Chapter 96 Cafe on Main Street

Chapter 96 Cafe on Main Street
I looked up at him. "Then run."

"What?"

"I said run. I'll come with you. We can go far and far away from this town and just live a good life somewhere else."

He stared at me. "You would do that? Leave everything behind?"

"I would go anywhere with you."

He kissed me softly, and I kissed him back.

\-————

We fell asleep tangled together, his arms around me, his breath warm on my neck. For a few hours, I felt safe and protected like nothing and no one could touch us.

Then the nightmare came.

Tyler was in the hospital room, his eyes open, his face pale. He was looking at me, his lips moving, but no sound came out. I leaned closer, trying to hear him.

'Why didn't you tell the truth?' 

I woke up gasping, my heart pounding, my body drenched in sweat.

Romeo was beside me, his eyes open, his hand on my arm.

"Are you okay?" 

"I can't do this anymore." My voice was shaking. "I can't keep pretending. I can't keep lying. I have to tell the police. About Damien. About Marcus. About what they did to him in the hallway."

Romeo was silent for a moment. Then he nodded.

"Okay," he said. "Whatever you need to do."

"Even if it puts us in danger?"

"Even if it puts us in danger."

\---

The next morning, I called Detective Morrison.

He answered on the second ring. "Is this Calliope Halloway?"

"Yes. I'm ready to talk."

There was a pause. "About what?"

"About what I saw. About who attacked Tyler in school."

Another pause, longer this time. "I can come to you. Or we can meet somewhere."

"Somewhere public. The cafe on Main Street. Noon."

"I'll be there."

I hung up and stared at my phone.

Romeo was beside me, his hand on my back inside his car. We were supposed to be on our way to school, but we would make the small detour to meet the detective first. 

"Are you sure about this?" he asked.

"No," I said. "But I'm doing it anyway. I think I need to do this even though Tyler may not get justice. At least he'll know I tried." 

The truth was finally going to come out.

And I had no idea what would happen next.

\----------------------------

I arrived at the cafe anxious and a little bit scared. I knew I was doing the right thing, but I couldn't help but feel nervous about it. 

It was a small place on Main Street, the kind of spot that served overpriced lattes and pastries that had been sitting out too long.

Detective Morrison was already there, sitting in a booth near the back, a cup of coffee in front of him. He looked up when I walked in, his expression unreadable.

"Calliope Halloway." He gestured to the seat across from him. "Thank you for coming."

I sat down, my hands clasped in my lap, my heart pounding. "Thank you for meeting me."

He studied me for a moment, his eyes sharp, assessing. "You said you were ready to talk."

"I am."

"Then tell me what you saw. The night Tyler Wilson was attacked."

I took a breath. "I was leaving rehearsal. It was late, sometimes after 7pm. I was in the girl's bathroom, then I heard some noise coming from the hallway. School was practically empty around that time, so I wondered who it was." I paused. "When I got there, I saw two boys attacking Tyler."

"Two boys?"

"Yes."

"Can you describe them?"

I swallowed. "They were tall, a little over six feet. Broad shoulders. Dark hair. They were both wearing dark clothing, but I could see their faces. They're newly transferred to the school."

"And you didn't report this before?"

"I was scared." The words came out before I could stop them. "I was scared of what would happen if I told the truth. I thought if I kept quiet, they wouldn't come for me. I was conflicted on what to do."

Detective Morrison leaned forward. "Calliope, if you know who attacked Tyler, you need to tell me. Those boys are still out there. They could hurt someone else."

I knew that. I'd known that for a long time. And I'd said nothing.

"Their names are Damien and Marcus," I said. "They were students at the school. They transferred a few weeks ago."

"Damien and Marcus," he repeated, writing it down. "Do you know their last names?"

I shook my head. "No. I don't know their last name or anything else about them. Except for the fact that they don't look like they should be high school students."

Detective Morrison's pen stopped moving. "Why do you think so?"

"They're older," I said. "Isn't it a bit strange? They join in the middle of school year with no news of where they're from and they look older and bigger than all the other kids. It is weird." 

The words hung in the air between us, heavy and absurd. I could see the skepticism in his eyes. He looked confused but also probably a little bit surprised. 

"Calliope..." 

He studied me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then he nodded slowly.

"Okay," he said. "I'll look into Damien and Marcus. And I'll keep your statement on file."

"Thank you."

"If you remember anything else, call me."

I nodded and stood up, my legs shaking.

I walked out of the cafe and didn't look back.

\-————————

Romeo was waiting in the car.

He was parked across the street, his eyes fixed on the cafe door. When I climbed in, he reached for my hand.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"I told him. About Damien and Marcus. I didn't mention anything else about you or your uncle. Just that it was weird that they were in High school."

His hand tightened on mine. "And what did he say?"

"He said he'd look into it. That's all. I hope they find some sort of evidence or proof that they hurt him. Something that would keep them away from him forever."

"I hope they will too. But keep your expectations low. Nothing might be done. Unless they have concrete evidence, they won't be able to stop them." 

I leaned my head against the window. "Oh well. I feel better now. I just hope this is the right decision." 

"Telling the truth is always the right thing."

"You really believe that?"

"It's what they say isn't it?" He squeezed my hand. "It begged be. Otherwise, what's the point?"

\-——————————- 

School was the same as always.

Hallways full of students. Lockers slamming. The low hum of conversation that never seemed to stop. I walked through it all, my head down, my mind still on the conversation with the detective.

Ruby found me by my locker.

"Hey," she said. "You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I talked to the police."

"About Tyler?"

"Yes."

She was quiet for a moment. Then: "How did it go?"

"I told them about Damien and Marcus. I don't know if that's enough to help but I hope it is. The detective told me he was suffocated."

"That's horrible. Do you think Damien and Marcus had something to do with it?" 

"I'm sure they did. I just hope the cops are able to do something about it."

\-—————————————-

I saw Angel in the hallway after lunch.

She was standing by my locker, her arms crossed, her eyes fixed on me. Her expression was cold and calculating, the same look she'd worn the day she'd called me Calli-whore in front of the whole school.

I kept walking.

"Calliope."

Her voice was sharp, cutting through the noise of the hallway. I stopped.

"Angel."

She stepped closer, her heels clicking on the tile. She wasn't smiling.

"You think you're so special, don't you?"