“Has she said anything about that?”
“No. It’s really weird. The whole thing gives me a bad feeling.”
The two went quiet after that, though the lunch room was anything but. The extra students were making it incredibly loud, so loud, that Jimmy and Tina had to shout to each other, though the two didn’t even realize it.
“Is the library even open till five thirty?” Jimmy asked after a while.
“I assumed it would be,” Tina said. “Why wouldn’t it?”
“Budget cuts. The state has missed most of its payments this year so the school has been cutting several things, the library staff being one of them.”
Tina was about to ask where he had learned this, but then remembered that Jimmy had an economy class, and figured the teacher had told them all about it.
“I think it now closes as four fifteen or something like that,” Jimmy added.
“Great, what am I gonna do after that?”
“I don’t know. Your mother should just let you go home. Nothing’s going to happen to you.”
“That’s what I said. I told her I walked home with you and Alan, but she doesn’t care. It’s crazy.”
“Maybe I should come meet her so she’ll be comfortable with me,” Jimmy said. “Adults always seem to like me for some reason.”
“My mother’s different,” Tina said. “You could be the greatest guy in the world and I still don’t think she would like you.”
“Wait, I’m not the greatest guy in the world?”
Tina laughed.
Brett couldn’t help but think about the videos he had found while sitting in the waiting area of the Dean’s Office, and the fact that Jimmy got off on them. He had always known Jimmy was fucked up, but never knew exactly what it was that was wrong with him. Now he did. Even better, the school would know soon as well because during the school prom he was going to show everyone what a pervert Jimmy was. It was going to be great.
The inner door to the Dean’s Office opened and Mr. Williamson stepped out for a moment, looked around, saw Brett and said, “Mr. Murphy, if you would be so kind as to step inside.”
Thoughts of Jimmy disappeared as Brett left his seat and followed Mr. Williamson into his office, the words they won’t do anything to us echoing through his head. He had spoken them while sitting in Matt’s basement after the school had called Matt’s house, the Caller Id alerting them to the source of the call. Matt, of course, had freaked out and wanted to go right back to school, but Brett told him to quit being such a chicken shit and stay. In the end they had gone back, mostly because Matt decided to go with or without him, and Brett couldn’t stay there by himself. He also didn’t want to go home because his brother would give him shit, so he headed back, the four hours of class time that remained looming before him like a mountain he didn’t even want to start climbing. Thankfully the dean had decided to see him which cut out a huge chunk of his science class — during a lab no less which was even better. The detention afterward wouldn’t be that bad either. He had nothing else to really do.
“Not today,” Jimmy said. “Her mother is making her stay after because she’s scared she’ll be kidnapped like Samantha King and Megan Reed.”
“While walking with us?” Alan asked. “What, does she think we’re the kidnappers or something?”
Jimmy let out a weak laugh at that. “Maybe, who knows? I guess I can understand her concern. The thing is Tina doesn’t think her mother is really concerned for her safety and is just using this as a way of imposing her will on her, you know, because she doesn’t really like Tina or how defiant Tina is to her.”
“God, it makes you realize how lucky we are that Mom and Dad get along and never got a divorce,” Alan said.
“Yeah.”
“I mean, look how screwed up that situation is.”
“I think it’s not just her parents having been divorced, though,” Jimmy said. “There’s more to it. She hasn’t really told me much, but I get the feeling her mother isn’t really all that stable. I guess she just left the family right after Tina was born too to live with her own mother, which is just weird.”
“Still, we’re pretty lucky.”
“Yeah.” He paused. “Hey! Where’s my Coke?”
“What?”
“You said you’d buy me a Coke today since you drank most of mine yesterday. Where is it?”
“Sorry, I forgot,” Alan said. “You want to go back?”
“No,” Jimmy said. They were already halfway across the parking lot, one which looked as if it had been rained on at some point during the day, not that it had cleared out the horrible humidity that had descended upon the town. “That’s okay.”
“I’ll grab you one tomorrow, I promise.”
“Ha, I get to go home early tomorrow because I’m a senior.”
“Shit. Monday then.”
“Deal.” A second later Jimmy added, “But if you forget Samantha and Megan won’t be the only teens disappearing from around here.”
“Ooooo, look how scared I am,” Alan taunted. “I’m shaking.”
The two stepped from the parking lot onto the sidewalk. Up ahead was the garbage can Jimmy had dumped the tapes into this morning. Given the rain they were probably ruined, not that he would have grabbed them anyway, especially while walking with Alan.
A sense of loss and disappointment still filtered through him while nearing the can, one which forced him to glance inside while walking by.
He stopped.
The tapes were gone!
Other stuff was still in the can, however, which meant it hadn’t been dumped.
Who would have taken them?
What if it was the police? What if they can track who the tapes belonged too?
Jimmy had no idea if something like that was possible, but didn’t doubt it in this day an age.
“Jimmy, what’s wrong?” Alan asked.
Jimmy looked away from the can. His brother was several steps ahead of him.
“You look like you’re about to throw up?”
“No,” Jimmy said. “I think. No.” He waved a hand. “I thought I forgot my history book, but it’s already at home.” Once the lie started he went with it. “Yeah, it is certainly at home because I was working on note cards yesterday for my presentation next week.”
“Okay,” Alan said. Something about his tone told Jimmy that his brother wasn’t convinced.
The two started walking again.
“I’m sorry, but the library is going to be closing in a moment,” a middle aged woman who looked every bit the part of a high school librarian said. Most students disliked the lady and thought she was a bitch, but Tina had never had any problems with her and always tried to be nice.
“Oh, okay. Um. Do you know where I could wait until five thirty?” Tina asked while sticking a bookmark in the novel she had brought with her. “My Mother doesn’t want me walking home because of the missing girls, so I’m waiting for her to pick me up.”
“Oh dear,” the librarian said, hands folded against her chest. “Such a tragedy. Those poor girls.” She paused a moment. “It is good your mother is concerned. Most don’t seem to care what their children do these days. So many young girls just tossed into the world without care or concern.”
Tina waited, but then, when the woman didn’t continue, she asked again about a place where she could wait.
“I suggest you go ask in the office because I really don’t know where you could go. All the after school activities are finished for the year.”
“That’s what I was afraid of,” Tina said while grabbing her things. “I’ll just head down to the office.”