School of Secrets (The Perkins School for Self Improvement #1)

Chapter 12

A/N:
I'm taking a winter class online over my Christmas break, which begins tomorrow. I've been writing all day today because I'm not sure how strenuous this class is gonna be and I wanted to at least get to Chapter 12 before I started drowning in assignments. Apparently, since it's a three credit class and it only runs for thirteen days or so, we're expected to do three hours of class work every day. Not sure what all that includes, but I've got a feeling I may be pretty busy.
This chapter is, admittedly, a short one, because a lot is set to happen in the next two or three and I figured I'd divide this one from the next so it didn't stretch on for eternity.
Thoughts/opinions, as usual, are welcomed down below.
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Creighton stares at Derek, as though she can't believe what she's just heard. As if it wasn't bad enough the first time, Derek repeats himself when no one dares to break the silence.

"I killed Amber."

This time, Derek earns a reaction.

Creighton stands up so quickly that the movement is a blur, stepping around my roommate as she shakily retreats toward the door.

Derek follows her, moving to stand between her and the suite door while all but begging her to stay.

"C," Derek pleads, still standing in front of the door, "please. Sit down. I didn't ... you know if I had a choice I wouldn't ..."

"Derek," her voice cracks on his name, "Derek, I need to think."

He doesn't move, and she doesn't look at him.

"Don't," he tells her, sounding mildly frantic, "sit down. We'll figure it out. I'm not a murderer, I'm not! I was forced to ... Look at me. You've known me almost as long as you knew her. You know who I am, and you should know not to hate me for this."

Creighton doesn't answer. She has one hand pressed to her mouth again, the way she did when she first saw what happened to Amber. She steps around Derek, reaching for the door with her other hand and disappearing through it before she manages to cry in front of Derek.

My roommate takes a seat on his bed, exhaling a long sigh.

"Tim, what have I done?" he wonders, head in his hands.

I don't have an answer for him.

"Please tell me she won't hate me," Derek continues, "she can't. She knows me, she knows who I really am."

"She just found out her friend killed her roommate, Derek," I say, "I couldn't tell you what she's thinking. Creighton might hate you, she might not. Knowing who you are and hearing what you did are two different things."

"I'm a good person, Tim. You both know that."

"Good people do bad things." I sigh, gazing at him, "Sometimes they're forgivable, sometimes they're not."

Derek nods, standing up again.

"I need some air." he conveys, heading for the door.

I don't try to stop him.

Sitting on my bed, I watch the minutes tick by on my clock. It's a quarter after six when my cell phone rings, and without checking to see who's calling I pick up.

"Hello?"

"Tim?" It's the first time in ages that Dad's called me by my nickname, and he sounds genuinely worried.

What does he want, I wonder.

"Dad?" I say simply, keeping the phone pressed to my ear.

"I got a call ... one of those mass phone calls that schools send out, you know? It was the headmaster of the Perkins School. He said ... he said a girl was killed there this afternoon, and that parents are welcome to consider pulling their children out of his school if they so choose."