With a Vengeance

♤5

They sat silently in the back of the auditorium, listening as the principal spoke about Wiley and Vanessa and how much they'd be missed.

"I doubt anyone would ever miss the ice queen and satan..." Carson whispered. Allison glanced at him and hugged her knees to her chest.

"They died, Cars. You shouldn't joke about them..." she said.

"I'm not joking... they were both awful. They hurt you countless times, why would you ever defend them?"

"Because, they're still people. Things happen in people's lives that they don't know how to handle, so they take it out on others. Wiley's dad an adulterous jack ass and compulsive liar. His parents never gave him the time of day. Vanessa grew up l8ving with her uncle who's only three years older and her senile grandmother..."

"Bad people deserve bad things..." Allison turned and looked at him, seeing a darkness in his eyes.

"What'd we miss?" Jonathan asked, sneaking into the bleachers with Kyle and Jillian.

"Nothing... nothing much," Allison whispered as he squeezed his way inbetween her and Carson and the other two sat behind them. He just glared at Jonathan in response. "She's retiring their jerseys..."

"Damn," Kyle said softly. "I really wanted Wiley's number."

"Come on, Ky. A little respect. If Wiley looked even half as bad as Vanessa did then not even he deserved what happened."

"He did," Allison said softly. "It was terrible..."

"Can you please try to be quiet?" Sharron snapped. The younger blonde girl was sitting only a few rows ahead of them. "My sister is dead..." They all went quiet, waiting for the end of the assembly.

"In honor of our losses, we will go ahead with the winter formal," Principal Crowder spoke as the student body president stood behind her. "Jasmine, would you like to say anything?" The young girl stood up with a look of important plastered onto her heavily made up face. She tucked a strand of her short brown hair behind her ear and cleared her throat.

"Thank you, Ms. Crowder. In honor of our dear friends, Wiley and Vanessa, we are going to make this dance the best one Sugar Valley High School has ever seen. I know that it's exactly what they would have wanted..."

"I'm not sure it's what anyone would have wanted," Kyle whispered.

"Allison. Isn't that your father?" Jillian asked softly. Alli glanced at her before looking over at the main entrance, seeing her father standing there with a deputy.

"Oh no," she whispered.

"Benny? What is it?" Carson asked. The principal ran over and joined her father at the door, speaking with him silently. They all turned and looked at her before nodding in agreement. Allison grabbed her backpack and hugged it to her chest, freezing when she watched Calvin walk in with another man, both were wearing bulletproof vests that said FBI across the chest.

"They called the FBI?" Jonathan asked.

"That's him," Allison whispered. "My step father." Calvin looked up at her, making eye contact before he sighed softly. He said something to her dad before disappearing.

"I wonder who they're here for. Do you think they solved it?" Kyle asked.

"No," Jillian said. "There's probably someone else." They turned and looked at her, and Allison saw Calvin appear in the doorway at the top of the bleachers.

"They're here for me," she whispered. "They're here for me..." she stood up and put her bag over her shoulder, marching up the steps as quietly as she could. Every eye was on her. No one listened as Jasmine spoke anymore. They were all whispering about Allison Bennett.

"What's this about?" She asked bluntly as she followed Calvin down the empty school hall.

"I shouldn't say without the others..."

"Great. That's the perfect way to get me to trust you..." He sighed softly and shook his head.

"Someone else is missing."

"Who?" She asked, stopping in place.

"Tommy," Carter said, walking up to them. "Tommy's missing..."

"Oh... well why do you need me?"

"Because, sweetie. You were the last person who saw him. After he drove you home Tuesday, he never came back to the station. We thought he just went home, but his mom and his girlfriend both called in. They haven't seen him since that morning."

"Is he dead?" She asked softly.  Carter sighed and looked down.

"I really hope not... Alli, do you remember anything from that night? Anything weird? What happened when he drove you home?"

"I-I don't know. Nothing weird... we got in the car and he just... drove me home. We talked a little I guess, but I... I don't remember..."

"Don't remember what?" Carter asked softly.

"We were in the car, and then I was home... I don't know. I was tired."

"Okay... alright, sweetie."

"Please tell me he isn't dead. You have to find him..."

"We're going to try, okay?" The last bell of the school day rang loudly and he sighed. "Morgan will drive you home-"

"I can do it," Calvin said quietly. "I need to talk to Joslin anyways."

"Actually, I was going with my friends. We have to study for the end of term."

"Which friends? Not Kyle?" Her dad asked She rolled her eyes as her friends showed up in the halls.

"Don't worry, I'll call you before I leave and when I get home..." she said, ignoring her dad's comment as she walked over to her friends.

"Let me just remind some of you that I own a gun," he said, glaring at Kyle.

"Don't worry sheriff. It's not me you have to worry about anymore," he said, putting his hands up in his defense. Allison just rolled her eyes and continued walking. "Your dad knows we aren't dating anymore, right?" He asked quietly as they walked out into the parking lot.

"Trust me," she replied. "He knows."

"Do you?" Carson muttered under his breath.

"What?" Kyle asked, putting his arm around the boy.

"Nothing. I didn't say anything."

"Whatever you say, Carssy," he said, ruffling the younger boy's hair.

"What'd you tell your dad?" Jonathan asked.

"I told him we were going to study," she laughed.

"Oh good. You lied right to his face..."
"We're not going to do anything dangerous. I just don't want to be locked up in my house. Especially not with my mom..."

"Your mum is in town?" Jillian asked, breathing heavily as she attempted to keep up with the others. "That's terrible!"

"I know," Allison whispered. "Anyways, it's probably fine... let's just go out and have a good time, yeah?" They all just nodded in agreement. "Good, let's go."