||Scott||

Do you ever get nervous when you see a cop, even when you know you didn't do anything wrong? It's like, at that moment, as their black shiny shoes squeak with each step and they come closer and closer, you think of every little thing you've done in your life; you wonder if maybe stealing candy when you were twelve was such a good idea. I knew Officer Daniels because he was a friend of my father's, a really good friend. Every time he saw me there was a grin on his face, a friendly glimmer in his eyes. his eyes looked glassed over, though, and were as emotionless as the blank look in his face. The sound of his shoes against the linoleum floor of the high school cafeteria wasn't as comforting. 

Remember what I said, about getting nervous when in the presence of a cop? I'd known Officer Daniels since I was a kid and here I was barely breathing, trying to remain calm as he walked straight for me, two officers following behind. Usually when cops come to the school, it's to pick up kids who were caught spray painting the back of the General store, skipping class, or something like that. I wasn't saying I was any smarter, any better than any of the student's in my class, but I wasn't a trouble maker. So imagine my surprise when Officer Daniels stopped at my lunch table. The whispers and hushed conversations had stopped, the voices now mere echoes bouncing off the walls. 

"You mind standing up for me Scott?" His voice was harsh, his hand resting gently against the handle of his gun. 

"What?" My heart was hammering hard against my chest, my ears ringing louder and louder.

"Stand up." I'd managed to stop my legs from shaking, coming to a stand in front of him. It was then, face to face with my father's best friend that I could see him twitch slightly in defiance. It didn't make sense for him to be here and I could see that in his eyes. "Scott Crawford, you're under arrest for the murder of Amelie Deerson. Anything you . . . "

"Wait! Wait - what are you saying? Tom. . .Tom!"