I had always noticed how everyone's lives were so different from one another, no matter how many similarities they shared. No matter what, everyone's lives were different, even if they went to the same school or were on the same team.
At school, there were the people who walked with their heads low, trying their hardest to get to class without a single collision. Then there were the people who walked with their heads high, feeling like they owned the school.
While my head was held high, I did notice everyone else. That was one thing about me not too many people knew, even though it was a simple trait. I was observant. I watched people all the time.
I was also too trusting, which most said was a flaw I needed to work on. I completely agreed with them, but I was never able to change my overly—trusting self. I sometimes trusted others whom I was working on a group project with, only to end up doing all the work. I sometimes trusted my friends when they said we would hang out over the weekend, only to have two out of three of them cancel. The same two every single time.
Or sometimes, I ended up trusting a complete stranger who was arrested for murdering his family when he told me that it wasn't him.
In a town like Skalkwood where there was only two of everything, news travelled around fast, especially if I was at a cheerleader practice I was the captain of and one of my friends was always on her phone during a break.
It wasn't long until everyone heard about eighteen—year—old River Gillespie shooting and killing his family; both his parents and his little brother about the age of four. It also wasn't long before my friend, Peggy Collier started telling us about all the rumours she heard about this River Gillespie. According to Peggy, he was kicked out of high school during his senior year for beating up someone so badly he had to be sent to the hospital.
I didn't believe it. I had heard that rumour myself, but that didn't mean it was true. Even though I was too trusting, I chose not to believe rumours unless I saw it for myself. Rumours always hurt people and if I didn't want to be on the bad side of one, I shouldn't believe any rumour.
When the cheerleader practice was over, Peggy and my two other friends, Ronnie Montgomery and Colette Lindsey, walked over to me. "I can't believe someone could be so cold as to shoot and kill their own family," Peggy said. "Especially a little boy."
"We don't know the whole story," I said.
Peggy snorted. "Uh, yeah we do. He shot and killed his family. Keep up, Arden."
"Yeah, but...." I began, but she didn't let me finish.
"But what?" Peggy asked. "You, my friend, need to stop looking on the bright side of things. This is a world we're living in where people are cruel enough to do such a thing."
"I just hope he gets put away for the rest of his life," Colette said.
"I agree completely," Peggy said. "I should be leaving now. If I'm not home right away after practice, my mom starts freaking out."
We all went to the parking lot at the front of the school and once they all left in their own cars, I remembered something. My dad drove me here this morning before he went to the police station because he took my car keys away. Note to self: Start paying parking tickets.
I always had enough money to pay parking tickets. I just didn't bother doing it. Maybe I should park properly so I wouldn't have this problem.
I reached into the side pocket of my backpack and grab my cell phone before calling my dad. "I hope this is really important, Arden," Dad said as soon as he answered the phone. "I'm driving to the police station as of right now."
"Any chance you can pick me up from school on the way?" I asked. "You know, since you took my car keys away."
Dad sighed. "Sorry, Arden, but Officer Livingston is currently in the passenger seat."
"Then put me in the back," I said.
"No way," Dad said. "We're taking someone to the police station right now and there is no way I'm putting my daughter in the backseat with a criminal." I wondered if it was River who was in the backseat as of right now.
"Is he handcuffed?" I asked.
"Obviously," Dad said.
"And are there any weapons in the backseat?" I asked.
"Why would there be weapons in the backseat?" Dad asked.
"Exactly my point," I said. "Dad, please? I don't want to wait here any longer and Mom is still out of town and all my friends already left. I wouldn't have had to wait if someone didn't take my car away."
Dad released a long, deep breath. "Okay, fine. I'll come pick you up."
"Thank you," I said. "You're the best."
After we hung up, I waited for my dad to show up. Once the police car pulled into the parking lot, I went to the other side of the backseat that wasn't occupied. Sitting in the backseat didn't feel weird at all because it has happened before with my dad picking me up because I didn't have my car, but it was the first time sitting in the back with a criminal.
I sneaked a glance of the person in the backseat. I was fairly certain that it was River since he didn't look like he was any older than twenty. That wasn't the only thing I noticed about him. A few tears were staining the corner of his eyes and he was staring at his handcuffed hands.
I silently sighed, opening my backpack and pulling out my English homework. I should at least start my homework because I knew I wasn't going to want to start it as soon as I got home. Too trusting, procrastinating; one of my two many talents.
However, I was a bit distracted. Something seemed a bit off about River, and I kept sneaking glances at him. At one point, I saw him looking at me and I didn't look away. He looked at my notebook, then back at me. I furrowed my eyebrows and he nonchalantly gestured his head to my notebook.
What was he trying to say?
He did it again, so I pointed to my notebook and mouthed, "This?" He nodded, then with his hands, made a gesturing of writing.
I knew what he wanted now, and even though he was just arrested, I put my notebook and pencil on the seat between us, quietly pushing it towards him. Yet another example of my overly—trusting self.
I then leaned forward so I could talk to my dad and more importantly, block both his and Officer Livingston's view of River. "So, Dad," I said. "You wouldn't have had to pick me up if you didn't take my car away."
"We're not having this discussion again, Arden," Dad said. "You weren't paying your parking tickets."
"But I did now," I said. "So can I please have my car back? I don't want to make you late for work because you have to drive me to school."
Dad sighed. "Arden, we'll talk later."
"Please, Dad?" I said. "I promise I will pay my parking tickets next time. No, scratch that. I promise that I won't get any more parking tickets."
"Fine," Dad said. "When I get home from work, I'll give you your car keys, but you better not get a single parking ticket, or it will be taken away for two weeks."
"Deal," I said, sitting back down and hoping that River finished whatever it was he needed with my notebook.
It was on the seat between us, closer to my side, so I picked it up and my pencil, and saw that River wrote a message on a piece of paper. I furrowed my eyebrows, looking at him and noticing his hopeful look. I looked back at the message.
It wasn't me.
Dad pulled into the driveway of the house. I quickly packed up all my stuff and got out of the car, thanking him for the ride. I hurried up the front steps, not even looking back. When I got to the door, I dug through my bag and grabbed my keys. I unlocked the door and walked in.
I closed the door behind me with a long sigh and rested the back of my head against it. I took a few deep breaths before looking at the piece of paper again. Those three words were running repeatedly through my mind. It wasn't me. It wasn't me. It wasn't me.
River was saying he didn't kill his family but if he didn't, then why was he arrested?
I pulled out my cell phone and looked at one of the news articles about the murder. Cops were called immediately once three gunshots were heard and it didn't take them long to get there. River was the only one inside and he was by his little brother's body.
I locked my phone screen and thought about it even more. If it wasn't River, then why was he the only one who wasn't shot in his home? Did he come home and find them, or was he already home when it happened? Or did he actually do it?
After thinking about it for a while, something popped up in my mind. River wouldn't have told me, a random person, that it wasn't him if it truly was when he was already arrested. There would have been no point in that.
Not only that, but when I got into the car, River had tears in his eyes. If he did it, why would he be crying over it?
I didn't know the full story or who would have done it, but I ended up believing River. There was one thing I knew about this whole situation:
I was going to have to pay River a visit tomorrow.
I was about to call Peggy to see if she wanted to help me out, but then I decided against it. She would only tell me to stop trusting people all the time and she would most likely bring up those rumours about River.
I wanted someone to come with me, but there wasn't anyone I could ask as of right now. Mom was out of town, Dad was the police officer who arrested River, Colette would only go if Peggy went, and Ronnie... Well, Ronnie would most likely be studying.
As much as I wanted someone to come with me, I decided tomorrow, I would go alone.
I went upstairs to my bedroom with my backpack and notebooks. I placed my notebooks on my desk and my bag beside it before sitting down on my bed. I couldn't believe I was actually going to visit River tomorrow. I was trusting a complete stranger when he told me he didn't murder his family.
I really had to work on my trusting problem.
