Betty’s phone buzzed with a text, and she opened it to see Stacey’s name pop up, Dad drove off like he’s in a race car. Prepare for disaster stories.
She smirked her thumbs moving quickly over the keyboard, Sounds like him.
She leaned against a low stone wall near the front steps. Students bustled past her, heading to buses and cars, their chatter was just background noise. The afternoon sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across the school courtyard.
Betty glanced at the time. Her dad and Jeanette should’ve been there by now, but traffic was always a mess at this hour. She was checking her phone for new messages from him or Stacey over and over again but there was none.
Stacey was probably raiding the fridge or scrolling TikTok.
She tucked her phone into her bag and folded her arms, ready to spot her dad’s car pulling up any second. Her eyes drifting toward the school’s front doors. A few parents and siblings waited on the curb, waving students over.
The doors opened, and she straightened, expecting to see Jeanette’s familiar blonde hair. Instead, a police officer stepped out, his uniform crisp and his face set in a solemn mask.
"Betty?" he asked, his voice gentle but firm.
Betty blinked, her chest tightening. "Yes," she said slowly. "Why?"
The officer stepped closer, his hat in his hands. "I need you to come with me."
“What? Why? What’s going on?” Betty felt her heart sped up.
The officer didn’t answer right away. He started moving toward the exit, as if beckoning Betty to follow him. "Please, come with me," he repeated softly.
Betty trailed behind him. His silence, paired with the weight in his expression, made her stomach drop. Her legs felt like lead as she followed him toward his car, a growing dread tightening in her chest. Something terrible had happened—she could feel it. Her mind raced with hundreds of possibilities, each one worse than the last.
Her father’s text from earlier replayed in her mind, his warm smile and his voice still so vivid. Please, she thought desperately, let him be okay. Her phone buzzed again in her bag, but she didn’t look. It didn’t matter now.
“Why won’t you say anything? What happened?” her irritation bubbling up.
Officer turned to her, his gaze full of compassion. "Betty, there’s been an accident.”
"An accident?" she echoed, her voice trembling. "What do you mean? What accident?”
The words hit her like a blow to the chest, sucking the air out of her lungs. “Something happend with your father and your stepmother."