberry muffin.

“Ok! Whatever you say. You’d still look beautiful either way.” My mom says, putting my hair up. I knew I was dramatizing everything. I touched my hair to make sure nothing was poking out, and I left for the bus.

It was Friday, and I just couldn’t wait to go home.

“Ok Alice, Rosy, I’m dismissing you to go downstairs.” Mr. Calvin announces, looking at us.

“Thai should also be coming downstairs, he’s in our group.” Rosy states.

“No, he’s not on the group list anymore. I only have you and Alice, so hurry!” I was confused, and I could tell Rosy was too. Was Thai dismissed from the group? I just wished that it would have been me.

Me and Rosy walk down the stairs. It was hard not to start a conversation. We were both a part of this, and I’m sure we both didn’t want to be. Maybe I would have been friends with Rosy if she hadn’t been so ignorant towards me.

“After you.” She says, holding the door open for me. I don’t reply, as I walk straight to the principal’s office. As I walked in, I noticed the room was empty, and dark. The staff were shooting us dirty looks as we wandered in. Me and Rosy took a seat on the chairs as we waited patiently. Still, no one else arrived. After a few minutes of waiting, the principal walked in.

“Hello guys.” He says, sitting down on the big table in front of us. He didn’t seem as energetic as he normally is. I looked out the window, and I noticed a police car. I started to panic, and I gagged. Rosy also seemed worried, clenching her eyebrows together. A police car? Outside our school? Why! I thought as I turned back to the principal. “Looking into the crime, we came down to you two. Further inspection will be done later.” He says, placing some papers down on his table. “Rosy.” He says, signaling for me to go into another room.

I watch the clock tick, and it seems like it’s been years since he sent me off to another room. What was he doing in there? Personally, I thought the idea was stupid. A group during school? Just leave us alone. There is no way that they can accurately say that me or Rosy committed the crime. Even though I had an idea of who did it, I would never know.  

“Alice?” My heart skips a beat as I get up. I see Rosy Walk out, She looks at me sincerely, and I can see her trying to hold back tears, and then she walks away.

“Oh! Would you look at that. Two minutes until school is over. I better go.” I nervously chuckle.

“There’s no need, I’ve told your parents that I’ll need you guys for a while.” It was the first time, the first time, I’ve been afraid. I didn’t feel afraid when I saw Kaia dead, I didn’t feel afraid when I was alone. The times I did feel afraid was when this group started, when I was a suspect. That scared me.

“Ok Alice, I’m just going to ask you a few questions. I want you to answer truthfully.”

“Ok.” I stutter.

“What is your relationship with Kaia Malvin.”

“She’s my best friend. We have been best friends since we were born. Her mom and mine are good friends.”

“How do you feel about her death?”

I freeze. “I’m devastated…” I didn’t quite know how to respond to that. Maybe it was because I didn’t want to believe Kaia was dead.

“Well, you were active this morning, according to your mom. I think a best friend’s death would hurt more.” I didn’t know who I hated. The principal, for getting my mom involved and complaining that I should show more sadness, or my mom, for telling him things.

“I’m trying to get over it.” I say, trying to shake it off.

“Ok, please proceed with your fingerprint.” I dab my thumb into some ink, and press onto a paper. He looks at a blue packet and looks at my fingerprint. “Interesting…” He says, writing something down. Now what? I think.

“Ok, you’re good. Please head back.” He says, pulling the door open. I walk back and I take a seat next to Rosy.

“We all know you did it. I wouldn’t do such a thing.” She says.

               “Shut up, you’ve been suspicious for the entire day.” I reply.

               “Whatever.” She mumbles, moving far away from me. Then, the principal walks in. He takes a seat and shoots us a disappointed look.

               “Never in my life have I been involved in a crime. I can’t believe it.” He states, looking at us. “I understand how afraid you guys might be, but we have investigated the scene, and we have an idea of who it is. Of course, the case will be further investigated at the police station.” The police station? We are only kids! I think, rubbing my palm.

               “How do you know who it is? I mean, you can’t just tell from what we have told you.” Rosy says, sounding extremely worried.

               “No, the police have done what they needed to do and collected evidence.”

               “Ok…” Rosy says looking down.

               “I can understand how you scared you guys must be right now, and I would be scared too. But this is a murder in our school. Our ratings have dropped. Parents are worried, so I did what I needed to. After collecting DNA samples, and fingerprints, we believe that we know who it is. Don’t be worried, not everything lies in my hands. I could be wrong, so that’s what further inspection is for.” I feel a tear rolling from my eye. Was it because I missed Kaia? No, even though I did. It was the thought of going to a police station, getting in trouble at 16 years old.

               “I want you to be completely honest with me. Rosy, did you do it?” He says. I take a sigh of relief. But Rosy she looks like she’s about to throw up.

               “No! I would never do that! I’ve been friends with Kaia for so long!” Rosy says, breaking down into tears.

               The whole room goes silent, and all we can hear is Rosy’s shivers. Suddenly the world around me goes blank. I’m a bad person, I’m bad. Good people don’t let the innocent take the fall. What did that make me? All for popularity, all because I was left out. Maybe I wasn’t what I thought I was. My best friend, too. Rosy doesn’t deserve it. Even if I told them, would it really change anything? They would still think I’m a monster. This isn’t right. I take a deep breath and finally let my words out.

               “I did it.”

 

 

 

The end…

 

 

TO BE CONTINUED:  THE INDCIDENT PART 2

              

 

 

 

 HOPE YOU ENJOYED! MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT MY FUTURE COMING BLOGS BY ME! (AVIYA JOSHI)

 

 

 

 

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