Red Herring ✔️

12. In the Middle

"Blood and fangs and capes, oh my! This Friday's theme for the football game is vampires! Come nightfall, we expect to see you all out at the field in your capes and flesh eating, blood sucking garb!"

Ha-ha, good one, Mindy. Except vampires don't eat their prey. Mindy's voice was particularly aggravating that morning before she had the chance to cool off from her pointless conversation with Christian.

Refraining from rolling her eyes, Mazie marched off to her locker, fighting the irritation that bit at the back of her neck. That irritation was named Christian Slater who was a terrible grinch in the morning.

"As a reminder, Principal Andrews has once again stated that partaking in any class pranks will receive serious reprimanding." Mindy's voice was like nails on a chalkboard which only worsened her sour mood. "Pranking does include smashing pumpkins or destroying private property on school grounds."

Yanking her locker open, Mazie stuffed her backpack inside. In her haste, she dropped two notebooks which she retrieved. As much as she loved Amelia, she wasn't in the mood to chit chat this morning because her mind was preoccupied. That's why she hurried through her school morning ritual at her locker to race off to her class before the bell rang, ending social hour.

"Miss Harmon has scheduled a blood drive for the end of the month." A blood drive, how ironic. "You can sign up to donate blood in her classroom. If you have friends or relatives interested in donating, they can call the office for further information."

"Hey, Maze. I like your vest!" Amanda, a junior, called out as she walked by.

Mazie managed a weak smile. "Thanks!" She said overly cheerful. It was painfully fake.

Slamming the locker shut, Mazie came face to face with Amelia. She gasped, frightened. "Amelia."

Amelia wiggled her manicured eyebrows. "Mazie. Did I scare you?"

She awkwardly resituated her vest. "No, I was just thinking about something."

Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, Amelia looked her up and down. "Care to enlighten me?" She asked, like she didn't believe her.

Mazie pressed her tongue to the back of her teeth, conjuring up a lie. "Something's up with the Range. Rob took it to the dealership today for me."

"You just got it. What the heck?"

If only Mazie could be truthful about what really transpired and what actually enraged her other than Christian Slater. But she didn't know how to sum up a strange note, a drug addict and her weird boyfriend, meetings in the woods, writing on her car, and a missing mother. Just the thought of stringing that all together made her head ache. "Yeah, I have no idea."

"How'd you get here?" She inquired quizzically.

Dangerously, she thought. The question was innocent enough, but Mazie knew she couldn't slide a fast one by Amelia. She was too curious and intuitive. "Christian gave me a ride."

"How convenient." Amelia looked as her as if she could read her thoughts. "Seems you two have been seeing an awful lot of each other."

"We're neighbors," she explained, desperately wishing someone would interpret their conversation immediately.

"That's all for today, children of the corn! Have a fang-tastic day!" Mindy signed off for her morning announcements with the ritualistic witchy laugh. Mazie didn't doubt that Mindy would use the witch's crow as her sign off until Halloween passed.

In her vest pocket, her phone buzzed with a text message which was a good reminder to silence her phone for the day.

Fe - going shopping. Have coupons. Bra size?