When To Put Trust On The Line

Part 12

Once the bell rang, I was up on my feet in no time, shoving things in my binder carelessly. I needed to get outside to see if Kenny's friends would be there. I needed an update.

"Everyone," Mr. Burchop said, his voice projecting through the large library. "Please remember to complete both worksheets for next week and read pages 49 to 57 in the textbook. It may sound like a lot, but trust me, it'll go by quickly. Despite the project, we need to get a move on in our plan for this term. Don't forget what I said. Enjoy your evenings." Only a few people were really listening. I wasn't one of them. I already had the homework written down in my agenda anyway. I rushed out of the library.

After grabbing a few things from my locker, I burst outside and... there were Kenny's friends! Hanging out on the stairs, as usual. I rushed over to them, not able to contain how anxious I was. One of the guys, Seal, noticed me. "Susan..."

I stopped in front of them, out of breath. "Hey!" My heart was pounding.

All of the guys turned to look at me. They seemed surprised to find me standing there. It was as though they had never seen me before. Zavier spoke first. "Oh. Hey Susan." He stepped forward.

My eyes darted quickly to each face, searching for a sign of contentment to indicate good news. But sadly, their expressions told me the exact opposite of what I was hoping for. "Um, have you guys heard from Kenny?" I tried asking anyway as I scratched my head nervously and anxiously hoisted my backpack higher on my shoulder. "H- how is he?" Things got quiet. Well, except for the students walking out of the school and passing us down the stairs. A few of the guys said they had to go. The ones who stayed refused to make eye contact. I opened my arms questioningly. "Well? What happened?" I pressed, wanting an answer. I kept my voice bright, trying to keep any negative thoughts from entering my mind.

Armon kicked the railing on the stairs. "Fuck." My heart jumped. Did I want to hear this?

Zavier. "Yo, our mans is gettin' locked up."

Jackson nudged him and stepped forward. Zavier just looked at him as if to say, 'what?' Jackson turned to me. "He was found guilty."

I felt like I had been kicked in the chest. I couldn't breathe and my mind couldn't focus. I looked down at my shoes. "No, but-"

Jackson. "I know," he murmured.

My head snapped up. "But they barely have any evidence to hold against him!"

Zavier. "They decided that they did." He shook his head. "It's fucked up man."

"I have to go see him," I said firmly.

Jackson raised his hand, as if to halt me. "Naw. We can't. We don't even know if he's locked up yet."

"Well we can visit him in his cell," I argued.

Jackson sighed. "Susan, it don't work like that. After he gets locked up, if he ain't already, we won't be able to visit him right away."

"That's so stupid!" I exclaimed, louder than I intended. "Don't you guys wanna find out what's going on with him? We need to go see him!"

Zavier. "Susan, we get how you feel but, relax for a moment. You're not hearin' us out."

I didn't want to hear it. "Relax? Hearing you out? You guys are his friends! You should want to help him as much as I do! Instead of wanting to do nothing."

Zavier. "Susan, we're bein' realistic."

"So am I." I started to leave. "I gotta go." I shook my head as I rushed down the stairs.