It’s lunchtime again, almost a week from when I first found out I was being framed. Nothing has changed really. I’m a lot more tired, as I’ve only been able a few hours of sleep per night, if that, and I’m hungry because I haven’t yet worked up the courage to go back to my house and get more money, so I’ve been carefully rationing everything I buy, which means only enough food to keep me from starving.
I’ve made friends with both Heather and Skylar. Turns out Skylar’s actually a year older than me, so she’s in seventh grade, but we do have one class together. That’s choir, because it’s a 6th, 7th, and 8th mix. We all eat lunch together every day, and school’s been a pretty basic routine. I’m no longer so excited by middle school, although that’s probably because of my special circumstances.
In fact, every part of every day’s been a routine. Today is Friday. Everyone else is extremely happy that we have a weekend, but it’s my worst nightmare. School has been like my safe zone ever since the rest of my life turned crazy. And over the weekend I’m going to have to survive literally on my own. No friends, no teachers, no parents. And I don’t even want to imagine it.
“So what are you guys doing over the weekend?” Skylar asks, reading my mind.
“My family and I are going camping,” Heather replies. I can feel the tears well up in my eyes just thinking about this. My family and I used to go camping all the time. I wonder if we could ever go back to the way things were before.
“Cool! What about you Olivia?” They both turn their attention to me. “Are you okay?” Skylar asks.
“What? Oh, yeah.” I shake my head and blink my eyes. “I’ll just be trying to catch up on some sleep.”
“Yeah, same!” Skylar agrees. I ate some more of the pizza I had bought at the school snack bar, which was okay, but I desperately missed my mother’s own homemade pizza. I got up and threw away the rest of my pizza, as my stomach suddenly felt sick. It felt this way all the rest of the day and didn’t get better after school ended. I headed to the library to get my homework done. I still didn’t have much to do. I guess the teachers still weren’t into the rhythm of school yet.
I did have to write a report about the Romans and do a couple of math sheets though, and I figured I might as well get it out of the way. I arranged my stuff out on the table where I always work after school. The math problems weren’t easy, and they took me a while to finish. By the time I was done the sun was setting. My stomach grumbled with hunger, and my eyelids drooped, but I kept working.
Then, the next thing I knew I was slumped over my papers with my head on the table and my hair flowing out over my head. I must have fallen asleep and woken up to people talking. I sat up drowsily and leaned back in my seat so I could see who was at the front desk talking to the librarian. I recoiled in shock as soon as I saw who it was. It was one of the police officers who had been chasing me. He was also one of the ones who had tried to arrest me that one night.
I pulled in my chair as close to the table as it would get so he wouldn’t be able to see me. The table I was working at was nestled in a corner of bookshelves, so as long as the police officer didn’t lean to his right I should be fine. Even so, I packed up my stuff quickly so I could get out of there. As I put everything away I listened to their conversation.
“I was just hoping I could put up these pictures so, you know, if people recognize her they could help us find her.”
“Yes, Yes.” The librarian responds carelessly.
“And it’ll have this number on the bottom for tips.”
“Sure.”
They must really want to find me. I zip up my backpack and make my way back through to the back exit. The door closes behind me with a small thump. I get out in an alley and walk along the sidewalk back to the park where I’ve been lying awake for the past week. I put my backpack behind me, up against a tree trunk and closed my eyes. I may have slept a few hours in the morning, but I couldn’t seem to fall asleep. And even when I finally did I was haunted by my dreams of being captured.
I woke up in an uncomfortable position on the ground. And after that, I spent most of my weekend walking around the city. I wasn’t sure what to do. I had finished my homework and taken a short nap, but other than that, I couldn’t think of anything else to do. It was late on Sunday night, maybe about 10 or so, and I couldn’t sleep yet again. Whenever I close my eyes I see visions of police officers surrounding me and capturing my parents.
I wander around the streets with my hood pulled up over my face. I walk until I get to my house. I don’t really need anything. My money supply is lasting longer than I expected, and I’ve been trying really hard to keep my clothes clean so I can keep re-using them. I don’t even really know why I came to my house, but I guess I’m just a little homesick. I stop outside my parent’s bedroom. Suddenly a light flickers on. I duck under the window so if anyone glances out they won’t be able to see me.
I’m shocked to hear the voice of my mother. It takes all the self-restraint I have not to jump up and shout, ‘Mom it’s me! It’s Robin! I’ve missed you so much!’ I guess I’ve gotten better at lying low. Then I hear my dad’s voice. They seem to be in a heated conversation.
My mom says, “I can’t believe they haven’t captured her yet!”
“I know dear,” My dad replies, “But I’m sure they will soon enough.”
“We did the right thing turning her in, didn’t we?”
“Of course. We only did what’s best for everyone. Especially our daughter.” Now it takes more self-restraint not to burst out crying. How could my parents think that I did this? How could they turn me in? How could they think that what's best for me is rotting in a cell? I could feel the hot tears run down my face and pulled my hood down farther and slunk away. When I got back to my tree I let the tears fall and I cried into my hands for most of the night.
While most nights I had been able to get at least a few hours of sleep, this night was different. I had just found out that my parents had betrayed me. They thought I had murdered an innocent man. I stayed awake through the entire night, and although school was the last thing I felt like doing in the morning, I did it anyway.