The Broken Date

×8×: Part 1

Jack's POV:

I tossed the gauges onto the counter. “They're not really my taste,” I said coldly.

But my parents weren't listening to me. They were off on another silly, trivial argument. They did it all the time, about anything, about everything.

Their voices faded into the background as I escaped into my own thoughts. Should i tell them the real reason Mark had brought the gauges? Should I tell them about the threatening phone call? Should I tell them what really happened at the dance?

No. They'd only start arguing about it.

They'd turn it into their own argument, and I would lose control of the situation completely.

Control?

I smiled at myself. My life was entirely out of control. How could I even think of that word?

“Jack, how about some eggs this morning? Give you strength.”

“No, ma. I'm---” Then I gasped aloud as I saw the front-page headline on the newspaper section in my dad's hands:

MALL JEWELER KILLED IN HOLDUP

“I'll scramble 'em real dry for you. They won't run all over the plate. I promise.”

I thought I might scream. How could my ma be talking about eggs?

So the jeweler had really died. Mark had killed him.

Mark was a murderer.

I grabbed the paper from my dad's hands.

“Hey!” He cried, more surprised than angry. “What's the big deal? The Cloverhill score is in the sports section.”

I didn't hear him. The words in the news article came at me in a jumble. I had to read the first sentence four times before it began to make sense to me.

My eyes raced across the newspaper column. I couldn't concentrate enough to get the whole story. But I didn't need the whole story. The bits and pieces I was able to read were enough. . . .

“A young man with dark black hair was seen running through the parking lot. . . .

“The murder weapon was not found. . . .

“Police believe there were no witnesses to the crime. . . .”

Oh yes, there was, I thought.

There was one witness. Me.

Of all people.

“Jack, please, I wasn't finished with that section,” my dad insisted, reaching for the paper.

I slowly handed it back without looking at him.

“Since when are you so interested in news?” He asked suspiciously.

“Oh. Uh. . .well. . .” I was thinking fast. “I have a Current Event test tomorrow. I just wanted to be ready for it.”

For some reason, that ridiculous answer seemed to satisfy him. He shuffled through the paper, trying to find him place.

“Do you want two eggs or three?” My ma asked, opening the refrigerator door.

“Ma, really! I---”

A horn honked in the driveway.

My ma jumped at the sound. “Who can that be?”

“Oh, I almost forgot,” I said, running to the front window. “It's Felix. We're going swimming at the Y this morning.”