Ameria abruptly stands up in shock. “Why am I next? The fuck did you say!" she lunges at the afro-haired boy. She grips his t-shirt clawing her nails into it.

“Nothing chill chill chill I didn't say anything about you. He just said I should call you next.”

“Dude come on.” Mazin begins to pull her away from the afro-haired boy. “Just get in there it won't be bad,” Mazin adds. “Wait a second,” Ameria swiftly turns to face Mazin. “We're minors we can't be questioned. So what they doing is illegal.”

“Well, technically.” Skyler chirps in. “The cops can question us without our parents. They can even hold us in jail for 24 hours.”
“Are you sure?” Ameria asks

Skyler nods her head and a memory of detective Adams saying something similar plays in my mind.
“Hell Nah, google that shit!.” Ameria yells.

I take out my phone from my bomber jacket and begin to surf the web. My fingers dance around the google search engine until words come into place.

“ It's true and they can do it without our parent's permission.” I look up at Ameria who still has the same frown stuck onto her face. “Dude chill the detective isn't that bad his just old and loves wearing black. Just answer his question. He'll probably ask what happened at Jake's party.”

“Yeah true that's what he asked me” the Afro-haired boy interjects. “Just don't try lying you'll be surprised about what he knows”

“Okay cool she relaxes her face I  guess I'll see you guys later. Remember to talk to Ava's art teacher ain't no way a bench will be the dedication for her.”

I nod my head and watch as Ameria walks away. Everything should go well for her if she has nothing to hide, but I don't think she has anything to hide. I think she's just annoyed by the whole situation.

But it's nothing compared to what I had to endure when Detective Adams walked into class and practically forced me to walk out the school.

* Flashback *

The last class is English at least it's not math or history. Ugh, I would have died to sleep. I drag my feet to class.
“Oh cheer up Nora it's just an hour until the day's done”,  my teacher says as I sluggishly walk into the class.
He pats my back as I walk past him. What a weirdo but I flash him a quick smile and pass through the desk of students.
I slam my books onto the table.
“Hey”, I greet Ameria “how was Geography.”
“Geo was Geo”, she places her head onto her hand and leans into it.
“I just want this day to end”, she sighs
“Same.” I slip into my seat.

“Okay since everyone's here.” AJ walks in stopping Mr. Bavis from completing his sentence. “Well almost everyone.” Mr. Bavis sighs as AJ finds his seat before he pulls out his chair he winks at Ameria and she blows him a kiss.

“Okay, Romeo and Juliet can I go on?" Mr. Bavis scratches his forehead.

“Yes, sir sorry,” Ameria says and AJ's chair scrapes the floor as he pushes himself closer to the desk.
“Anyways”, Mr. Bavis claps his hands “as I said I think we should start with The Shrill Shadows” Mr. Bavis grabs the thick black book on his table and raises it to the class.
“That sorta looks like a Bible,” Skyler says.
“It's not”, Mr. Bavis goes on “and I'm assuming you didn't do your homework then, but anyway”, he places the book onto the table. “Those of you that did research on the book. Care to share what it is about?”

The class falls silent.  My eyes laser around the room from the English posters that have animated
Shakespeare telling us how to use commas, dashes, and ellipses.  To the dirty white ceiling filled with mold, I presume. Then they land on Ava's empty desk. The sun rays shine as dust particles dance around on her table.

“Yes Ameria”, my eyes then land on Ameria's raised arm.
“To sum it up the book is about a teacher that's convicted of a murder he claims he didn't do it, so he's trying to clear his name.”

“Good job Ameria you see that's what happens when you do your homework, Skyler,” his eyes burn into hers.
She signs
“Anyway let's open up our books to the first chapter.”

I page through the book skipping acknowledgments.

“Okay, we're, going to start at the back.”
“Ahh, Sir come on!” One of the boys groan. “why do we have to read aloud?”
“You just don't wanna read aloud, because you can't read the word phrase.” Another boy says and the class begins to laugh.
“Guys!” Mr. Bavis shouts and the class goes quiet “okay We'll start at the back there with Skyler.”

Skyler begins to read with a monotonous tone. I can tell she hates this book already. The pages are so thin and so far nothing about chapter one makes sense to me.
A loud heavy knock on the door stops Skyler from going on with the book. All heads shoot up to look at the door.
“Skyler go on” Mr. Bavis says as he walks to the door. He slowly opens it and leaves it ajar talking to whoever is on the other side.

Pages flip simultaneously. Damn even with that dull tone she's reading with, Skyler sure is reading at a fast pace. My eyes play jump rope from the words such as murder to 16-year  then to the word disappearance. I can't seem to find where Skyler reads but that doesn't matter anymore. The door swings fully open “Nora”, Mr. Bavis calls out my name. Skyler stops reading and all eyes bore into me. It's been like this since Ava's disappearance. I get it I was the last person with her, but it doesn't mean I did anything.
“Uh bring your bag with you.” I grab my back and throw it over my shoulder. Ameria looks at me with her brows twisted and she mouths “wassup?”
I shrug my shoulders. My mom didn't say anything about picking me up early. I walk through the row of desks as the rest of the class strips me naked. Some whisper and try to cover their mouths with their hands.

When I step out the door it isn't my mother but it's the detective that visited me at the hospital. The one with all the questions who dressed all black. And has grey sleeked hair. His deep milky grey eyes meet mine and my chest tightens  “You remember me right?” he asks throwing me a small smile as if the wrinkles around his mouth will make things better.
“Uhhh yeah,” I say
“I just want to ask you a few questions.”
From afar heels click onto the floor and Principal Judith walks closer to us wearing her navy blue pantsuit that she loves so much. “Nora you are not in trouble”, she tries to reassure me. “But if I'm not in trouble why is he here? he already questioned me the other time.”
She breathes in deeply and her neck stretches and then it sits back when she exhales. “Just do what he says Nora. We know you did nothing but it's just some follow-up questions it can't be bad”, she masters up a smile but her eyes say something else. I can see it in her dark upturned eyes. A storm of worry brews, the detective being here is giving the school a bad name and it's all my fault.

I nod my head and Detective Adams's large hands land on my shoulders and he sternly pushes me to walk. We pass the lockers and my heart starts playing a drum roll. Sweat builds up at my temples. We pass
My locker. I wonder if I should take my jersey? Nah it's too hot especially right now. My chest is holding on to its self and my heart wants to break free from my rib cage. My legs just keep moving or they're forced to move.
It's can't be bad at all. It's just questions.

End of flashback

“Yo' you good!” my eyes meet Mazin's
“Uh yeah, I was just thinking” I stop leaning on my hand.

“Oh good I thought you were that hungry I mean you kept on staring at my half bitten apple”
“I was not staring at it I was just in my mind.”
“No, you we,re definitely looking at it, like this.” Mazin sits up straight and rests his head onto his right hand. He pops open his eyes.
“I was not sitting like that.” I bark back and hit his hand.
“How do you, you can't even see yourself? You were even drooling”, he adds
“Okay,” I laugh “now you just adding some unnecessary bullshit.”

Mazin chuckles, “alright alright but you seemed far away like out of this world. What were you thinking of?”

“Nothing” I lie.

“Didn't seem like anything but I won't push it. You still want my apple though?” I stare down at the half-green bitten apple it has started turning brown at the bitten areas.
“The fuck I never wanted it” I laugh.

The day seems to drag on in every class I can't seem to focus at all. It's been half an hour now. Ameria is still not back. Skyler sits in her spot in English class. Mazin sits right beside me but he's busy having a long-distance conversation with afro haired boy about basketball. He could easily stand up and go talk to him, but no he rather yell across the room.

What's taking Ameria is long? Is he grilling her with questions upon questions. I NEED ANSWERS.
Skyler scrolls down through tik tok laughing at short videos and occasionally doubling tapping at the screen leaving her likes.

The door swings open and in walks in Mr Bavis and Ameria behind him.
Something is off. It's in the way she walks with her head to the floor and her shoulders slumped. Its in the way she sits at the back away from the rest us of the class. Something happened but this is not the time to ask her about it. As soon as Mr Bavis closes the door and clasps his hand I know he is going to say something.

“Okay so I believe we are all on chapter 5 of the novel.”

Shit I haven't even started reading.

“So I would like to know your thoughts so far on the book what do you guys think? You think his innocent or not?” Mr Bavis's eyes start to search the classroom in hope that someone will volunteer so I force my eyes to the wooden desk. Scribbles such as 2013 was lit and Yo' flex was here are carved into the desk.

“Ameria”, he calls out her name “what do you think so far?”

She clears her through but even that does not help at all. ”It's okay sir can't say whether or not the teacher is innocent we still at the beginning of things.” She says wistfully.

“What do you think of the students trying to prove his innocence?”
“I honestly think they should stay out of it”, she speaks loudly with firmness. “Let the cops handle it, it's better not to get involved getting involved could get messy. Being questioned like you did something wrong like you are the murderer is not fun”, anger surges out if her and I swear everyone else can feel it surging into them too.

Is that what detective Adams did? Question her like she's the murderer? What could he have asked her that pushed her to this point?

“I agree”, Mazin says even he has read the book and his the new kid. “I would mind my business.”

I wish I could mind my business I wish I wasn't involved with Ava's murder, but I was the last one with her. I was at the party and she's my best friend I can't just bail. Ava deserves justice so a huge part of me disagrees with Mazin and Ameria.

Even though I haven't started reading the book I can already see what's going on. From what I remember the teacher has been convicted of murder that he claims that he did not commit. And from what Ameria has said the students in the class are fighting to prove his innocence.

Well, I'm fighting for Ava's killer to be caught. I'm fighting for her justice.