Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. It neared graduation and Ozzy was getting ready for it. She seemed more excited than Kai was, helping him pick out a nice suit to wear under the cap and gown like he was suppose too.

“So prom is the day after tomorrow right? You are still going with me right?” she said softly watching him loosen the tie in the mirror of the dress store. The tall senior turned his head to stare at her behind him using the mirror. “We’ve wanted to go to prom together since like middle school” he said and turned around. “You are wearing green right? you are going to look like a leprechaun.” he said.

She wrinkled her nose and rubbed her neck, “Uhm...I will take that as a compliment. It was either green or red and I fit into the green one better”. She stood and grabbed a tie off the rack, “This looks about the right color. We have to match after all” she said throwing it over his shoulder for check-out.

The clerk rang up the suit and ties sending them on their way. “So you are gonna pick me up tomorrow for your grad right? Your family is gonna ride a different car because you have to be their early and I have nothing better to do” she said leaning back in the passenger seat of the car, windows down for the warm early summer air.

“Thats the plan...we have to practice walking down the aisle and stuff a good hour before hand.”

“Well I am proud of you. There were some points where I thought you were gonna drop out. Your attendance was horrible. Why did you miss so much school?” she asked.

“I was just busy, or sick” he said blandly.

“Busy with what?”

“Why do you ask so many questions?” he said pushing on her shoulder and flashed her a crooked grin.

Turning down their neighborhood Kai parked his car out front of their houses and stepped out with his suit. “We leave around 3:30 tomorrow alright. Make sure you look cute for me too” he teased heading up his driveway not waiting for her to even get out of his car.

Inside her father had just woken up, working a late shift as usual.

“You find everything you needed?” he said drinking a tall glass of soda to wake up. Ozzy nodded sitting down at the dining room table noticing the familiar sounds of music in the background. Something alternative and 90s like Sublime but she didn’t spend to much time trying to find a name.

“I smell Nag Champa” she said and saw her dad nod. “”It is the best”.

“How long have you lived here in Ely?” she asked.

“Hmm since I was about 15.”

“Wow you didn’t waste anytime with mom didja” she snickered making him blush and furrow his brow.

“Look, I wont doubt that having a kid at 16 isn’t exactly the best decision but you are the best thing to happen to me.” he said. 

“You aren’t that much older than me, you are only 28“ she said taking an apple from the fruit bowl starting to eat.

He shrugged it off and turned his head looking out the window, “This band called War Horse is playing tonight and they are suppose to be the big deal. I will try to get you something cool” he said. She smiled and nodded giving thanks before disappearing  upstairs.

~

Next day, outside the horn honked and Ozzy popped out the front door of her house dashing out to Kai’s car crawling into the front seat, “I am so sorry! I couldn’t find anything nice to wear but this button up” she said and watched him speed off, “Don’t sweat it, It only takes a few minutes to get to the school I just like to be early.” he said whipping around the turns. Music was blaring and rattling the windows of his car, some rock and screamo she had yet to be introduced to yet but she liked.

Turning down the music as they entered the schools parking lot he wasted no time parking, turning off the ignition, and jumping out of the car all in one motion. “See you when I graduate” he said running off to meet the others leaving her once again with an hour to kill in his car.

She pulled out the cds in his car to first discover what she had been listening to when they were riding around to get there. “Sleeping with Sirens...hmmm sounds interesting” she said and turned her head into his glove compartment to pull out his mints popping a few into her mouth. Outside she could see people in their caps and gowns walking past her through the parking lot making their way into the school for some prep speech, the last one they would ever hear. She still had another year before that, only being a junior of course.

She rested in the car with the windows down for a good half hour before getting out, stretching, and made her way to the football field not to worried about rolling his windows up. It was a small town that rarely ever had anything bad happened in.

She found a nice spot towards the front to sit and wait. She wanted to make sure he could hear her and his sister Sarah cheer all the way from the field to the bleachers when we went up to get his diploma.

The bleachers began to fill up quickly, and as diligently as she searched and waited she couldn’t find his family anywhere. She figured they arrived late and were watching from the fence where some people had to stand and watch since the bleachers were full.

“Now welcoming the graduating class of 2013, everyone give nice round of applause!” the principal called out on the stage into a microphone.

It only took around 30 minutes to get through the class, calling each students name individually to give them their diploma and a handshake. Kai was towards the beginning since it was alphabetically. 

Kai Cardell. He walked up, taking his place on the stage, with the spot light on him. Ozzy cheered and shouted as hard as she could only to find that she was the only one praising him.

He looked disappointed, but shook the principals hand regardless, quickly taking his diploma and going back to his seat to wait out the rest of the time.

When it was all over, Ozzy was waiting in his car for him. Slamming the door shut behind him he remained quiet driving off.

~

Arriving back infront of his house, the sun had already began to go down. Ozzy gave him a sad look, “I am sorry...maybe something came up...they wouldn’t have done that on purpose...” she said. He shook his head, “No, its fine, graduation isn’t a big deal anyway, nothing in highschool is” he said opening the door. “Goodnight Ozzy” he said leaving to enter his house, whereas she entered her own.

~

Three bodies were taken from the Cardell house in bags, yellow police tape wrapped all around the yard. They questioned Kai about where he was during the murders, he then justified with his graduation, that being all the proof the police needed to see him not being a suspect, as well as Ozzy.

She didn’t know to much about them, his family. She knew his father worked some sort of job that required a suit, his mother stayed at home and made awesome banana bread, and his sister liked to dance. They were gone, and in the most horrible of ways.

She couldn’t tell how he felt, his face pale and quizzical. Sad? Angry? She could never tell with him.

He walked over and stared at her with sunken eyes, “Im not going anywhere tomorrow...” he said turning back to his house shutting the door when it was all over. She couldn’t argue with that.

Author's Note

I don't know when to paragraph or how to transition. Don't hit me.

So now things are gonna get serious.

Reviews

[Niki]

I really like this but i can't help but notice the time jumps. Maybe you could edit things in like ~6 years later~ or something like that other than that exceptional story.