This chapter was inspired by Play with Fire by Sam Tinnesz ft. Tacht Money. Feel free to listen as you read !
"Wait, so you're not shitting me?"
Derek shot up to his feet, standing in front of me, hovering over me as I sat on the couch. His eyes were wide full of disbelief.
I nodded my head. "The God's honest truth."
"Mr. Leto is an actual murderer?" he asked.
"Yes." I assured him.
"And this all traces back to that frame I fixed for you?"
"Yes, it does." I admitted.
"Does Allegra know?" he pressed.
"No! and she can't find out. It will crush her."
He held his hands up, backing off. "And to think, all I was worried about was winning this stupid science fair." he shook his head in dismay.
"But it's not stupid, it's a means to our end: Lock Mr. Leto up." I insisted.
"And you think that the red fake nail you found in his rose garden is going to be a match to..."
"Agnes, yes. I'm positive." I cut him off.
He mulled over the abstract evidence I gave him. "Well then what? We're in high school, no one is going to believe us."
"They will when we show them this." I place a plain black binder on the table in front of him.
"What's this? There's nothing in here."
"Exactly. You're gonna help me fill it. We're going to build evidence and a case against Mr. Leto. And then we're going to share with the police department. With the fingerprint match, we'll get their attention."
"This is crazy, Kerri." he said running his hand through his hair in amazement.
"I know," I kneel down in front of him looking directly not his confused face, "but I need your help, Derek. I can't do this alone...Are you in?"
He took and deep breath and finally nodded his head. "Anything for you, Kerri."
I exhaled in relief and hugged him.
"Now, all we need are his finger prints." he said.
"Got it!" I pulled out the thermos placing it on the table next to the binder.
Derek shook his head, "Kerri, you amaze me. Wait, how did you find the time to sneak and find the other frames?"
My eyes shifted quickly, I paused hoping Derek didn't notice. "I'm just stealthy like that, I guess." I shrugged.
The less he knows the better. He doesn't need to know the other end of my bargain with Mr. Leto, the danger that awaits my mom, the secret I've been hiding for months.
He shook his head, "Kerri the Ninja. I like it!" He punched his arm through the air.
"Now, we have to follow the steps from that kit Ms. Ryder gave us and hand in the data tomorrow. We should get our answers soon enough. Is the lab open today?"
"Let me check," he pulls out his phone to looks it up. "Yep, if we get there in the next half hour, we'll have time to hand our materials in."
"Great, that gives us the weekend. If we act carefully, we can get the results in due time before the science fair on Tuesday!"
"Right because it takes 24-72 hours to get our answer." Derek said.
My spirit rose with excitement. "Yeah, let's go now!"
We rushed out the front door in anticipation.
The weekend seemed to fly by me in a flash and suddenly it was Tuesday - The Science Fair - my smokescreen of an excuse to further prove that a killer lurked among us. I looked over at Derek who was busily feeding his OCD over the presentation of our table.
I, on the other hand, could only focus on the memories of Derek and I gathering information from over the weekend as we filled our Binder of Truth as I like to call it.
The fair began, and we initiated our project demonstration to several judges. Derek was absolutely captivating them. I held our notebook of data, making sure no papers slipped out. They seemed impressed.
But no sign of Mr. Leto.
Once our spiel was finally over, I headed to the bathroom.
"Just be quick, Kerri. They're going to announce the winners soon." he urged me.
I took off quickly realized on my way there that I still had the notebook in hand; papers jutting out from various pages. As I let the bathroom, I stared down at the mess within my hands trying to tidy up the stray papers, but there seemed to be too many of them.
And bam, I walked into a wall; smacking me flat on my behind as I watched the papers flutter in the air around me, but when I looked up, my eyes focus and that stupid "wall" was all Mr. Leto.
"Oh Kerri! Just the person I was looking for." he chirped as he organized the papers atop my notebook.
I reach to grab it from his hands but he doesn't let me. He's frozen solid, reading. I look down at the pile of papers to see that he's ogling the document of his finger print records that Derek and I "stole" for our project.
He slowly raised his head to me, glowering.
How'd they get there? How could I be so reckless? What the hell was I thinking?
I pretended like I didn't see it and stood, reaching for the notebook again, praying for some reason he couldn't read.
Suddenly, he grabbed me by the shoulders and I felt my back crash into the wall as he pinned me against it. "I thought I told you I didn't want anything to do with your project?" His voice burned with a ferocity I've never experienced. He went from 0 to 100 in a matter of nanoseconds.
I winced before snapping back, "And I thought I told you to stay away from my teacher."
"Kerri, you're walking on very thin ice."
"Ice, huh? I.C.E.? You've got some nerve."
"No, you do!" his jaw clenched. He was pissed, he didn't see this coming.
"So what are you gonna do about it now?" I squirmed underneath his strong hands. "No more tricks up your sleeve?"
"Oh sweetie," He leaned into me, dangerously close. "I always have tricks."
"Kerri? Mr. Leto? Is everything okay?" A caring voice echoed around the hall. It was Ms. Ryder, her eyes peering around the corner.
We stepped away from each other.
"Yeah, everything is fine, Fiona." Kerry just dropped a stack of paper and I'm just helping her get it up. He tapped my back, now free from the wall he crushed me against.
She looked at me puzzled. She wanted an answer and I wanted an exit.
"Uh, I better get back in there," I stammered, exiting the hallway, being sure to avoid eye contact with Ms. Ryder.
I rushed in the auditorium, searching for Derek. As soon as I spotted him, the speakers blared:
Everyone, can I have your attention please. It's time to announce our winner for his year's annual science fair.
I rushed to find Derek by the table as the announcer droned in the background announcing 3rd and 2nd place.
"What happened?" he asks.
And the 1st place winners are...
"It's Mr. Leto. He knows."
Kerri Sanchez and Derek Fisher.
The room bursts into applause as Ms. Ryder approaches us to hug us both, and handing us our 1st place certificates. The photographer eagerly followed her. We pose with our generic smiles hiding what we really feel inside: dread, exhilaration and fear.
We receive our trophies and certificated and pose for the photographer.
I lock eyes with Mr. Leto. His face is stern. His eyes seething.
He began to approach us, going at a full-throttled walking pace like The Terminator himself, out for blood, but Allegra beat him to the chase.
"Congrats, you guys!" She cheered, brining us both into her arms.
I sighed in relief. This wasn't the place or the time.
"Yes, congratulations you two," Mr. Leto practically spat between his teeth, locking his focus on me. "Kerri..." he hissed ominously.
Ms. Ryder stuck her head in interrupting, "Aren't you just so proud of them?" She asked.
"Extremely," he lied.
Ms. Ryder giggled and patted our backs one last time before she stepped aside to speak with Mr. Leto. I focused in, cueing Derek to eavesdrop with me as we eyed them suspiciously.
"You're still on for tonight at 7 Tony's Bar & Grill?" She asked hopefully.
"Oh, absolutely."He winked at her.
Poor Ms. Ryder, completely oblivious to the world around her.
I nudged Derek, "Let's get out of here."
There was no need to clean up. The winner's display stays up for one week. We snuck out the gymnasium exit and made our way to our cars. As soon as we got out of ear shot, Derek turned to me worry ridden on his face, "So what do we do now that he knows?"
"I've got an idea. We're going out tonight." I said.
"Where?" he asked.
"Tony's Bar & Grill."
"For what?"
"I need to see how close he's getting to Ms. Ryder. How far they're in on the housing deal."
He paused, "You don't think he'll kill her too will you?"
"Oh, he will, we just need to know when, so we can catch him in the act. Meet me at 6:45pm." I ordered.
He nodded, then we got inner respective cars and left the school.
We made it to Tony's Bar & Grill, an incandescent hot spot for business, success and well-to-do adults. Derek and I manage to get in saying we were "waiting for our parents to end their boring meeting." So they let us sit at a table and sip some free water as we waited.
"You see him?" Derek asked looking over his shoulder.
"Not yet..." I looked around, "wait, there she is!" I whispered.
We both turn to find Ms. Ryder was wearing a tight black dress with a red rose imprinted on the upper torso of the dress. She looked nice, she looked gullible, but were wouldn't let her become Mr. Leto's fool - not like the rest.
We duck and squat our way to the restroom area, that hid behind a part glass, part marble wall, completely out of sight. There was an enlarged vase of fake shrubs adjacent to the bathroom that was still in ear shot. I motioned for Derek to hide there. There
"My, my, my." Mr. Leto roared satisfyingly behind me.
"Spying on me, are we?" he asked.
I stormed up to him , "I want you to stay away from my teacher." I demanded.
"Or what?" He laughed. "You're going to take my fingerprints?" he said, his arrogance showing.
He steps closer to me, canceling any space between us. "What are you even looking for, Miss Kerri Sanchez?" He smooths a piece of hair behind my ear and inhales. "Whatever you're looking for, you can't prove it."
I can practically hear Derek's sharp inhale behind the fake shrubs.
"Just stay out of grown-folks' business." He slowly brushed his finger against my lower lip. It trembles against his touch. He leaned in, and I thought he was going to kiss me, "Unless you're ready to grow up?"
He stormed off but I was fast on his trails following him to his seat, but seeing Ms. Ryder stopped me. Suddenly, I pressed my body against the nearest wall out of sight. He hugged her, his eyes of full of glee, until they rest on mine and narrow and sinister.
Cocky bastard.
Derek pulled my arm and for a second, I had almost forgotten he was here.
"What was that, Kerri?" he almost yelled.
I know exactly what he asked, but I still play dumb.
I tried to shush him. "You see how he always dodges my questions!"
"No, not that. Him. You. The touching, the intimacy. That! What was that!" He's angry. "You haven't been telling me the whole truth. What's going on between you two?"
I realize that Derek is not as oblivious as Allegra and I won't be able to talk my way out of this.
I gulped. "Not here. I'll tell you in the car."
The car was dead silent after I shut the door behind me. I could feel Derek's eyes on me.
"Kerri, has he hurt you?" His eyes were filled with worry.
I remain silent.
"I haven't been telling you the whole truth." I took in a deep breath, closed my eyes so that it felt like there was nothing there. Nothing but me and the car and space. And I finally open my mouth, "Derek..." I began, "I've been playing with fire."
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~ Cade