The Key Chased the Blade

I didn't tell Simon what I texted Alex back.

On Monday, the roads weren't icy, so we had class and we met up with the twins in the commons after school was over. They told us they were going to split up and check out the clubs. We told them we were going to wait here and pretend to do homework. Actually, Simon really was going to do his homework. I was going to sit around.

So we waited.

I laid down on the bench and Simon started on his history. After a while of staring at the ceiling, it occurred to me that we had all missed something. I sat up. "Simon, do you think Bryce could be a suspect for this too?"

"Hm?" Simon looked over. His attention was on me now. "Oh wow. Why didn't I even think of that?"

That sent him in a flurry of books and notebooks. He dumped his backpack's contents onto the ground and got out his sketchpad. Then he flung it open and scrawled stuff down. I said, "I mean, just think about it. He could've been trying to get revenge or something and maybe frame John. He'd take his prank and replicate it into all this stuff because he was mad. And maybe he snapped and killed Sadie because she was in the way."

"Good. Yeah. I see what you're saying." Simon's eyes were glued to his sketchpad. He wrote furiously. "That makes a ton more sense. Let's do some Facebook stalking on him."

Something caught my eye. "Wait," I hissed. "Speak of the devil."

With a loud clang Bryce opened his locker. He was a few doors down the hallway and taking out a bag from inside. He was a kid with super dark hair, but piercing blue eyes, and he was kind of short. Judging from the way he was dressed, he was probably going to some sort of sport practice. He didn't look like he was going to go murder someone.

"What do we do?" I panicked.

"Stay calm and just act normal. He's just a suspect. It doesn't mean he killed anyone."

"God."

"Pretend to help me out."

"That's not believable at all! Me help you out?"

"Just do it!"

He tapped his history homework and I just scooted over and pretended to help him out. My heart was pounding in my ears. Bryce just closed his locker, slung his bag over his shoulder, and walked past us.

My heart slowed.

But then something happened. I heard a loud shuffle and some swearing I snapped my head up as Alex, rounding the corner, bumped smack into Bryce. Bryce swore again and shoved him off of him. Alex swiftly apologized. "I didn't see you there, sorry," he said.

"What the hell, man!?" But Bryce just stalked off. Alex frowned and continued down the hall toward us. Simon muttered, "Well, Bryce certainly is aggressive."

"Fits that part of our profile," I added, and then Alex approached us.

"Did you find anything?" Simon asked him.

"I made a list of the people in the Writer's Club," he said. "You want to write them down while we wait for Tyler?"

"Definitely." Alex rattled them off and Simon scrawled them all down. Afterwards, he filled in Alex about our revelation. "That makes sense," the twin said, "I'll look into it." But then he turned his head to me. "Hey, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure," I said.

I knew what was going to happen. Simon gave me a wry grin because he knew too even though I hadn't spoken a word of this. At this moment this murder business was not important at all. I just followed Alex to another hallway.

"So um, where should I pick you up?" he asked.

My face flushed with emotion, but something strange happened though. Alex shifted his posture and looked almost shy; like an entirely different person. Jesus, this was definitely not that cocky guy I nearly assaulted in the parking lot. "I don't know where you live," he added and blushed.

It felt like my entire face was on fire. "Well, I live on Cedar Court normally, but right now I've been staying with Simon. He lives on Manchester. It's right by the park next to the school." I gave him his house number.

Alex pulled out his phone and made a note. "Why? Have things been all right?"

"No, not really." I didn't want to tell him.

I didn't know how, but Alex must have had some sort of psychic vision about me being uncomfortable and dropped the subject. "Okay," he said. "I'll pick you up around seven, unless you want to see a movie on a different time. Are you good with that?"

"Yeah, I am." I really wasn't; everything in me screamed that going on dates was terrible, but for some reason my mouth kept on going. "I'm pretty excited."

Jesus Christ that was the worst thing I could have ever said in my entire life. But Alex just gave me an uncharacteristically timid smile. "Me too," he said, and we walked back over to where Simon was sitting.

Simon only gave me a knowing grin.