It took a moment for Theo to process the news that his best friend was gone. He would never see or talk to Chris ever again. James and his friends killed him.
"I didn't kill Chris. You have to believe me." Theo begged, but the officer laughed in his face.
His blue shirt and khakis were stained with blood and dirt. He was a mess, and anyone who saw him was bound to feel sorry for him.
"The two of you got into a fight, and you ended up accidentally killing him. Unfortunately, it doesn't matter if you wanted to kill him or not, kid. Murder is murder." The officer said.
"That's not what happened!" Theo screamed, but he ended up coughing. He fell to the ground in a mess, feeling pain throughout his body. His eyes were swollen due to the beating, and his ribs were broken.
It was a hassle to get up, let alone walk. They should have taken him to a doctor before they had him arrested. He didn't deserve to be treated like a criminal.
"You can scream and shout, but I know what happened. James, the mayor's son, and his girlfriend, Rachael, were walking in the park after their date, and they saw the two of you arguing."
Everything clicked for Theo. James was never going to take accountability that his bullying had led to someone's death. Theo was the one who would suffer the consequences for that. Not only was his friend dead, but his life was over.
He would be in prison for the rest of his life, and even if that didn't end up happening, he would never be allowed to work with a record. Being in jail was one thing, but being in jail for murder was an entirely different thing.
"James and his friends from the football team jumped me, and Chris came to defend me. That was how I ended up in this state, and Chris is…Chris is…"
Theo couldn't say the word dead. It still hadn't clicked that his long-time childhood friend was dead. Tears streamed down his face, but no sound came out.
"James did this?" The officer asked and laughed. "Tell me, why would he do something like this?"
"Because I confessed my feelings for Rachael. She lured me to the park to get beaten. Chris insisted on waiting for me, and he ended up dead because he was trying to protect me. This is all my fault."
The officer got closer to Theo and whispered.
"Maybe I believe you. But James is the mayor's son, and Rachael's folks are just as powerful. Saying things like this will get you killed. Confess and take ten to fifteen years for manslaughter. Don't tell anyone what you just told me."
The officer had just confessed to knowing Theo was being set up, and he still didn't help him. James owned the town. He was going to get away with murder. Theo vowed to tell everyone what he knew.
He would go down, but he would go down fighting. Everyone in town would know James was a murderer and a bully. Rachael was worse—she was an enabler.
He was in his cell before the arraignment the next day. It was dark, and he was grateful that he was alone. He didn't want to catch another beating from someone. Everything was surreal for him.
He blamed himself for what happened to Chris. He should have known Rachael was a rotten egg. She was no different from James. He should have never believed she had a crush on him.
Due to the pain, he started to pass out again, but the cell opened, and two officers walked in. He backed himself into a corner, but they grabbed him and dragged him out.
"Where are you taking me?!" He yelled. "Let me go! Help!"
No one was there to save him. The other prisoners pretended they didn't hear anything, and no officer wanted to step in.
Theo was dragged to the rooftop of the building, where James and two of his friends were waiting.
"I heard you want to tell people I was the one who killed your friend. I can't let you do something like that." James said.
The officer he was talking to earlier had snitched on him. He couldn't trust anyone but himself.
"What are you going to do to me?" Theo asked.
"I was willing to let you rot in prison, but I have a feeling that you are going to make things difficult for me. I can't let people think I'm a murderer." James said.
Theo realized what James was planning to do. Hadn't he done enough? Why was he being punished for having a crush on a girl whom everyone at school had a crush on?
"Please, don't kill me. I won't tell anyone, I swear." Theo begged.
Everyone standing there knew he was lying. Once he got a chance, he would tell everyone that James and his friends were killers.
"Unfortunately, I don't trust you."
"You will not get away with this, you bastard! I'm going to kill you!" Theo screamed as he was dragged to the edge of a building. "I will come back as a ghost and fucking haunt you."
Theo could see the town where he had grown up his entire life. It dawned on him that he had come to the end of his journey. He didn't make it out of Dreamsville like he thought he would.
He was cursed to live and die there. If he looked closely enough, he could see his house. He loathed it so much growing up. Yet, he wished he were there instead of one foot away from his demise.
"I will get away with this, Theodore. This is a reminder that you are nothing but a bug I crush in my fingers. I am doing you a favor. Your life is already miserable. Death is far too lenient for a rat like you."
That was the last thing Theo heard before he was pushed off the building. As he fell, he wondered what would happen to his sister after he was gone. He hoped she would escape the small town.
The fall felt longer than it was, so he thought about how life was unfair. His bully got away with murder, and he ended up dying because someone was afraid the truth would come to light.
When his body finally hit the ground, he was alive for five seconds before his whole body shut down. He vaguely heard a scream in the distance, but it faded in an instant.
A bright light appeared in front of him, and the more he looked at it, the more he realized he wasn't injured anymore. He could move freely. He stood up and walked towards the light.
"Theodore Kline. You have been miserable all your life. I am offering you an opportunity to change things and make your life more meaningful. Do you accept to live and change your fate?" An angelic female voice asked.
He couldn't see her, but he could feel how pure she was. Was he in the afterlife?
"Are you God?" Theo asked.
"Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is what you choose. Do you want to die a miserable life or do you want to be part of something bigger than yourself?"