by Blair Burden
Simon Death High
by
Blair Burden
Text copyright © 2011 by Blair Burden
All rights reserved. Expert as permitted under the U.S Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission of the author.
Smashwords Edition
There is no paperback version of this book as of 2011. This book is FREE and if you were charged for this book, it was done illegally.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious and are based on characters 18 years or older. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Simon Death High: a novel / Blair Burden
Summary: Hannah left for six weeks but, when she comes back, her friends believe she somehow is involved with the murders that happened to teens at their high school.
Blair Burden official website: here
[email protected]
Feel free to read Reasons for Recovery; also based in Simon, Idaho.
Contents
Prologue
1 Welcome Back
2 Poor Hannah
3 Bad Influences
4 Secrets Unraveled
5 Hannah's Web
6 Linda's Mistake
7 South Simon
8 Joy Ride
9 Black Roses
10 Misguided
11 Busted Bitch
12 Liar Liar
13 Ha Ha
Epilogue
Intro | Prologue
It is a rainy day outside—you know those days when you were in school and you had to stay in the gym for physical education—those kind of rainy days. Anyway, it's a rainy day, and you decide to stay inside. You're all cozy in your furry socks and you're glad you have the television to yourself. So, you turn on the television to the local news and as expected, breaking news isn't something sweet and innocent. Just another teen dead. They probably died from drinking and driving or overdosed on drugs—typical dumb teens these days.
But, then you cringe and realize that is the fourth kid that's been murdered from your high school in the last two years. You won't discuss it at the dinner table—cause no one eats at the dinner table anymore—and you'll stay silent about the whole thing.
Not until you're on the local news—but, then it's too late.
1 | Welcome Back
Lucy Jackson nearly choked on her milk carton as she tried to drink every drop. She sucked on it harder as some freshmen threw tiny paper balls into her mess on her head called curls—and it didn't help that her last name was Jackson. She swore she wasn't trying to bring back jheri curls. That was just what happened when you're a biracial girl in moist weather.
She stuck her tongue out as a paper ball hit her in her green eyes. Linda Wilson began to laugh, nearly choking on her watermelon as Lucy's pale skin turned red—probably as red as Linda’s hair. Lonely Linda had no room to laugh—maybe she did. She had the right to laugh at others, since people seemed to tease her about being the only redhead in Simon, Idaho.
Lucy stuck out her green tongue, that had turned that color from eating too much Sour Patch Kids. “Gosh, I cannot wait until we are out of here.”
“Just six more months,” Linda said as she seductively crossed her legs and the bottom of her cheeks that hung out her too tiny shorts were exposed. “College here we come.”
“If we ever make it!” Michael Rose slammed his body onto the table and water dripped onto Linda’s tanned arm.
“You shouldn't say that around here,” Lucy muttered as she brushed back Michael’s dark locks, that had been wet from swim practice.
Michael rolled his eyes, and not in a masculine way. He gently leaned across the lunch table and removed lent from Linda’s long dark eyelashes. “There is so much tension these days. I think everyone should just calm down!”
Linda rolled her blue eyes, “I agree with you one-hundred percent.” She winked and handed Michael her bottle of lotion to moisten up his perfectly tanned skin.
“You have to remember those kids who died had friends and family. We have to respect that,” Lucy, who was obviously more mature than the rest, said. “It's scary when you think about it.” She gasped as her handbag fell to the floor, and dived to get it. All anyone could hear was the sound of pills swimming around in a bottle hit the floor. “It's menstrual pills. I get bad cramps.”
Linda tried not to make eye contact with Lucy and instead stared at her own boobs that were a size too large for her bra. She stuffed them down, as if she were packing a bag with clothes.
Michael’s eyes grew large and the girls looked back to see what he was seeing. They all stared in disbelief as they expected to not see Hannah Walton anytime soon—unless on a milk carton—and not for a good reason.
She left for six weeks without telling anyone. Apparently, not even her teachers knew she would be gone for so long. That wasn't like Hannah at all. From the gang, she probably had the best head on her shoulders—well, besides Lucy. Missing any amount of school was a big no-no for Hannah. The only thing that she would put before school was a fashion show. And no fashion show was being held for six weeks in Simon. And if so—it wouldn't be worth it so close to graduation.
Hannah stayed silent as she sat next to Michael, in her usual spot. She used to sit beside Lucy, not until Linda said she wanted to have her back toward the jocks—for obvious reasons.
Michael caught his drool from hitting the table as they continued to stare at Hannah. To make sure she wasn't a figure of their imagination, he patted her arm. She flipped her long golden hair over her shoulder and beamed.
Linda tried to make eye contact with the gang but they wouldn't take their eyes off Hannah. Like always, Linda knew she had to be the one to talk first. Unlike the others, Linda had a reputation of not only being attention seeking but being outspoken.
“Um, where have you been?” Linda said, as she expectantly broke the ice. “We thought you were dead!”
Hannah laughed as she put peanut butter on a slice of bread. “What do you mean?”
Michael’s eyes got large again and then he laughed. “Um, you've been gone for like more than a month!”
Hannah laughed again as if she were at a comedy show, “Let's forget that happened, okay?”
Lucy held in her laugh as Michael imitated Hannah. As if she were the mature one, Linda elbowed Lucy in the ribs and frowned.
Linda snatched Hannah's bread, “You've been gone for six damn months. What is going on?”
Hannah tore her face up and made eye contact with Michael—her face reading 'handle this bitch'. But, everyone knew Linda was Michael’s favorite. Not that he liked her like that—she wasn't his type. And he was too afraid to handle any bitch, if Linda. Linda wore the pants, not just in her relation with Michael but with everyone she knew.
Hannah cleared her throat and bit into her apple, “Well, you guys it wasn't that long. If you're worried about me missing school—”
Linda sipped her soda, “I don't really care about you missing school,” she laughed. “I want to know where you've been and why you haven't called us?”
“Yeah, we were really worried,” Lucy finally said as she looked at Michael, waiting for him to speak.
“We thought you were mad at us,” Michael said with his eyes on Linda.
Hannah stayed quiet as she felt as though she was being attacked. She wasn't really being attacked, but she hated the attention. No one would be able to tell she didn't like attention. She was always fashionable—a little too much in this town—and heels were her best friend. She was also the head of the school's dance team. Whether she liked it or not—attention was her middle
name.
Hannah spotted a police officer and put her lunch back onto her tray as if she were done eating. “Can we talk about this some other time?” she whispered.
Michael and Linda looked at the police too. They had been on campus for the last few months ever since the recent deaths of some seniors. The tension was high anytime the students saw a police or a detective. The town was so small, to even think a serial killer was out loose among them.
“Is, um...Dr. Smith still substituting for health class?” Hannah said, as she stood up to leave.
They all frowned as she brought up Dr. Smith—their principle. Ever since ten girls were pregnant last year, he made it mandatory for all seniors and freshmen to take health class. However, it seemed as though every week their health teacher was calling in sick. And eventually, he didn't show up anymore—leading Dr. Smith to sub.
It's not that no one liked Dr. Smith—he was just odd. He wore the same shoes everyday—big shoes—there was a rumor he would fill them with paper just to look cool. He wasn't bad looking either—better than most teenagers—the girls loved him—and if you were pretty enough, you could get away with anything.
Hannah didn't bother for anyone's reply, so she left without saying bye. She flipped her blonde hair, and the smell of her shampoo awoke them. Michael had his mouth ready to say something, but Hannah was already too far to hear.
“The bitch was pregnant,” Linda said. “She had to be!”
“Then, where is the baby?” Michael snapped. “She looks exactly—”
“Fake tan, blonde hair, pink lips, she is back to the old girl we know,” Lucy said. “Maybe, she had family problems.”
“Did you see her butt?” Linda said. “It was huge!”
“She definitely had a baby!” Michael added. “If not, then what did she do for six weeks?”
“Ugh, you cannot have a baby in six weeks,” Lucy snapped, but they didn't seem to notice. Lucy had that problem—snapping a lot. For a shy quiet girl, she sure did know how to throw a fit. “Are you guys even listening to me?”
“That explains why she wore sweat suits before she left. She was hiding the baby. And she didn't even want to go to my pool party this past summer,” Linda said, as read her Facebook status.
Lucy searched the cafeteria for Hannah, narrowing her eyes to get a better view. “You guys are heartless. She is our friend. She didn't want to go to your party because it was sixty degrees outside. Everyone knows it doesn't ever get hot in this town—”
“And?” Michael and Linda said.
“She is obviously hiding something major. There were lots of pregnant girls at this school last year—why would she hide that from us?” Lucy snapped.
“Unless it was something else,” Linda said, as she lifted one eyebrow.
Lucy rolled her eyes and stood up. “I'm not going to sit here and gossip with you guys about Hannah. I'm going to leave.”
Lucy knew she couldn't get Michael to side with her, so there was no point to arguing. Linda always won—there was no winning.
Linda made kissing noises as Lucy walked away. Although, Lucy loved them both, she tolerated them—and nothing more.
With her purse closely under her arm, Lucy put on her shades in the already dim hallway. She knew as well as everyone else, that she couldn't see two feet away—but she liked to be avoided. She could easily gone unrecognized as well. She was average height about five foot four and the only thing that stood out about her was her dark crazy hair—something that guitarist Slash may have liked. And when it came to fashion—band tees, hoodies, and jeans were her style—nothing more.
If it weren't for Hannah, Michael, and Linda she would just keep to herself. If no one talked to her, it didn't faze her. She wasn't too social when it came to people—she would rather read a book.
Poor Hannah's heart skipped a beat as Lucy entered the restroom. From the gang, Hannah and Lucy were the closest, so, her being in fear when she saw her caught her off guard. Lucy stayed silent as she went into a stall to blow out boogers that had accumulated from the windy day.
Lucy squinted her eyes as she searched through her bag for the pills that had made a loud noise hitting the floor earlier. She thought about taking her prescription but instead decided not too.
With a gentle smile, Lucy walked out the stall, “I know you don't want to talk about it,” she said, shades perched on her nose. “But, you should tell them.”
Hannah spun around to the dirty mirror, searching her handbag for her favorite lip gloss. “It's not what you think.”
Lucy slid her shades back over her eyes, trying to hide her disgust. “They are on to you.”
“Um, on to me? How?” Hannah muttered as she fixed her wavy hair. “You didn't tell them, did you?”
“Of course, I didn't tell them,” she said as she tried to rub a stain off her school hoodie. “What kind of friend do you think I am?”
“I'm really sorry I got you involved,” Hannah sighed.
“What would happen if I did tell someone? Or if someone finds out?”
“I'm going to tell Dr. Smith today,” Hannah smiled. “Today will be freedom. I can take this burden off my back.”
“But...that is a bad idea. Everyone will judge you for it.”
Hannah frowned and began to dig around in her handbag. “The bell should be ringing. I really have to go.”
She rolled her eyes, “Okay, fine, we are all going over to my place tonight for a movie and some pizza. We can all talk there.”
“Um, I have dance practice first. We are thinking about joining the cheer and dance team into one. I miss having you on the team,” Hannah said. “But, I'll come over after,” she lied. “Maybe, I might tell them.”
Lucy paused, wondering if her next comment was appropriate. “Whatever you do, be safe. A lot of students have been getting hurt lately.”
Hannah stayed silent. “Don't worry about me.” She grabbed her makeup supplies and headed out the restroom. She gasped in shock, as Linda stood in the doorway. No doubt, Hannah was hoping Linda didn't hear anything. Linda would be the last person, anyone would want a secret to be told to. Everyone knew Linda couldn't hold water.
“Linda?” Hannah said.
Linda just smiled and narrowed her eyes. “And to answer your question...yes, Dr. Smith is still substituting health class.”
Hannah walked quickly to Building A to the offices. As she turned the corner, she jumped back as she noticed two detectives talking to a cheerleader, Susie Robin. Without second guessing, Hannah turned around and decided to head to her fourth period class instead.
She paused in place, as she heard Susie running after her.
“Hannah, wait up! Hannah!” Susie yelled as she caught up to her.
“Oh, hello, Susie,” Hannah said, as she stared at Susie's new blonde hair. She hated to admit it, but Susie looked cute—almost too cute.
“I'm so sorry you didn't make the cheerleading team,” she said, shockingly being nice. Susie along with many of the other cheerleaders were not very sweet people—especially, toward the girls on the dance team, including Hannah.
“Um, it's okay.”
“Well, maybe next time...when you lose some weight,” she smiled and continued to walk away. “And tell your friend Lucy, to stop being so damn weird.”
Hannah sighed and hurried toward her next class, not wanting to be late. As she tried to walk again, Lucy was pulling her back.
Lucy stared at Hannah without blinking, “What did she say about me?”
“Who?”
“That bitch, Susie.”
“More like, what she said about me,” Hannah nagged. “I can't stand her sometime.”
“Sometime...”
As the bell rang, Hannah kissed Lucy goodbye and then finally ran off to class. She barely realized her life back in Simon, Idaho hadn't changed one bit.
2 | Lessons Better Learned
Linda caught herself staring into Dr. Smith's big gorgeous aqua eyes. She tried for m
inutes at a time to figure out his ethnicity, but every time she was close, she could catch her head dropping. Although, she would never admit to saying he was handsome, she didn't mind hearing him lecture about STDs. She spent her fair share of time in his office—him writing her up for her tiny shorts, or too much cleavage. She couldn't help she had the body of a supermodel but tens times shorter—only if models could be five foot two.
With her eyes narrowed, Linda looked back to see if Hannah had come to class—and she didn't. She tapped Michael on his forehead with her hot pink nails, waking him from his nap. She and Michael had all their classes together and about three of them with Lucy. However, they all had the same teachers.
Michael shoved Linda’s hand out his face and he turned his face to the other side. Still giggling, Linda stuck her finger in his nose and she let out a loud laugh.
Dr. Smith cleared his throat, and stared at Linda. Then, he stared at Michael to wake up. Michael felt that awkward pause when everyone in the class was quiet and he knew they were staring at him.
“What?” he said, as everyone looked at him.
“Wake up!” Dr. Smith snapped. “This isn't preschool.”
“Do they even still sleep in preschool anymore?” Linda added. “I heard they don't. I’m glad I’m a nineties baby—”
“Linda!” Dr. Smith yelled. “Be quiet.”
Just as Dr. Smith was about to continue on, the bell for fifth period rang. Everyone ran out the class faster than people lined up for free chicken at KFC. Dr. Smith pointed at Linda in a vigorous way and she nodded for Michael to wait for her outside.
Walking at a slow pace, Linda tugged on her shorts to make them seem longer. Then, she pulled on her shirt to cover her cleavage. “Sorry...”
“Sorry for what?” Dr. Smith laughed. “You're always guilty of something.”
