After lunch, I was still hungry, but not as hungry as I had been before I had eaten anything. I was on my way to fourth period, checking my schedule and map to make sure I was heading in the right direction, but despite my best efforts I still got lost. I was standing in the middle of the hallway looking at the signs above the classroom, hoping that maybe one of them would be number 43. Sadly none of them were.
I wasn’t sure what I would do, but just then a girl came over to me. “You need any help?” she asks.
“Ummm, sure, actually. Do you know where room 43 is?”
“Oh yeah!” she nods, “You’re not far.” Then she leads me down a hallway and points to the sign that read 43.
“Thank you so much!” I tell her. “I was so worried I’d be late!”
“No problem,” she says, “And, I don’t think I got your name.”
“Oh right. It’s Rob--” I catch myself. “I mean Olivia.”
“Nice to meet you, Olivia. I’m Skylar.” Then she turns around and goes back down the hall, with a quick wave behind her. I wave back, and then take a deep breath, and go into my classroom. The rest of the day seems to inch by. I can’t stop thinking about what I’m going to do after school ends. I barely pay attention in my classes, although to be honest there’s not much I really need to be paying attention to.
When the bell finally rings signaling the end of school it feels like my whole body suddenly fills with rocks. After going to my locker I head out to the front of the school hoping that just maybe I would see my parent’s car waiting in the pickup line, and I could run over to them and hug them and let them tell me everything would be okay, and that they knew I could never commit such a crime. Sadly I had no such luck. I saw Skylar getting into her car, and her Mom leaning over and kissing her.
I sigh sadly and walk away from the school. As I walk I wonder where I’m going to go, but I don’t dare go home yet. Instead I walk to the middle of the city and settle down on a patch of grass in my favorite place to be. The park. I lie on my back for a few minutes watching the clouds, and then I sit up. I pull my planner from my backpack and take out a pen. I flip to today's date and underneath where I had written First Day Of School! I write,
-Finish get to know you sheets
-Try to sneak into the house for supplies
-Buy more food for lunches/breakfasts/dinners
-Find evidence to prove innocence!!!
I close my planner and lie back down. It would be a long afternoon, and I wasn’t looking forward to it. I’m going to need to keep this planner hidden now. If anyone sees it I’m doomed! I think. I close my eyes and then open them again. I’m not going to be able to rest until I solve this case. So I get to work. First I finish all the get to know you sheets that I didn’t do in class, and then I walk over to my house. I circle around to the back where the window to my bedroom is still wide open. I climb through it as silently as I can, just in case there are any police officers investigating my house.
I wish my parents would be here so I could tell them everything that has happened, and let them fix all my problems. The thought of parents brings tears to my eyes, but I grit my teeth and move on. I rummage around in my room until I find my wallet. I don’t have much in it. Only about 50 dollars, but at last it’s a start. I look around my room for anything else I might need. At first, I think the money is all I could possibly need, but then it strikes me that I don’t know how long this whole fiasco could take. So I decide to plan for the worst.
I grab a few extra outfits and stuff them into my backpack. I also get a binder, a couple of folders, and some notebooks for when my teachers give out supply lists in case I can’t come back here to get them. I stock up on pencils, pens, extra books to read, hair ties, and my phone and it’s the charger. I know I’ll probably need more money, but in order to get that, I’ll have to venture deeper into the house. I stand at the door to my room for a few more minutes, just in case I hear anyone talking, but as soon as I’m sure the coast is clear, I make a run for it.
I dash through the hallway and into the kitchen where I grab some packaged snacks for emergencies and the sandwich I had made the day before from the fridge. Then I go to my parent’s bedroom and look around for any money. I know I can’t take their credit card, because I wouldn’t actually be able to buy anything with it, so my only option is cash. On my dad's nightstand, I find a big wad of money. I can only hope it will be enough though because right as I reach for it I hear the sound of many footsteps and voices.
I snatch the money quickly and run back to my room. I jump through the window and run as far and as fast as I can. For a few minutes, I can hear the police chasing and yell after me, but after a while, I feel it’s safe to stop running. I collapse in the park panting and gasping. I find a more secluded area and layout all my supplies. It seems like I should have enough to last me a little bit, but hopefully, I won’t have to go that long on my own. I count all my money, which turns out to be 174 dollars.
I organize everything back into my backpack, and then I go shopping. I find the nearest grocery store and buy as many cheap, non-perishable foods as I can that will fit in my backpack. I figure I only need to buy food for my breakfasts and dinners because I can always buy lunch at school. After that, I check the things that I did, off in my planner. I stare at the last thing that I wrote down for myself to do, but it suddenly seems a lot harder than when I first wrote it down. The sun has already set, and I can feel the exhaustion kicking in. So I lean back against a tree and do my best to fall asleep.