Mrs Reed's eyes widened in shock. She dropped the cup in her hand on the table in front of her. She pinched herself to be sure that she wasn't dreaming. Her eyes were glued to the television and tears streamed down her face. She was horrified and appalled. She shook her head in utmost disbelief. She thought her mind was playing games with her
But then, the reality of everything dawned on her when the image of her daughter was displayed on the screen. She stood up immediately.
"Oh no! No! This can't be true! I-I-I can't believe this", she cried. "Sammy... No! My Sammy can't be dead! I saw her few hours ago!"
She couldn't take it anymore so she grabbed her handbag from the couch and rushed out of the house. Closing the door behind her, she forgot to lock it due to her haste. She went into the dark in search of a cab. It was late so it was almost impossible to get one. But it seemed like luck was on her side because she managed to flag down a taxi.
"Please take me to Sea Coast High", she said as she got into the taxi.
She arrived at her destination after twenty minutes. It was easy to find the death scene because there were lots of students there. She pushed her way through the crowd. Her heartbeats increased when she saw the body.
Oh God please let this be a dream. This shouldn't be my Sammy.
She gulped hard and moved closer to the body. It was in a pool of blood and her skull was smashed.
As soon as she saw her face, she let out an ear piercing scream of agony.
"Sammy! Sammy! Please get up! Stop joking around. Are you trying to play pranks on your mother? Just get up Sammy! Please!" She yelled.
The students looked at Mrs Reed with pity. Some of them were even crying while some shook their heads in grief.
"My baby's gone! She's really gone! Gone forever!" Mrs Reed cried shaking Sammy's body.
Just then, she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. She turned to look at the person.
"Jade? Jade!" She called out in tears
Jade embraced her warmly.
"I'm sorry Mrs Reed. I'm really sorry," Jade said in tears.
"No Jade. Why are u apologizing? You didn't do anything", Mrs Reed said as she stroked Jade's hair.
They both disengaged from the hug and stood up.
"But tell me something Jade, how did this happen? I mean how did she die?" Mrs Reed asked looking at Sammy who was lying in the pool of her blood.
"Well, an eye witness said she saw Sammy taking pictures while standing on the rail on the ninth floor. She said she had tried to warn Sammy that it was dangerous but she didn't listen. Sadly, Sammy lost her balance and fell to her death", Jade explained.
Jade was Sammy's best friend. The both of them have been friends since elementary school. They were very fond of each other. Jade was a true definition of a best friend to Sammy. Always supporting her in everything she did. She was always there for her. But now, unfortunately, Sammy was gone...forever.
"What?" Mrs Reed shrieked. "Sammy was taking pictures on a rail? How's that even possible? Sammy would never do such a thing".
"I thought so too when I heard it. Sammy doesn't even like taking pictures not to talk of taking pictures on a rail", Jade said with a heavy sign.
Hmm... Something is fishy, Mrs Reed thought
"Um, who's the eye witness?" She asked.
"It's Claire", Jade replied. "She's one of Sammy's bully".
"What? My daughter was bullied at school? Oh! My! God! She never told me anything about being bullied".
"She didn't want you to worry."
"My Sammy! My poor Sammy," Mrs Reed wept. "She must have gone through alot".
Her heart ached after hearing that her daughter was always bullied. Not too long, the police siren was heard.
"Everyone stand back!" An officer yelled as he alighted from the vehicle.
Slowly, the crowd dispersed. The officer went closer to Sammy's body and looked away almost immediately.
"Officer, I think it's murder", Mrs Reed said and the students gasped.
"Murder?" The officer asked
"Yes. The reason behind her death doesn't sound true to me."
"What relationship do you have with the victim?"
"I'm her mom. Christen Reed is the name."
"Ok. I'm Detective Hudson. We're gonna investigate this and find out if it's really a murder case."
Mrs Reed nodded.
Two officers carried the body into the police van. Mrs Reed watched in tears as her daughter's body was carried.
"Take heart Mrs Reed. If it's discovered to be a murder case, I promise, the killer won't go unpunished," Mr Hudson said.
"Thank you Detective Hudson," Jade said.
"And you are?"
"Jade, Sammy's best friend."
"Ok. We might need to ask you some questions."
"I don't mind."
********
Mrs Reed was devastated. She couldn't think properly. As soon as she got into her house, memories of Sammy kept flashing into her mind. She went to Sammy's room. Looking at her pictures made her break down. She took one of the pictures and held it to her chest.
All she ever wanted was to fulfill her dream to be a famous musician.But now, her dream is gone forever. With her.
Sammy was all she's got. She was the reason she kept living after her husband died. Now, Sammy was gone forever. What was the point in staying alive? She waved off the thought of dying. She wouldn't die until Sammy got justice. She hoped that the police would deal with the case very well.
If she'd known that tonight would be her end, she wouldn't have let her go for the damn prom night. She wondered who wanted her daughter dead. She looked around the room as if searching for some kind of evidence. Anything that could prove that she was murdered.
Just then, her eyes caught a book between Sammy's pillows. She went closer and discovered it was her diary. She didn't want to go through her diary but she needed an evidence so she picked the diary and sat on the bed. She opened to the last page.
Dear diary,
Can today get any worse?
I don't understand why Claudia and her friends always pick on me
I don't know what joy they derive in doing that.
I'm always afraid of going to school whenever I think about them
But thinking about Alvin and Jade makes me feel better.
Today, Claudia threatened to deal with me in a severe way if I spoke to Alvin during prom
Why can't I talk to him?
I mean, Alvin is my boyfriend so I have every right to do so.
But the truth is that I'm really afraid of Claudia she's capable of doing anything
I can't even tell my mom what I'm going through because she'd get worried.
Apart from Jade and Alvin, you're the only one that knows how I feel.
Mrs Reed wept bitterly after reading it. Her daughter was really suffering but decided to keep it to herself. How could she have failed to notice it? She hadn't been a good mother. She became very angry with herself and her daughter's bullies.