"I guess. I mean, I was sent to her office when I got to school. I had an accident. A deer ran out in front of my car. Mrs. Thompson, the receptionist," I added, figuring he probably didn't have clue who Mrs. Thompson is, "said I had to get cleared by the nurse before I could go to class."
Officer Adams scribbled in a notepad as I talked. I waited for him to finish. "I'm going to need you to tell me everything you remember from your visit to her office."
There wasn't much to remember, yet somehow my brain had trouble focusing. "Um, she asked me some questions about the accident. Whether I hit my head, if I was wearing a seatbelt, questions like that. Then, she used that little flashlight thingy to look in my eyes. She said that, other than being a little bloodshot from crying, everything looked fine. Then, she sent me to class."
"Was anyone else in the office?" Officer Adams furiously wrote every word I said.
"No, just me. Well, after Jimmy Benton left. I guess he thought he might have a fever, but Ms. Steingall said he didn't, and she sent him to class."
"And how did she seem to you? Was she slurring her words at all or moving any slower than usual?" He stopped writing and studied my face.
"Not that I noticed. She seemed fine."
"Did you go straight to class after that?"
"Well, I had to get a late pass from Mrs. Thompson first. Then, I went to class."
"Did you walk past the nurse's office on your way to class?" He was staring so intently at me that I swallowed hard. I hadn't done anything wrong, but he was making me feel like I had.
"Yes."
"Did you look into the office as you passed by?"
"No."
"Are you sure?" He leaned over the desk. "This is very important, Miss Marshall. Did you look into the nurse's office and notice anything strange?"
"No." The word was barely a whisper. "Why? Did someone do something to her?"
"I can't say." He stood up, glaring down at me. "But my instincts are telling me that Ms. Steingall was already dead when you walked by her office."
The hair on my arms stood on end. I had to get out of there. "May I go now?"
He pointed toward the door. I didn't hesitate. I scooped my books in my arms and rushed out of there as fast as I could without looking too suspicious. I didn't know where I was going or if the lockdown was over. My legs were moving on their own, without any direction from me. I turned the corner and saw Green Eyes. What was he doing out of class? He was leaning against the lockers with his cell phone in his hand like he'd just finished texting someone. When he saw me, he flipped his phone shut and shoved it in his pocket. He pushed off the lockers and started toward me.
I lowered my head and turned down the next hall. I was practically power-walking, his footsteps quickening behind me. I started to run when a door opened in front of me.
"Jodi, hey," Matt said. "What's the rush?" He grabbed my arm, and my books toppled to the ground. "Sorry." He bent down to pick them up.
I turned and looked for Green Eyes, but the hallway was filling up with students. The lockdown was over.
"Are you all right?" Matt asked, handing me my books.
"Yeah. Rough morning. I hit a deer with my car and then-"
"You hit a deer? Are you okay?" He grabbed my arms and looked me in the eyes.
"I'll be better once everyone stops asking me that." I smiled at him. His beautiful brown eyes and warm smile instantly calmed me.
"Did you hear they're letting us go home early?" He walked me to my locker.
"Really?" Nothing would've made me happier than going home and pretending this nightmare of a day had never happened.
"Yeah, some emergency with the school nurse or something. I don't really know all the details. But the buses have been called, and we've been dismissed for the day."
"Ugh, the bus. I have to take the bus because my car was towed."
"I'll give you a ride. We can even grab lunch."
I didn't exactly feel like eating after all I'd been through, but I couldn't say no to Matt. We'd just started dating, and we hadn't even kissed yet. He was the sweetest guy I'd ever met, and a total gentleman. Sometimes a little too much of a gentleman. "Sounds great."
I put my books in my locker and followed Matt to his car. He drove a blue Mustang. It wasn't new, but it was gorgeous. I had always had a thing for Mustangs. Plus, it was way better than my Civic. I was starting to feel better by the time we pulled out of the parking lot. Then, I saw Green Eyes. He was in a gray boat of a car, tapping his finger against the steering wheel like he was waiting for something-or someone. I had a sinking feeling I knew who that someone was. As Matt turned onto the main road, Green Eyes followed.
I tried to stay calm. I mean, Matt was with me, and he was bigger than Green Eyes. I didn't have anything to worry about. Only, I was still worried.
"Where do you want to go?"
"Huh? Oh, I don't care. Wherever you want to go is fine."
"I'm strangely in the mood for venison."
I thought of the deer from this morning and turned toward Matt in horror. He flashed me a smile and laughed. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. Besides, you said you wanted people to stop asking if you're okay."
"So, you thought you'd make fun of me instead." If it were anyone else, I probably would've gotten at least a little mad. But it was Matt, and he could do no wrong in my eyes.
"How about Alberto's?"
"My favorite," I said.
Matt reached his hand over and laced his fingers through mine. Yes, my day was starting to get a whole lot better. I even forgot about Green Eyes.
We got a table in the corner. My stomach didn't feel like it could handle much, so I ordered a plain bagel and a vanilla milkshake. Matt ordered a foot-long sub and ate every bite.
"Where do you put it all?" I asked as he swallowed the last of his sandwich.
"Good metabolism runs in my family." He pointed to my half-eaten bagel. "Do you always eat so little?"
"No, I have a pretty good appetite most of the time." I cringed. I'd dated a few guys, but I still wasn't sure where they stood on the whole girls and food issue. Did they want us to have good appetites?
"Okay, I know I'm not supposed to ask, but your day's been kind of-"
"Crappy? Yeah." I smiled at him. "But it's getting better."
The bell above the door jingled, drawing my attention. Green Eyes walked in, scanning the restaurant.
"Do you know that guy?" I asked Matt, nodding toward the door.
Matt turned slightly to look without being obvious. "No. Do you?"
"He was in my English lit class today, but I don't think I've ever seen him before."
"Maybe he's a transfer."
"Maybe." I sipped my milkshake. "He likes to stare."
"At you?" Matt glanced at him again. "Is he bothering you?"
I put my milkshake down. "No, not really. I'm probably imagining it. My mind's been a little crazy since the accident."
"Come on, I'll take you home. You look like you need some rest." He grabbed our trash and headed for the garbage.
I got my coat, my gaze wandering over to Green Eyes. He was still standing by the door, but now he was texting. We were going to have to walk right past him. Matt helped me put my coat on and gave me his arm. I squeezed his well-toned bicep. He couldn't get more perfect. We walked to the door, and Matt opened it for me. He nodded at Green Eyes. It was only a nod, but it spoke volumes. Matt was letting Green Eyes know I was with him. Part of me wanted to spin around and kiss him right there. But I kind of wanted our first kiss to be more special than in the doorway of Alberto's with Green Eyes staring at us.
Matt opened the car door for me. "You're right. He does like to stare at you." He leaned down and kissed my forehead. "Not that I can blame him."
He drove me to my house and parked in the driveway. My banged-up car was sitting there looking pathetic. Who knew how long it would be before we had enough money to have it fixed? Matt turned in his seat so he was facing me. "Thanks for going to lunch with me. I know you weren't really feeling up to it."
My heart raced even though I was only sitting there. "I had fun." I was too nervous to think of anything better to say. It was silly. I'd kissed guys before, but Matt was different. He was sweet and funny and perfect.
"I don't believe it." Matt sounded really annoyed. He was looking past me, out the window.
"What?" I spun around to see what he was staring at. Green Eyes was standing between the trees by the side of my house. "Did he follow us?"
"Go inside and lock the door. I'm going to have a little talk with this guy." Matt got out of the car and came to get my door. He opened it and helped me out. He kissed my forehead again and nodded toward the front door. I went inside, locking the door behind me. I didn't know if Green Eyes was a real threat or not, but with the way my day was going, I wasn't taking any chances.
I went to the living room window and peered through the curtains. Matt and Green Eyes were talking. Matt didn't look happy, but Green Eyes was smirking. Then, he snapped. He shoved Matt. I ran for the door, not having a clue how I was going to help. I couldn't break up a fight between two guys who were much bigger than me. My five-foot-four frame was no match for either of them. Still, I flung the door open and ran outside.