One Tiny Secret - By Adam Kunz Page 0,50
and I begin to walk away. All I do is glance back and then continue moving forward as my dad drapes his sheriff’s jacket around my shoulders.
“I’ll drive you home. You can pick up your car tomorrow. I don’t trust your nerves with driving right now,” he explains as we stroll toward his cruiser.
“I’ll be fine driving home. You don’t have to baby me.”
“Will you just stop arguing and get in the car,” he states with a sense of exhaustion as he pulls open the passenger door to his vehicle.
“Fine,” I murmur, plopping down into the seat.
“Thank you.”
As we pull away from the school, I fidget with the hem of my blouse while staring down at the splotches of dried blood. I want to talk to my dad about what really happened, but I’m scared he’ll just say I’m being silly or something. He’s already had that reaction before, so what would make this time any different?
“Hey, Dad?”
“Yeah,” he replies, concentrating on the road ahead.
I pause for a moment to really consider if I want to continue with my question. I want him to believe me so much and realize that I’m actually in danger here. I only wish I had concrete evidence, since that seems to be the only way he’ll believe me.
Mustering the courage, I begin again. “If I were to tell you something that might sound completely crazy, would you believe me?”
“That’s a really odd question, Dani. Does this have anything to do with those strange texts you claimed you were receiving?”
I nod, yielding to the fact he’s not going to believe me.
“Now, we’ve been over this already—”
“I know. But I’m telling you the truth. Someone has been harassing me with texts, and I think the person killed Gunnar,” I reply, feeling good that I said it out loud. At least now it’s out in the open.
“Stop it, Dani. Gunnar’s death was just an unfortunate accident. He fell from the rafters adjusting a silly banner. That’s it, end of story. And where’s your proof of these texts anyway?”
“The person is deleting them from my phone before I have a chance to show anyone,” I huff.
“Will you listen to yourself? Have you ever heard of that happening?”
“No, but I hear there are apps for this kind of thing.”
“An app? Really?” he asks. “Dani, I think you just need to get home, clean up, and relax. You’ve been through a lot tonight, and you’re probably just in shock.”
“Will you quit with the whole ‘in shock’ shit, seriously!” I yell.
My dad slams on his breaks.
“Don’t ever talk to me like that, young lady,” he snaps, pointing a finger at me. His face is flushed and I can see the flames of anger brushing his cheeks.
I sink back into my seat and cross my arms in front of my chest. I hear him release a growl as the car begins moving again.
He lets out a heavy sigh. “I’m really starting to worry about you,” he comments, seeming a little calmer.
“That makes two of us.”
Chapter Nineteen
The whole school is in shock over Gunnar’s sudden and tragic death. A somber cloud floats over everyone’s head while we walk through the halls. No surprise, though, since he was the “it” guy. He was loved and admired by most and had very few enemies. Actually, the first harsh words I ever heard him speak about anyone were the ones he said to me.
I stare down at the new cover story for tomorrow’s paper. I can’t help but get misty-eyed looking at Gunnar’s smiling face in the picture his parents gave us for the story. The article focuses on his stellar academic and football career, ending with an announcement of a candlelight ceremony tomorrow night in his honor.
It feels so weird writing about a dead person that I knew. Almost as weird as the article I still have to write up about Janice’s disappearance. I’ve put that one off for as long as I can. I can’t bear to look at her picture and not feel completely overwhelmed with guilt. It’s been hard enough seeing her missing persons flyers posted up all around town. Each one serves as a constant reminder of my stupid decisions. This is officially the one and only time I’ve ever not wanted to be the editor-in-chief of the school’s newspaper.
My dad wasn’t too terribly excited that I had to stay late today to work on the changes. After the whole situation yesterday, he’s been cracking down even harder on me and