I'm at home after that whole Penny situation. Why would she lie about June coming to her about the picture of Mr. Bush? It doesn't make sense. Unless Penny was involved in the web. Maybe Penny was jealous of June and Mr. Bush's relationship. It's a far out there theory, but it's the only thing I could think of for Penny's motive. I need to talk to Edward Bush.
I call Maggie and she adds Jalen, of course, to the call.
After Jalen accepts the call Maggie speaks up, "Hey Jalen."
"Hey baby." Jalen says, sounding tired.
"Henry said he has an idea." Maggie says.
"Ok." Jalen answers.
I roll my eyes, I don't think I'll ever not find Jalen's voice annoying. "I've been thinking and the whole way Penny answered the questions was weird." They keep quiet so I continue, "what if she was in love with that teacher."
'What?" Maggie asks.
"It would give her a motive, she could still be working with Victoria. I'm just saying it's a possibility." I say.
"So what's your idea, Dawton?" Jalen asks.
"We should take a road trip.. to Georgia." I say.
"Why are we taking a road trip to Georgia?" Maggie asks.
"To visit Edward Bush. We can ask if Penny was one of his victims." I say.
"And he's just gonna admit that?" Jalen asks.
"Probably not outright. We can just lie to him." I say.
"Lie how?" Maggie asks.
"Just say Penny told us and see how he responds." I say.
"That could work..." Maggie says.
"So who's in?" I ask.
"I am," Maggie answers. "Jalen?"
"I guess I can." Jalen says.
We stay on the phone a few more minutes discussing how exactly we were going to get there and back. Talking about it makes my adrenaline sky rocket.
We decided to leave the next day and take Maggie's car. I don't expect to be there overnight, so I don't pack anything. I told my mom I was going to stay with Maggie for the night again. She was worried I wasn't going to come back, but I assured her I was.
Maggie pulls up with Jalen in the passenger seat, "C'mon!"
It's seven in the morning and they're already wide awake. I walk to the back seat and get in the car.
"Ready for a four hour road trip?" Maggie asks, looking back at me.
"Thrilled." I answer.
Jalen laughs, "Let the trip begin."
It's been an hour and Jalen won't stop talking about my poetry from yesterday, "I can't believe you just came up with that!"
"What can I say? I'm poetic." I answer.
Maggie laughs, "I don't like how you dissed me though."
"I did what I had to." I say, laughing.
"At least that punch gave you a rhyme." Jalen says.
"Yeah a rhyme and a swollen eye." I laugh.
"You got a good hit on me too." Jalen says.
"Hits", I correct. Jalen only rolls his eyes but I can see a small smile on his lips.
I've been sleeping basically the whole trip. When I wake up I check my phone and see it's been three hours. We should be there soon. I stay laying down and over hear Jalen and Maggie.
Maggie sighs, "You're cute when you do that."
"You're cuter." Jalen responds.
I can't take this. I do a big yawn, pretending to have just woken up. Maggie and Jalen go quiet. Thank God.
"Are we almost there?" I ask.
"Yeah the GPS says it should only be about five minutes." Maggie answers.
I get all the way up now and look out the window. There's barely anyone here. I see one girl, probably about 18. She has June's brown hair and tan skin. Is this how June looked when she lived here? So care free with no worries. June tried to move away and leave her worries, but that didn't end up well.
"It's right up here." Maggie says after driving ten more minutes.
I look over and see a huge prison. It's circled in barbed wire. Maggie parks the car and we get out.
"Ready?" Jalen asks.
"I guess so." I answer, walking up to the doors.
When we all get inside I see a few chairs and a receptionist desk. The girl looks to be early 30's and tired of her life already.
"Yes?" She asks. I walk up to the desk and look at her name badge, Kiara Smith.
"We wanted to see one of your prisoners." I say.
The lady looks at Jalen and Maggie, "only one person at a time."
I look back at them before responding, "that's fine."
"Who is it you're here for?" She asks.
"Edward. Edward Bush." I respond.
"I'll need to see some identification." The lady says, showing no emotion. I take out my wallet and give her my ID. She looks it over and scans it. "It'll be a minute. He has to agree to see you."
I nod and go sit down. Maggie and Jalen take a seat too.
"Do you know what you're going to ask him?" Maggie asks, in a whisper.
"No, I guess I'll be making it up as I go." I admit.
"What should we do?" Jalen asks.
"Just sit here." I instruct.
Just then the lady calls my name, "Henry Dawton, Inmate Bush has agreed to see you." I nod and go through a door the lady is pointing at, "just back there."
I walk through a hall and see seats with windows and phones. I keep walking until I see one with an older man. He has to be in his 40's. He still has brown hair, but it's not in place like that picture of him and June. In fact he looks... like he's barely here. His cheeks are hollow and his eyes are dead. This is creeping me out.
I sit down on the little stool and grab the red phone. I wasn't going to give this guy any formalities, so I jump right to it. "I know what you did."
Edward's eyes look into mine, "plenty of people know what I did."
"I'm not talking about June. I'm talking about your other students." I say, leaning toward the window and lowering my voice. Edward's face finally shows some emotion, he's scared.
"I don't know what your-"
"Save it, Penny told me all about you two."
"Penny? She wouldn't. She was much too smart for that." Edward says. "Who are you anyway?" he asks, and gets closer to the glass.
This guy makes me sick, "don't worry about it! Worry about Penny going to the police." I look around in disgust, "looks like you'll be in here for a while."
"Please! Penny can't tell anyone! What do you want?!" Edward asks, fear clear in his blue eyes.
"I want you to answer a few questions." I say.
"As long as you keep your mouth shut about her!" Edwards says, slamming his handcuffs down on the table.
"How did you and June start talking?" I ask, ignoring his outburst.
Edward laughs, "what do you care about June?"
"Don't worry about it! Just answer the questions." I say.
Edward stares into my soul for a full minute, but then finally starts talking. "She was my student freshman year. I'm sure you've heard about it in the news."
"Freshman? You went after a freshman? You're sick!" I say, feeling the sudden urge to throw up. Why hadn't I looked up the incident in the news? I guess doing that would make it too real. But then again, sitting face to face with the teacher who did it is making their "relationship" seem real too. I have to realize it was real. June wasn't some cookie cutter girl, she had a lot of secrets underneath.
Edward's response snaps me out of my thoughts, "I'm not going to answer questions if I'm being verbally assaulted."
He's the one being assaulted? The irony could make me laugh. I need to get this conversation back on track. "What about Penny?"
He looks down like he's thinking, "about the same time."
"And did Penny know about June?" I ask, not noticing how close I was leaning to the glass now.
"Yeah when the picture got out." He knows I'm eating up his every word, and he loves it. There's been a change in him from the time we first started talking and now. He has something I want, and he knows it. I don't know what card to play here. Should I act like I worship the ground he stands on, or I couldn't care less?
I go with the latter, I wasn't going to let this lunatic taunt me. "Don't be smart! I'm talking about before."
Edward laughs, "I'm not that sloppy."
I roll my eyes, "would you say Penny loves you now?"
Edward gives me a strange look, "Penny hasn't talked to you, has she? She didn't tell you about me and her. If she did you would know she hates my guts! She was the one who leaked that picture of June!"
I'm shocked at what I just learned, "she leaked the picture?"
"She had ended whatever relationship we had going on. Then she threatened me with that picture if I didn't stop "taking advantage" of June. As you can see I didn't listen."
Before I can respond the police are coming to take Edward back to his cell. He doesn't fight them, only looks at me and smiles. It gives me a bad feeling, like he knows what he just said shocked me into silence. I try to say something before he's gone, but he really has shocked me into silence.
I walk back into the main space. Where Jalen is talking to the women behind the desk, and Maggie is beside him. They all notice my presence and look towards me.
"Be careful Kiara!" Jalen says laughing and walking over to me.
Was I really gone long enough for them to become buddy-buddy?
Maggie follows, "should we head to the car?"
I look back at Kiara the receptionist and then nod. "Let's go."
We're back in the car when Maggie speaks again, "so... what did he say?"
"Apparently Penny was one of his victims, that was a lucky guess. Another thing is... Penny leaked that picture of June."
Jalen and Maggie both say, "WHAT?" in unison.
I just nod, "I know I can't believe it either." I tell them what Edward said about Penny doing it to protect June.
"I can understand it... in a weird way." Maggie says.
"You understand why she ruined June's reputation?" I ask, shocked.
"Yeah, she wanted to get back at Mr. Bush for what he did to her, but she used June to do it. I'm not saying it's right, just that I can understand." Maggie says, pulling out of the parking lot.
Jalen stays quiet. Looking out the window. This is the most quiet he's been in his life. I'm not complaining, I just find it weird he's not saying his loud opinion about this.
It's a little after 1 o'clock now and all I want to do is go home. I lay back in the seat and stare at the car's roof. Penny lying at the poetry event is probably because she felt bad about the picture getting out again. Then again she could've been the one to bring it up again. Sure Edward said Penny hated him, but maybe she just hated June and him being together. Right now Penny and Victoria are still number one on my suspect list. I doze off trying to piece these random clues together.
I wake up when we stop for food.
"Who chose Burger King?" I ask, sitting up.
"Me. The driver always chooses." Maggie answers, pulling into a parking spot.
"Did y'all want to go inside and eat?" I ask.
"No, the line is too long, so I'm just gonna go in and order the food." Jalen says. "What do you want?"
I tell Jalen what I want and give him my money. Once he's gone Maggie lowers her head into her hands. What's up with her?
"You ok?" I ask.
"I just can't do this anymore." Maggie answers, it sounds like she's fixing to cry.
"Do what? I can drive from here if you want." I say, confused as to what's going on.
"It's not that..."
"Then what is it?" I ask.
"It's Jalen... and Connor."
"What about them? Did Connor find out?" I hope she doesn't think I leaked the picture.
"No." Maggie says, whipping a tear from her cheek. "I just don't want to keep lying to him."
"Then don't. You have a choice here." I say. I don't care if it hurts her feelings. She needs to know.
"You don't understand." Maggie says.
"You're right I don't understand, and I don't want to."
Maggie sighs, "let's just keep this between us, ok? I don't need Jalen hearing about my little emotional breakdown."
"Whatever Maggie. You need to stop toying with Connor, believe me it's not fun."
"I know." Maggie says.
We don't talk again until Jalen comes back with our food. He gets in the car wearing one of the Burger King crowns.
"Can you believe they actually gave me this?" Jalen says, handing me my stuff.
I laugh a little, "you act like a toddler, what do you expect?"
Jalen just rolls his eyes and turns to Maggie, "want a fry?"
The rest of the car ride is a little tense between me and Maggie. If Jalen notices, he doesn't say anything. I'm thankful for that because admitting what the tension was about would only make it grow.