Something clicked

Chapter 9

"I don't understand..." the young girl stuttered out. 

"It's ok Annie, everyone is in shock and confusion, there's many people you can talk to," I spoke slowly, trying to sound reassuring. She just looked at me with a look of fright. 

"No! I mean.. It's ok, I don't need to talk to anyone," she smiled briefly, and then looked out the window which was to the left of us. 

We were in the school library. Quiet and vacant, it was the best place to not catch attention, and cause rumours. 

"We'd just like to ask you a few questions Annie, seeing as you knew Cassie so well, we'd thought you could just give us a briefing on her," Terrance smiled at her, encouragingly. He was good with the teens, mostly because he was nearest to their age, meaning he was the one who could get the closest to them opening up. 

Annie sat in the chair opposite us, looking dazed. 

"Is that ok Annie?" she looked up at us. 

"Yes, that's fine," she looked back down at the floor. 

"So how long were you and Cassie friends for?" I started. 

"Since she got here, but probably about two weeks before now, then she drifted away, kept to herself really," out of the corner of my eye I saw her looking at me taking down notes. 

"Do you know why that may of been? Did she ever speak to you about any.. problems she was having?" Terrance asked. 

"There was the occasional things, but just girls things, like boys, home," she listed, whilst her eyes kept looking about her. 

"Do you mind telling us what she spoke to you about?" Terrance encouraged.

"Uh.. well," she looked down at the floor, "Normal things, like how her and her mum weren't getting on, or how her dad and mum kept arguing, small things like that." 

"And about boys..?" 

"I can't remember specifics, but there was just the normal girl stuff." 

It irritated me how, people would say 'normal' and expect us to know. But that only arises the situation that's there's something we don't know. Something that their trying to hide, but making it more obvious. 

"So before she 'kept to her self' were you and Cassie close?" 

"Something like that," she looked at Terrance, but I realized she was actually looking past him, through the book shelve behind us. When she noticed I tried to see what she was looking at, she tore her eyes away with hast. 

"How did Cassie behave in lessons?" 

"The same as everyone else." 

"Did she fall out with anyone?" her eye twitched slightly, as her mouth curved slightly, but then quickly dropped. 

"Not that I know of." 

"Any relationships?" 

"Not that she shared with me." 

The girl had closed up, like all the others, she didn't want to share, she wasn't going to be the one to tell. 

I looked at Terrance, who looked at me in return, I then turned to look at Annie whose face was slightly pale, and her eyes were watering ever so slightly. 

"Thankyou Annie, this has been.. helpful, and remember if you ever need to talk to anyone, there's many people you can talk to, including us."

Me and Terrance stood up from our seats and walked away, not hearing Annie utter a single word of goodbye.