Hanging With the Senior Boys

X

My heart flew south for the winter.

Before it came.

"What?" I bumbled about, saying as clearly as I could manage.

"Your boyfriend is a suspect in your sister's murder," Dad said.

"That can't be," I said, "he doesn't even know her."

"Actually, in Alice's room, she has pictures of him and her, together."

"What?"

"Lexi, I know what you're feeling, but it's the truth," Mom said, "they're gonna start investigating tomorrow."

"They can't, he's done nothing, they have the wrong guy!"

"How can you stick up against pictures Alexis? Listen to yourself," Dad said.

"I don't believe it," I said, "and you can't force me to!"

I stormed into my room, knocking down countless numbers of things on my dresser in the process before slamming the door.

"Don't you dare call him, or talk to him again!" Dad screamed.

Could he have done it? What if he's just been using me to cover his own tracks? What if he was gonna kill me?

My jumbled thoughts rendered me unable to focus on reality, drawing me deeper into their entangled weavings. I had to call him.

"Levi," I said, trying to hide any inch of emotion other than normal, "I forgot to ask you something."

"What?" He said.

"Did I give you the address to the party?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Oh, well, that's good."

"Yeah."

We sat in silence for a bit before he broke it, "Lexi are you okay? You sound a little weird."

I couldn't hold on to it forever, "No, I'm not."

"What's wrong?"

The soft sobs emerged in my chest, "D-d-id you k-k-ill my sister?"

"What! No! Why would you say that?"

"We found the pictures Levi! You knew her!"

He said nothing, so I assumed the worse, my sobs turning into tears through my words, "You did!"

"No, no, no. I didn't."

His voice was calm, low, guilty. It resonated through the speaker, "I didn't kill her, but I did know her."

"Why didn't you tell me!"

"I was going to trust me. I just didn't say anything because I knew that once I was brought up I would become a suspect. Guess it happens anyway."

"What happened then?"

"That part I don't know. I wasn't with them the night that she disappeared."

"Who is them?"

"Different people. She hung out with a lot of them, so I couldn't tell you their names. Most I didn't know."

"Well do you have some type of idea. I doubt the police will let you off the hook with such little evidence for your defense."

"The Russian knows. She just doesn't speak good English."

"She already was interrogated, she said a blonde hair boy."

"You know how many blonde hair boys their are in the world? She knows who is the right one, she's probably just covering up for him."

"Do you know where I can find her?"