"I don't think that's necessarily the case. True or not, since someone mentioned it, there must be some reason behind it. Why not just check if there's been a murder or a body dump?"
The speaker was a woman, the same one who first rallied against Fiona.
Fiona squinted, scanning the crowd until she spotted her. She didn’t really remember much about this woman, except that her daughter sat next to Janet in class.
Without giving it too much thought, Fiona replied, "Alright, but if you don't find anything, you'll all have to face the consequences for your words and actions."
Before anyone could respond, Fiona led Nash to another spot, unveiling the whole view of the rocky outcrop to everyone.
Behind the rocks were just a few snack wrappers, some freshly put-out cigarette butts, and candy wrappers. The grass was trampled, but new sprouts were pushing through the flattened areas, looking lively and full of life.
Patricia stared at Fiona in shock. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. How could there be no signs of a struggle?
In disbelief, she inspected the area over and over before collapsing to the ground, looking utterly defeated.
This was it, Patricia thought. She was going to get punished and expelled. There was no way she could explain this to her parents. She was doomed!
Suddenly, she scrambled up from the ground, pointing beneath the rocks. "Fiona must have thrown the body down the hill. There has to be a body down there! Let's go check!"
The entire scene fell into a strange silence, with everyone simultaneously going quiet.
The parents who had been quick to vilify Fiona were now silent, realizing how quickly things had turned and unwilling to support Patricia any further.
Meanwhile, the parent who led the charge against Fiona was fuming, glaring furiously at Patricia. She had rallied the other parents against Fiona, only to end up stuck in this mess herself.
"No... it's not like that!" Patricia stammered, her face pale with fear, her trembling voice betraying her terror. "I really saw something, but I don't know why it turned out like this."
"Enough. This matter ends here. I'll explain the situation to the school," Keaton finally intervened, putting an end to the discussion.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Flora’s Guide to a Second Chance at Love and Life