Meet Me After Class

Chapter 6: Where's the Body?

"Alright, Ms. Greene, let me get this straight again. You dropped by to chat about the project?"

I nodded quickly as I sat uncomfortably on the stool in Mr. Scott's old-fashioned kitchen. "Yes."

Throbbing pain in my back had me shifting around for some kind of relief. Head still kinda light, muscles all achy, but I couldn't let him catch on.

I looked around every time I had the chance when he wasn't watching me. I still couldn't believe I made it inside Mr. Scott's house without biting the dust...yet. I may have dodged the bullet when I fell, but I knew he wouldn't let me leave the house alive.

Had to think fast. Needed a distraction. Had to find my way outta there.

He handed me a glass of water and a pain reliever. "Right...but you do know that this house has a front door, right?"

He was wearing a plain white shirt and dark wash jeans which kind of reminded me the first time we met. Maybe he knew he looked good in them, so he bought more than a couple of pairs.

Does his shirt really have to hug his chest like that? Did he just come out of shower? My mind wondered as his fresh after shower scent reached my nose.

No. I had to focus.

"Ms. Greene, are you alright?"

"Yes." But the moment I stretched my body, the pain had spread to my lower back. I must have fallen on to a pot or something.

"Are you sure you don't want me to take you a hospital and have you checked?" he asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

I wanted to laugh at him. He was sure playing me because there was no way he would take me to a hospital. I watched too many crime movies and read enough murder-mystery books. If there were a place he would take me to, that would have to be my grave.

"I'm sure. I'm okay, Mr. Scott," I assured him. "I've no bruises or even a scratch. Thanks to my jacket."

He nodded. "I can see that. Well, you're lucky. At least it wasn't a long fall or you could be hurt pretty bad."

He was right. I was lucky. But no too lucky because he still caught me. "It wasn't my first time."

Yes, that's right. When I wanted to avoid Audrey's teasing and climbed Adam's window to get to his room, I fell hard on my back. It was a pretty bad fall because my dad actually had to take me to the hospital. I climbed it twice on different occasions and I fell twice...unfortunately.

Mr. Scott chuckled softly and glanced at the pill that was still in my hand. He noticed. "Alright. Now, spill the beans, Ms. Greene. Why were you really trying to climb up to my room?"

Shit! That's his room? Of course, that's his room!

"I-I...d-didn't...I-I...ah..." I stammered. "I wasn't... um..." I got up.

This was it. I pushed down the fear and panic and silently cursed my rib for hurting so much, trying as much as I could to hide the pain. If it was my fate to only live a short life, there was really nothing I could do about it, but there was no way I wouldn't put up a fight.

I looked around Mr. Scott's kitchen, then freaked out when the only thing that was close to me was a fry pan resting on the stove.

Damn! But better that or nothing.

"Ms. Greene? What's going on with you?" Mr. Scott asked, looking completely perplexed with my sudden change of behavior.

With one swift move, I reached for the pan, again, not my weapon of choice, but I had to make it work though I had little chance of survival.

His eyes widened in shock. "What are you doing?"

"Where's the body?" I asked him loudly, clutching the pan with my shaking hands.

"What? What body? What are you talking about?"

"I heard you talking to someone at school today," I yelled at him, every inch of my body trembling.

He raised both his hands in the air and shook his head without advancing. "Ms. Greene...I have honestly no idea what are you talking about."

I switched my eyes to the small-space corridor and thought if I could make a run for it. I blinked as another pain in my back surged.

"Ms. Greene, tell me what's going on." Mr. Scott's voice was firm this time.

"I heard you talk to someone on the phone today about a dead body," I replied. "You're a murderer!"

In just a split second, the expression on his face changed. And before I could say anything more, his tight jaw relaxed and his lips curved into a smile that was soon followed by a loud laugh.

"Oh, god, Ms. Greene..." He shook his head and continued laughing like he couldn't get over a funny joke.

Did I say something funny other than that he's a murderer? Do I look like a joke to him? I might look crazy holding his fry pan, but who wouldn't be when you're about to die?

"What's so funny? Tell me!" I demanded.

He looked at me, grabbed my hand and yanked the pan away. He did it so quickly that I didn't have time put a fight or even react. "I'll show you."

I screamed and pulled my hand back. "Let me go! No! Help!"

But he held my wrist firmly enough that I could not pull away. "Ms. Greene," he paused. "I'm not going to hurt you," he whispered, touching my cheek with his other free hand. Looking down at me, his face was dangerously close to mine. "I didn't kill anyone."

Out of breath and left without a choice, or enough strength to fight him, I followed him out of the kitchen, his hand still holding my wrist. We walked outside his house and reached the back. He pointed at something on the ground that looked like a freshly dug soil.

"I just buried Daisy this afternoon," he said.

Daisy? But the grave was so small it couldn't fit an entire human body. Not even a leg.

"She was my neighbor's cat. She died..."

His voice trailed off as my heart hammered in my chest. I swallowed hard when I realized what I might have just done.

"... do you want something to drink, Ms. Greene?" I turned to Mr. Scott and felt the heat in my cheeks, mortified. "Tea? Coffee? Soda?"

At that very moment, what I really wanted was to dig my own grave next to Daisy's and die there of embarrassment. I couldn't believe it. I, once again, made a complete fool of myself. Adam was right. He's always right.

I'm an idiot.

I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. My mind was blank, and all I could think of doing was run away. Run as fast as I could and as far away as my feet could take me.

And that's what I just did.

"Ms. Greene, where are you going?" I heard Mr. Scott called out to me. But I didn't look back. Why should I?

And despite the pain, I managed to keep on going with utter shame and regret fueling my body and mind.

There was no way I was talking to him again.