"Please . . . don't cry. You had to have known I'd do this at some point."
***
Parker Sims is the class clown but that doesn't mean he's easy to fool. And that's just what Nola B. is good at - fooling people. She's got the whole school believing th...
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***
Chapter Fifty-One:
BANG,
BANG,
BANG.
Parker groaned at the sound, wishing it would stop. As it continued, he became more and more aware that it was not going to stop. He opened his eyes, gradually, surprised by the light that filled his room.
With a jolt, Parker sat up straight in his bed as soon as he realized that it was daytime and he was still at home. Suddenly, Parker remembered that after his shower he had gotten dressed and was about to pack a bag when he saw his bed and figured a small nap would not hurt.
Parker realized, now, that he had overslept.
BANG.
BANG.
Looking over at his clock, Parker saw that it was eight in the morning. Groaning, he noted that the banging was coming from his front door.
BANG.
Parker got out of his bed and raced to the door. "I'm coming, Jeez hold your britches!"
When he opened his front door he was faced with a frantic looking Mr. Harper.
"Parker, you gotta tell me more," Douglas said with desperation laced in his voice as he ran a hand through his short hair in frustration.
Parker raised an eyebrow, confused by what was going on with Mr. Harper. "I'm sorry? What do you mean, I gotta tell you more?"
Douglas pushed past Parker and walked into the apartment. "When Nola called you that day, what exactly did she say? ... When you arrived at the school, what exactly did you see when you found her passed out in the bathroom? ... In the weeks or days following was there anything strange?" Mr. Harper spat out his questions rapidly as he paced back and forth in the living room.
Parker closed the front door, figuring Douglas would be there for a minute. "Why are you asking me all of these questions, again? We have talked about all of this, several times."
"I need to know if you remember something - something you haven't said or might have forgotten."
There was something going on that Parker did not know about, but could tell due to Mr. Harper's attitude. "What's happened? Why are you asking me all this, again?"
Mr. Harper stopped pacing and gave Parker a grim look. "They have moved Mitch's trail up to Monday."
Parker felt the blood drain from his face at what Douglas had just said. "Monday? How can they? Nola is supposed to testify."
"In lies another problem, they are keeping her accounts of abuse as evidence against Nola, but she has been noted as unreliable witness. All her accounts of abuse and her confessions of Mitch are too be taken lightly."
