PSYCHO LOVE-JACOB BARBER

II.back to everything

2014, April
one year later

Logiudice: What's your name?
-Love Lisbon

Logiudice: What's your age?

-sixteen.

Logiudice: Who do you currently live with?

-Andy Barber.

2013

year of the crime

"Are you sure you got all the books? I don't want you getting complaints again, that could leave you with not very good grades at school Love." My mother, Lori, liked organization. For her, who was a psychologist, good organization resulted in a good environment.

"Yes mom, I told you so" I made a tired face, like I'd repeated the same thing several times. As an act of farewell, I received a hug and a kiss on the forehead, an act that has been repeated since primary school.

Not far from there, there was Jacob Barber, my best friend and the person who accompanied me on the way to school. Derek used to accompany us when we were younger, until he moved to more distant streets.

ring, ring, ring

After three knocks on the door I was greeted by Laurie Barber, and a little smile from Andy who was reading the paper. "Hi, Love! How are you? And Lori? I haven't see you there  for a few days." As she spoke, she gave me a warm smile and a hug that felt like I hadn't seen her in ages, if not longer.

"Hi mrs. Barber, my mom's been busy, you know. Jake called me to play or even watch a movie, but I had to do some things at home, speaking of him, I came here for Jake, so we could go to school."

Laurie made a confused face. "He told me he'd sent you a message, he left earlier. He said he had some work to do and needed to get ahead". I was surprised when he said that, there were no activities this week.

"He hadn't told me, he must have forgotten. If my mother finds out I'm late again, she won't like that very much." This last sentence was accompanied by a chuckle from both of us. I gave her one last hug and walked off. Just as I was about to reach the corner, I heard a shout.

"And please, Love, don't call me Mrs. Barber, you've known me a long time. Long enough to call me Laurie." I didn't say it in an apprehensive tone, but in an amused one.

"Deal Laurie" I shrugged and smiled. I continued on my way until I reached Newton Elementary School.

                          THE REAL BEGGINNING

•first class, science

"Be careful with taking that out, don't want to take a mess". The science teacher, was instructing the class on how to handle that terrible toad. Don't judge me, but I prefer frogs far away from me, I'm not very familiar with this hopping animal.

"That's what she said"Jacob whispered, and made our whole table laugh. He was always one to make jokes like that, I loved it when he did it, it showed the fun Jacob had inside him. But I don't think the teacher found it that funny.

"Something funny over there?"The professor came over to our table and asked with that serious, wrinkled look he always had. The laughter, sparked by Jacob, ceased and heads hung low. "That's what I thought."

The emergency alarm began to sound throughout the school, and we all knew it well. We used it for training, in case the school ever needed it, but at that moment I didn't think it was really training.

"Everyone against the wall, come on" As soon as the teacher ordered, the whole class stood against the wall. I stood next to Jake and gave a startled glance at Derek, who gave me a slight smile and looked away again.

I was so nervous that I started biting my nails. At that moment I was thinking about all sorts of things, but especially school massacres. Jake, noticing my nervousness, grabbed my mother and gave her a little squeeze to comfort me, I lay on his shoulder while he tried to talk to Andy.

"Dad?" Jacob said into the phone, "The School is in lockdown, do you know anything?" And as I expected no answer about what happened, Andy didn't know or just didn't want to worry us about what was going on outside. "My dad didn't say much, but we're safe." That reassured me a little more, but not that much, but feeling Jake's hand on mine gave me a little comfort, since we were kids.

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Jake walked me home, on the way we tried to find out what had happened, but we ended up forgetting the subject and concentrated on listening to our music and talking about "teenage nonsense".

"Bye Jake, thanks for worrying and bringing me home". I said a little embarrassed, it's not the same when you grow up. "No need to thank me, I just want you to be - I didn't even let him finish and as a farewell I gave him a little kiss on the cheek, then left in a hurry and certainly with my cheeks looking like two tomatoes as I heard him giggle, according to him my red cheeks were funny.

I arrived at that house halfway down the street, near the Barber house. My house and my mother's, it had only been my house lately, after my father my mother was more occupied with her work and going on frustrating dates. I put on my headphones and a
I lit a cigarette and started with my usual chores, which were things like sweeping the house, taking out the garbage and preparing something for dinner. For today I only had two options: eggs or expired meat. It wasn't my fault if I didn't have anyone to teach me how to cook.

Just as I was about to light another cigarette, I had to put it out in a hurry. I heard the sound of a car and, to my pleasant surprise, my mother came running desperately and shouting at me, as if I were missing or even deaf, which I certainly wasn't. "Love my dear, I was desperate. Why didn't you answer me?" My mother opened the door desperately, and when she saw me she gave me a hug like a mama bear protecting her cub, something she didn't do that often anymore. "It's not that big a deal, Mom, you know I always take so long to get to you. These dishes don't wash themselves, you know?" I said in a sarcastic and spontaneous tone, prepared to be lectured, but no, she didn't lecture me.

"Don't you know?" She began to speak in a tone that was scaring me. "Know what, Mom? Is it something to do with the lockdown? But Andy said it was no big deal".

She took a deep breath and held my hands, as if trying to reassure me. "Ben Rifkin is dead Love, your old friend is death".

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Logiudice: You and Jacob knew each other for a long time, so...

Love: Since primary school, we've always been best friends. It was me, him and Derek.

Logiudice: On this particular day, the day Ben died, did you go to school alone?

Love: Yes

Logiudice: But you said you went together every day, without exception. Didn't you find that strange?

Love: We went together every day, but I didn't find it so strange.

Logiudice: You didn't have any worries?

Love: I just found it a little strange, but not that strange. Maybe he really did have some work to do and forgot to tell me, that was my thought that day.

Logiudice: Right, continue your story.