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"Of course it had my name on top its my folder." I giggle a little at him, trying to lighten the mood. He still has a very grim look on his face. "Gerard you can not be serious!" I say mildly amused by him. "Mr. S would not..." I shook my head a little.

"How do you know that Elle?" Gerard interrupts.

"Cause he knew my mom." I sigh as we walk towards my math class.

"Says who?" Gerard blurts out.

"Okay that's it you have gone officially insane!" I say holding my hand up at him as we stopped in front of my math classroom. Mikey was already there. He looked surprised to see Gerard with me. "You're gonna be late." I say pushing him a little. He was suppose to be on the other side of the school... I don't know how he ended up walking the whole way with me...

I went and sat down and he waved Mikey over into the hall and said something to him before he left. Mikey came back in and handed me a blank piece of paper.

"Okay Elle I want you to write down everyone who was there that night." He says holding out his pencil for me. I wrinkled my eyebrows a little.

"You wanna what?" I say and he forces the pencil in my hand.

"Just list everyone that you saw Sunday night." He insists and I sigh a little exasperated. He nodded insistently.

"Um sure Mikey I'll um get this back to you later." I say noticing something that looked the word 'suspects' scrawled across the top of the paper he gave me. I smiled a little and folded it up slipping it into my pocket as class started.

Mikey, Mikey, Mikey... you're just too cute...

When the bell rang Mikey and I walked out together but instead of him stopping and turning off like he usually does he kept walking with me towards the social studies room.

"Did you get lost?" I tease him. He shook his head no and wouldn't look me in the eye. "Why are you walking with me Mikey?" I ask already knowing the answer...

"I umm.. " He mumbles something totally inaudible.

"I'm sorry what?" I say and I stop walking. Mikey stopped to and shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"I don't wanna lie to you." He said looking down at his ratty converse sneakers. He looked back up and gave me a weak smile.

"Its all right Mikey." I say smiling back. Gerard obviously told him to walk me, and probably told him not to tell me that he told him to, that he should lie if I asked...

"Elle." Mikey looked like he wanted to say something.

"Its okay Mikey." I laughed. "I get it...just..." I grab his arm and tug him along a little. Fucking Gerard and his paranoid delusions...

Mikey left me once he saw Ray was outside the social studies room talking with Sara. They waved to me as I walked past them into class. I actually paid attention in that class too. Damn first math and now social studies?! I might actually have a shot at graduating this year... 

 When the bell rang Ray and I went out into hall and Gerard was standing quite a ways down talking to Bob. They were both looking over at me. They seemed to be discussing something. And judging by the hard looks they were both giving me it wasn't good.

"What'd ya do now?" Ray laughs looking over at them and I punch his arm a little.

"Nothing!" I laugh as we walk towards them. Gerard said something to him and Bob nodded a little and then walked off. I bet he was telling him to keep and eye on me too... Fuck... The only that had no clue what was going on was Ray.

Or so I thought. As we went through the gate Gerard clutched my hand tightly in his. "Elle uh we need to talk." He said with a grave tone to his voice. "I don't know how to tell you this umm..."

"Whats the matter?" I say getting a little worried. It sounded bad... Like someone died bad....Oh fuck. I hope nothing happened to Helen!

"I know you don't want to hear this but I think that Mr. Samu-"

"Oh fuck Gerard!" I yell out smacking his arm interrupting him. I took a deep breath and looked over at him. "I thought someone died!" I laugh a little pulling my hand from his.

"Elle be serious." He says scolding me a little.

"You and your fucking theories!" I say nudging him a little. "Mikeys no better. I swear its gotta be genetic." I say and I look at Ray. He presses his lips together a little. "Aw don't tell me you believe him!" I say and Ray reaches over and wraps his arm around me.

"Walk with me Elle." Ray says slowing down his steps to keep with mine. He had his arm firmly wrapped around my shoulder and he squeezed me a little. "Lets just think about this Elle." He says and I sigh. "What exactly has Mr. Samuel told you about your mom?" He says and I think a little.

 "They went to school together, they were friends. Hell, he said they dated." I said and Ray nodded a little.

"I mean what kinda proof does he have?" Ray says and I frown. "I mean he knows you can't go ask your mom..." He says and I pull away from him. "I didn't mean it like that." Ray apologizes a little.

"No I know what you meant." I say pulling out my cigarettes and lighting one up. Fuck. They were stressing me out.

"Elle, you know those files they keep aren't just all your grades...its sports and clubs and how many times you've had detention..." He says and I just look at him. "Not to mention that fucking emergency contact card you fill out every year. That's got all kinds of crap like your parents name and doctor's names and fuck even your blood type... I mean has he told you anything that he didn't find out about by reading your file?" Ray says fluffing his afro a little.

"Yes! yes he has!" I insist. "He told me about his relationship with my mom-"

"Is it anything that anyone can prove besides him?" Ray interrupts softly and I curse him under my breath for being so god damn smart...

He was right... I couldn't prove anything that Mr. S said. My mom was dead. My papa was dead... Fuck I didn't even have her old yearbook. We lost almost everything in that fire all those years back...My mind was racing...

Gerard reached over and grabbed my hand back in his. "Elle I want you to think about what Ray said." He says to me as we approach my house.

Ray darted up the driveway first. Gerard kinda pushed ahead of me, pulling me behind him as we headed towards the steps... I hesitantly walk up towards the steps half expecting the flowers I tossed in the trash to be back on the porch again but they weren't. The garbage truck had come already... Something was wrong. I paused for a moment and looked back at the street as Gerard unlocked the door.

"What is it?" He says following my gaze into the empty street.

"I..." I shook my head a little trying to figure out what was bothering me. When it hit me all of a sudden. "Where are my trash cans?" I say looking at all the houses on the block. Their pails were empty. Flipped over on their sides lying in front of their respective houses.

"They're right there by the garage Elle." Ray says pointing to them. They were lined up nicely with the lids securely fastened.

"I didn't..." I look at Gerard. His face fell a little. He had the door halfway open and he shut it a little. He dragged the cans out to the curb yesterday. They were in the street when we left... I know they were. I even shoved the flowers back in them before we left. Gerard stepped back towards me and took my hand in his. He pulled me and pushed me towards Ray.

"Stay here." He tells me as he hops down the steps.

"Uh I don't think so." I say following him- so Ray follows me.

We came up behind him as he was reaching to take the lid off the trashcan. "Fuck Elle. I said stay there." Gerard yells at me a little. I shook my head no. He sighed a little. I guess he didn't want to argue...

He reached for the lid again. "What are you doing?" I cry out startling him a little.

"I'm gonna look inside it Elle." He says trying to sound reassuring. I knew he was freaking out a little. I could see it in his eyes...

Gerard reached for the lid again and I grabbed on to Rays arm as he took it off and leant forward, looking into it a little cautiously...

I stepped closer to Gerard. Still gripping firmly to Ray... "What.." I shuddered a little but not from the cold...

"What's in it Gerard?"