Your Friend, Jordan

Ten

"N-no. What's going on? What news?" I asked, but they didn't say a thing, just stared back at each other. Although they were cut off too short of answering, as my phone began to buzz like crazy in my pocket, and I grabbed a hold of it.

  Ethan: 'hey, you at school yet?'
  Troy: 'where are you? You gotta get over here now.'
  Daniel: 'do you know what's going on? The cops are here again. A ton of them. They are like, swarming the school.'
  Troy: 'hey, answer us man.'

  The lock screen of my phone was covered in messages from my friends, as I was taken away from the conversation with my parents, and brought deeper into what my friends were talking about. I hadn't even realized I began to turn away from my parents and head towards the door, until they called after me while I still looked down at my phone.

  "James? Are you ok? What did you read on your phone?" my mother asked, like she really was worried. But I didn't answer her, I was too focused on what my friends were saying. The cops? Back at school? Why? Did they want to talk to us, again? Why? What else did they find? And why is there a bunch of them there? What's going on?

  "Hey, buddy, you want to just stay home today? Take it easy?"

  "What? No. No, I have to go to school. My friends keep bugging me, I gotta go," I finally said after a few seconds of silence, and they waited for my answer. I didn't even look back at them before I opened the door and walked out, as the gloomy clouds covered the sky once again, so dark it looked as if about to rain.

  "James, wait!" my dad called after me as I got about ten feet away from him, about to head down the front lawn further and onto the street. But he didn't try to convince me to stay home again, as he chucked me the car keys once again. Although he wasn't smiling like the day earlier, that upset look was still across his face, like he was upset for me, depressed in a way. They both looked like that, and I found it rather odd. But at the moment, I didn't have time to question them completely, I had to get going.

  I let a small smirk spread across my face once I caught the keys, and I waved them goodbye like usual.

  "Thanks. I'll see you guys later," I called back, as they both only stood in the doorway, and watched me leave.

Putting the key into the ignition, I started it up and pulled away from the house, onto the next street as I made my way towards the school.

  My friends were right I soon found out as I pulled into the back lane of our school, while multiple police cars sat in the parking lot and around the front of the school. I placed my foot on the brake a bit, slowing down as I passed by the cars, all empty and had been turned off, causing me to believe they all had to be inside. But why? What's going on? That question was still stuck on my mind, and it seemed my friends had no idea either.

  Parking at the far end of the lot like the day earlier, I pressed the alarm before heading inside, towards the empty halls. I knew by now I was late, yet again. Making it inside just before the rain was about to pour down, thunder began to rupture in the sky as it started off quiet, and only grew. Practically jogging inside, I walked towards my locker right away, placing my binder in my bag before heading off to my second period class, I had missed my first one yet again.

I scanned the halls while I made my way towards the room, in search of my friends as I hoped I would see them at their lockers or talking somewhere in the halls. But there was no sight of them, only a few other kids wandering the halls. All staring right at me as I walked by, slight whispers going off until I passed, as if they were talking about me. But what was there to whisper about me? Did this have to do anything with the police showing up? What's up with everyone today?