Riverside

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I had always noticed how everyone's lives were so different from one another, no matter how many similarities they shared. No matter what, everyone's lives were different, even if they went to the same school or were on the same team.

At school, there were the people who walked with their heads low, trying their hardest to get to class without a single collision. Then there were the people who walked with their heads high, feeling like they owned the school.

While my head was held high, I did notice everyone else. That was one thing about me not too many people knew, even though it was a simple trait. I was observant. I watched people all the time.

I was also too trusting, which most said was a flaw I needed to work on. I completely agreed with them, but I was never able to change my overly-trusting self. I sometimes trusted others whom I was working on a group project with, only to end up doing all the work. I sometimes trusted my friends when they said we would hang out over the weekend, only to have two out of three of them cancel. The same two every single time.

Or sometimes, I ended up trusting a complete stranger who was arrested for murdering his family when he told me that it wasn't him.

In a town like Skalkwood where there was only two of everything, news travelled around fast, especially if I was at a cheerleader practice I was the captain of and one of my friends was always on her phone during a break.

It wasn't long until everyone heard about eighteen-year-old River Gillespie shooting and killing his family; both his parents and his little brother about the age of four. It also wasn't long before my friend, Peggy Collier started telling us about all the rumours she heard about this River Gillespie. According to Peggy, he was kicked out of high school during his senior year for beating up someone so badly he had to be sent to the hospital.

I didn't believe it. I had heard that rumour myself, but that didn't mean it was true. Even though I was too trusting, I chose not to believe rumours unless I saw it for myself. Rumours always hurt people and if I didn't want to be on the bad side of one, I shouldn't believe any rumour.

When the cheerleader practice was over, Peggy and my two other friends, Ronnie Montgomery and Colette Lindsey, walked over to me. "I can't believe someone could be so cold as to shoot and kill their own family," Peggy said. "Especially a little boy."

"We don't know the whole story," I said.

Peggy snorted. "Uh, yeah we do. He shot and killed his family. Keep up, Arden."

"Yeah, but...." I began, but she didn't let me finish.

"But what?" Peggy asked. "You, my friend, need to stop looking on the bright side of things. This is a world we're living in where people are cruel enough to do such a thing."

"I just hope he gets put away for the rest of his life," Colette said.

"I agree completely," Peggy said. "I should be leaving now. If I'm not home right away after practice, my mom starts freaking out."

We all went to the parking lot at the front of the school and once they all left in their own cars, I remembered something. My dad drove me here this morning before he went to the police station because he took my car keys away. Note to self: Start paying parking tickets.

I always had enough money to pay parking tickets. I just didn't bother doing it. Maybe I should park properly so I wouldn't have this problem.