Just as a heads up, this first chapter is really sad. I'm sorry I had to make it this way. But I couldn't help it. I cried myself while writing it. Just read it if your interested in the story. I promise, there aren't going to be any more chapters this sad. I don't want to ruin this book for you guys though, so please read it if you want. The feels are a good thing. And if you don't want to read this part then don't. Just know that something happened and Mathew blames Allen for it. But for those brave people, read it. I just think it's sad. Nobody get mad at me! It's not torture!
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My name is... Never mind. Forget my name. It isn't important right now. But this is where my story begins. On this day that changed my life.

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Allen, Josh and I were all in Ms. Jordan's room. We were dissecting frogs. I know, we were juniors in high school. But we were the only ones in the class who have never done it before. We had referred to it in class the other day and we wanted to try it. So Ms. Jordan decided we could do it during her planing period. We actually got to miss a class! How awesome is that?!

"Alright," said Ms. Jordan. "You guys are all set. Now, I need to go make some copies. I can trust you guys by yourselves, right?"

"Yes ma'am," we all said with a smile.

"You boys are so sweet. I'll be right down the hall in the teacher workroom if you need anything."

Ms. Jordan grabbed some papers and left the room. Little did I know that everything would go completely wrong while she was gone.

"Okay guys," I said. "Let's get started."

We sat at a table. We each had our own frog to dissect. I opened up my science book for instructions and got started. I picked up a scalpel and began. Allen and Josh were still getting prepared.

"Ew!" Allen screeched. "You frog is disgusting. Why did we want to do this?"

"I don't know," I said. "But you were all for it."

"Crap," said Josh.

"What did you do?" I asked.

"I accidentally slammed my scalpel on the table and broke it."

"Just go get another one, we'll tell Ms. Jordan when she finishes making copies."

"Ok."

Josh got up and walked to the back of the room. I heard drawers opening and closing. As well as cabinets. Then I heard a crash.

"Josh!" Allen screeched again. "What did you do?"

We were both staring at Josh. He was staring at the floor.

"I knocked down a tub of glass beakers," Josh admitted.

"JOSH!" Allen screeched yet again.

"It's okay, none of them broke."

"Let me come help you with that."

Allen got up and went to the back of the room. He helped Josh pick up the beakers. I continued on with my frog. It wasn't bad, just gross. But those things don't really bother me. I could hear Allen and Josh in the background. I wasn't paying my attention, but I heard laughter. Probably one of Josh's signature jokes. Then the laughing stopped. I heard something hit the desk. Followed by the crash of falling beakers.

"MATHEW!!!" Allen yelled. I could hear the concern in his voice.

"What, did you fall over laughing and knock the beakers down?" I asked before turning around. When I turned is saw Allen staring at the floor, his face flooded with tears.

"Allen what did you do?" I got up from my seat and ran over to him. Josh was face down the floor. I knelt down and turned him over, his nose was bleeding. "Allen, what happened?!"

"He... He was telling a joke. Then... Then I hit his back... As... As an applause for such a good joke, you know... Then he fell and hit his nose on the desk."

I frantically looked for a pulse. "Allen, you can't do that to Josh! He has a heart condition! You could've killed him! Go get Ms. Jordan!"

Allen ran out of the room as I continued searching for the pulse. I wasn't mad at Allen, it was just an accident. I finally found the pulse, but it was very weak. It was almost none existent. Then it was gone.

"No... No... No... No! No! No!" I yelled. But it was too late. Josh was gone. The ambulance wouldn't even have been here on time. I sat in the floor and I cried. I sobbed. Why? Why did this have to happen?

"Mathew?" I heard Ms. Jordan say. "Mathew!" She ran over and grabbed my arm. She dragged me away from Josh. We passed Allen as we headed towards Ms. Jordan's desk. He looked at me like he was sorry for me. But why?

"Hello?" Ms. Jordan said to the phone. "Principal Martin, I need you to come get a student and call a lock down... Yes, we're in my room now... Yah... Okay." The she hung up. She started to cry. She looked at me with anger. She saw my tears. "You should be ashamed of yourself."

"What?" I said. "What did I do?"

"You know good and well what you did."

The intercom buzzed on and they asked teachers to check their email. That was the lockdown.

"I'm here," said Principal Martin as he walked in. "The police are on they're way. Get the other student out of here."

Ms. Jordan let go of my arm and led Allen away. Principal Martin grabbed my arm and got in my face. He looked angry.

"You monster," he said. "I don't want to hear a word from you until the police get here." His grip tightened and he dragged me away. Every time I sobbed he yanked my arm, hard. He dragged me outside of the school and then the police took over. They grabbed me ruthlessly and pushed me onto their vehicle. I saw an ambulance rush in as I felt the hand cuffs tighten on my wrists. It was more painful than I expected. Then one of the officers said, "You are under arrest for murder. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in future court."

And just like they do in the movies, they shoved me into the vehicle. The window of the drivers seat was rolled down. I could hear the conversation with Principal Martin.

"Are there any witnesses?" asked the police man.

"Yes," stated Principal Martin.

"Alright, send him to the station as soon as possible."

The policemen climbed into the car and buckled up. Then they drove me away. I had a chance to think about what just happened. I was arrested for murder. Murder? They got it all wrong? It was an accident! It wasn't even me!

When they got me to the station, they put me into a room for interrogation. It was like the movies again, with the one way mirror and nothing but gray. I was alone for about five minutes before a man walked in. I was still crying, but not as much as before.

The man sat at the table. He looked at me. He was wearing a gray suit, adding more despair to the room.

"Why?" he asked.

I didn't reply. I couldn't get any words out.

"Why?" he asked again. Silence. "Answer me! Why!?"

"Why what?" I managed to get out.

"Why did you murder Josh Martin?!"

"I didn't."

"Then why did our witness say you did?"

"I don't know. But it was all an accident! It wasn't even me!"

"If you don't start telling the truth, things are only going to get worse."

"I am telling the truth!"

"Then tell me what happened."

I told him everything. He looked at me disapprovingly. Then he left.

I was stuck in the room for forever. Then he finally walked back in.

"We talked to our witness," he said. "Your stories don't add up. But things aren't looking good for you. You were found with the body. You never told your story. You never said a thing. Your sentence will be decided tomorrow in court."

Then he left again. Two men came in afterward and took me away. I was given one of the orange jumpsuits and locked away. I was alone in the cell. I kept crying. I hadn't stopped at all that day.

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Court the next day didn't go well. Allen was there, calling the shots. He said it was an accident though. That it wasn't on purpose. It was a good thing he said that though. They decided to give me a ten year sentence for rough play. Or something like that. I don't understand why they didn't just let me go. But Allen did say I had something against Josh, which was a complete lie. I have never considered Allen my friend since.

-------Ten Years Later-------

An officer came to my cell. He looked disgusted. I realized what day it was. My sentence was over. I was free. They led me out of the prison. They were escorting me to my family who were there to pick me up. I walked out the doors and there was my parade of haters. First in line was Principal Martin.

They were all screaming and yelling. It hurt that everybody hated me. There were even people from the local news there. When I broke away from the crowd the news people bombarded me.

"How does it feel to be so hated?" they asked. The officer pushed me away from the camera.

"Mr. Orchard does not wish to be interviewed," he said. That was true. The officer had asked me a while ago. Well, he more told me not to say anything to the press.

We reached my parents and my mother grabbed my arm and pulled me to the car. She opened the door and let me climb in. She slammed it behind me. Then she took the drivers seat and my dad took shotgun. I was alone in the back.

We got home and there were even more haters there. My parents sheltered me as they guided me inside. When we got in, my mom pulled me to my bedroom. My home didn't even feel like home anymore.

"Pack up any stuff you don't want thrown away," she said when we reached my room. "You are 27 years old, you need to live on your own."

After a week I was living on the other side of town. The small town in Colorado felt so much bigger when you are disowned. The small apartment wasn't much. I tried to get a job. I couldn't drive, I had only just gotten my learners permit the year before the incident. So I just sent applications in. That didn't work. Nobody wanted the lying murderer. They all thought I used his heart condition against him. That it was no accident.

After six months, I finally got my drivers license. I got an old car from my parents, packed up my few belongings, and drove away. I was going to New York City. I was going to escaped the hatred.

I finally got to New York. But now I was broke. And everybody in New York knew exactly who I was. But they didn't exactly show they hated me. It was more of a public shunning. I was invisible.