This choice: Claim Allison and Ashton • Go Back...Chapter #25Sniffing the Couples' Trail by: Nostrum   Kelly Miller seems like the easiest choice, because you already know her. All you need is to call Jessica, tell her to come, and problem solved.
If she was the one there. You can’t rely on the real one because she doesn’t know a thing, and turning her into a skin once again would cause a lot of suspicion on you.
But there’s a couple that did see you, and that could probably confirm everything if you showed them a photo of Mikey. And thus...
“I could try to get you the couple, but that depends if my informant can get them.”
"That’s not good enough,” Ashley tells you. “Can you get them, or not?"
They’re your best option, so you double down on them. “Yeah. But I’ll need some time.”
She thinks for a bit, then nods. “How about here, at 3?”
“I guess that sounds fair.”
“Alright.” She stands up, pointing at you. “3 o’clock. Sharp.”
“Well,” you point at the layout. “Can’t leave unless you check this.”
You see Ashley rolling her eyes, leaning on the screen. She points at one of the articles on the gossip page, swiping her finger away. “Take Kuntz’s one down. That should give you about a thousand words.”
“Why?”
“Because if it’s true, I want it complete before Monday. Sounds better than her silly hit piece against Mr. Olbermann’s test anyways.”
--
Though you could’ve asked Ashley about them, that would have proven you know nothing about them. (Which is a lie, since you could say you know them very intimately – for a given definition of the word.) You recall some key details, of course, such as his pick-up, but you didn’t have enough foresight to take photos of his ID.
You do recall one thing, though. Jessica told you Allison works at the local Save-Mart, and since she skipped yesterday, that means there’s a high chance she may be working today. At best, you could ask the employees for directions.
You’ll need to walk a lot to reach Save-Mart, though. Edgefield is quite big for a town, being the largest settlement nearest to Tyneside, and large enough to have its own big brand shops. Save-Mart stands at the strip mall bordering the highway connecting Tyneside with the neighboring county seat, which is an easy 10-minute drive from school. Reaching there on foot will be impossible, but fortunately a trolley runs near.
Trouble is, the nearest trolley stop is at least a block away from school, and you’ve never noticed if it stops near the strip mall. Thus, even if you stepped out of school before noon, it’s almost by 1 in the afternoon that you finally arrive, and that’s after missing the nearest stop.
It’s a Saturday, which means Save-Mart is quite full of people. Checking up every employee will be a pain, so you move straight to one of the managers for questioning. “Hello,” you say, calling his attention. “Do you know if Allison Tennyson works here?”
The manager – an overweight and balding man with a tired look – grumbles at you. “Yeah. Why?”
“I was wondering if she was working today. I need to speak to her.”
“Not during work hours,” he tells you. “You can talk to her on her break. Do you know her?”
“Uh, yeah. She and I, uh... we go to the same school.”
The manager lifts his brow, as the only concession to his frown. “Night school?”
“No! Uh... Edgefield High.” You notice he leaves, and you try to stop him. “Sir! It’s important!”
“If you have any issue with Tennyson, off grounds – or else, I’ll be forced to throw you off the premises.”
“Can you at least tell me the department where she works?”
“I have nothing else to speak to you. If you wish to buy something, do so quickly – if I see you again, I’ll call the guards.”
Whoa, you think. Must’ve been something I said...
Figuring you won’t get any more aid, you check for a bottle of cola and prepare to leave when you see her. She’s tending one of the cashier stands, faking smiles but evidently dying inside. You check if the manager’s around before lining up to her stand, taking out a dollar and a quarter to pay for the drink.
Once you arrive, though, you take the opportunity to ask her. “Uh, can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” she says in a bored voice, a big contrast to her playful tone yesterday. “Questions are free. But make it quick.”
“It’s gonna be for a favor,” you tell her. “You’re gonna take your break soon?”
“What kind of favor?” she says as she processes your bottle. Your request has made her smile a bit more genuine, but in a sassy way.
“It’s about the party you were on yesterday.”
“At Mackenzie’s?” she says as she puts the bottle on a bag, which you decline. “Good one, huh?”
“Yeah,” you tell her. “It was... amusing.”
“Did you see what everyone’s talking about? They said some girls were roofied and their clothes stolen.” She leans closer, purring with her nose. “Didn’t see anything – I was so wasted that I ended up in Edgefield High.”
Phew! You think to yourself. They don’t suspect a thing.
“Anyways, I’ll take my break in a couple minutes. Wait for me outside.”
“Sure! And, um... thanks.”
“Anytime.” You step away as she greets the next customer, and you take small gulps while waiting for her.
Nearly fifteen minutes later, long after finishing your bottle, you see her stepping from the other side. “Hey! I didn’t get your name.”
“It’s David.”
“Cool.” She flashes her ID – the same Jessica showed you back then – and smiles. “Allison, but I guess that’s what the ID’s for.”
“Nice to meet you,” you say as you shake her hand. “Say, what’s with ‘Tennyson’?”
She cackles, covering her black-balmed lips. “Dad thought the alliteration would be funny. Turns out, it made bullying me easier.”
“Why work on a place where people don’t like you?”
She snorts, but rather than being amused, it seems you struck a note deep within her. “Only place they recruit underage people.” She takes a cigarette and taps it on the box she took it from. “Living on my own, y’know.”
Right, you recall. She’s emancipated. “So, you go to school? Because I asked your manager, and he--”
“My boss’s a bit overprotective. Must’ve figured you didn’t know me, because everyone that does knows I can’t go to school – it's either that or paying for my place.”
“I see...” You blame yourself for that lack of foresight. “Anyways - I don’t wanna bother you too much, so I’ll get to business. I heard you saw a specific couple together.”
“I saw a bunch of couples,” she tells you. “Gonna need more info.”
“It’s a Hispanic kid and a cheerleader.”
She grins, snapping her fingers. “Oh, those two! Yeah, I think I saw them. They got in my room – they were pretty horny – but I don’t remember too much about it.”
Sorry, you tell her, apologizing internally.
“But yeah, I saw ‘em. I don’t know if my boyfriend’s stuff kicked in then or they did something to us, but I blacked out afterwards. Why?”
“Just wanted you to prove it to my editor. I work for the school newspaper, you see.”
“Sure! Mind asking what for, though?”
“Gonna write an article about it,” you reveal.
“Oh!” She slaps your shoulder in a very friendly mood. “Gonna out them? That’s cute. When do you need me to tell her?”
“Well...” You’d want her now, but you recall she’s on her break. “I’d tell you ‘now’, but I’ll have to tell my editor she’ll have to wait. She expects me to meet her at 3.”
“That’s about an hour and a half away,” she analyzes. “Not gonna be able to help you by then.”
“I was wondering – you said something about your boyfriend. Did he see them too?”
“Sure!” she tells you. “Maybe Ash can help you – he’s still a student, so he can meet you there. Just tell him about the last couple we saw and he’ll tell you.”
“Great! Not gonna bother you any longer – I need to take the trolley back to school. I don’t have a car, y’see--”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Allison draws her phone from her purse, looking through her contacts. “I’ll tell my boyfriend to pick you up. I don’t think he’ll mind.”
“Uh...” Your face twists as you try to fake a smile. “Thanks.”
“No prob. Say – since I’m helping you, you could tell me about what happened on the party. Who’d try to steal some girl’s clothes mid-party...?”
Maybe they were trying to steal them, you think. You’re starting to grow guilty, though, as you’re seeing Allison for who she really is.
--
And it turns out Ashton’s just the same. He’s never met you, but he greets you as if he knew you. “Hey. You’re the guy Ally told me about?”
“Yeah.”
“Cool. Ash Kennedy,” he greets you with a calloused hand and the scent of weed surrounding him. “She told me you study at Edgefield High?”
“Yeah.”
“Weird. I’ve never seen you before.”
“Same thing,” you say, for while you know him from your stint, you never saw him before in that sea of teens.
“She said you were on the school newspaper, though. You know Ben?”
“Wister? Yeah. He convinced me to join.”
“He’s a good guy,” he tells you, his shoulders hunched as he rummages his pockets for a stogie, then shaking his hand. “Shit - forgot I shouldn’t do it here. What were we talking about?”
“About helping me on an article I gotta do. I need you to confirm my editor that--”
“Right!” He leaps from the bench, patting his pockets. “Ally told me you need a ride. Where you’re going?”
You’re about to tell him to take you to school, but you realize his word is the only thing you have. How will you prove to Ashley that Ashton’s trustworthy just by the scent?
Your mind quickly runs with the possibilities. You could try to convince Ashley to wait until Allison steps out, hoping two witnesses are better than one. But you could also go straight for a more direct source – what about looking for Mikey? Or better yet – what if you can convince Lindsey to back you up?   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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