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Chapter Twenty-Eight
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     TORI SAT DOWN IN THE CHAIR RIGHT ACROSS FROM SHERIFF KELLER and looked at her folded hands, not wanting to look at the man in front of her. The image of Midge's stabbed and crucified body pinned to the wall and the message written in her blood replayed in her mind over and over again like a video on loop.

     "You were backstage getting ready for the show, right?" Keller asked.

     "Yes, Sheriff," Tori said while nodding.

     "Did you see Midge during the time when everyone was getting ready?"

     "No, Sheriff."

     "Was anyone with you at the time you were getting ready for the show?"

     Tori wondered if she should mention that Sweet Pea was with her at the time but she was hesitant to do so. What if he became a suspect of Midge's brutal murder? His status as a Serpent would automatically put him on top of the list of suspects and it would be her fault. What if Sweet Pea was questioned and he said he was with her and she said she was alone? Or if he said he was never backstage and she said he was with her? The Sheriff would know that one of them was lying and question them some more and whoever told the lie would be the first suspect above the other. But whether Tori or Sweet Pea were to say that they were nowhere near each other, they would be caught either way because Jughead caught them on camera and it would be used as evidence.

     "Sweet Pea was with me in the dressing room twenty minutes before the show started," Tori said, hoping that she didn't just make a mistake by telling Sheriff Keller that Sweet Pea was backstage. "Can I ask you a question?"

     "I guess," Sheriff Keller said while shrugging his shoulders.

     "Who else is being questioned about Midge's murder?" she asked as she looked at him for the first time since she walked inside.

     "We're questioning everyone who was backstage before the show started."

     "With all due respect, Sheriff, by the time you question everyone who was backstage, whoever killed Midge could be planning their next move and until they do kill their next victim or get caught, everyone in this town are just sitting ducks until then."

     Sheriff Keller only looked at her as she fidgeted with her fingers as the events of that night replayed in her head for what felt like the ten thousandth time. She was back to avoiding eye contact and all she wanted was to go home and sleep but the memories of what she had just seen would most likely keep her awake for hours on end.

     After a few more questions, Tori was led outside of his office and her mother was waiting in the chairs that were right by his door. When she heard the door open, she quickly stood up and pulled Tori closer to her.

     "Thanks for coming in, Tori," Keller said with a short nod.

     "Goodnight, Sheriff," Selena said as she and Tori left the police station and towards the car that Selena had parked in the lot.

     Once they were both inside and had their seatbelts on, Selena started up the engine and drove out of the parking lot. Tori leaned her head against the window as she stared outside, not really focussing on anything that passed by. Everything moved in one big blur but she couldn't bring herself to focus on anything to cease that blur. Her eyes felt heavy but she was unable to close them and even if she did, they refused to stay closed. Who knew that the death of someone you barely knew could have this kind of effect? Her mother looked at her every now and again to see how she was doing before returning her attention to the road but Tori didn't even move. After she pulled into the driveway in front of their house and killed the engine, she gently shook Tori's shoulder and the young teenage girl slowly sat up and adjusted her seating position.

     "We're home," her mother said.

     Tori didn't say a word as she grabbed her bag and got out of the car, slamming the door behind her. She waited on the doorstep for her mother to finish locking the car and unlock the door so they could both go in. Once they were inside, the pitch black room was flooded with light once Selena flipped the switch and Tori made her way upstairs. Her bag sat on the floor at the foot of her bed and she sat down on the mattress to take her shoes off. How could one night start off so well but end so badly? It started when the boy she liked came into her dressing room before she had to go onstage, helped braid her hair and kissed her. And just like that, the night ended in a tragedy and destroyed all aspects that made the night so good in the first place.

     Her hair was still in a braid but she took it out and tied her hair into a messy bun. She changed into a pair of sky blue fluffy pajama pants with panda bears on them and a white t-shirt with the word "whatever" printed in black.

     She tried to sleep but she just couldn't as she tossed and turned. She looked at the clock and the red numbers displayed two o'clock in the morning. She groaned as the turned the lamp on and got out of bed and left the room. Her mother's door was closed and there was no light from underneath so she assumed that she was already fast asleep as she carefully tiptoed down the stairs and into the kitchen. She tried drinking water since it usually helped when she couldn't sleep but not even that helped. She sighed as she turned off the light in the kitchen and went back upstairs to her room. Once the door was closed, she paced back and forth, hoping that the constant moving around would make her tired enough to sleep but it was like her mind just wouldn't let her. She tried reading, drawing, listening to music but nothing seemed to work.

     She laid down on the mattress and hoped that maybe this time, she could actually fall asleep but as soon as she closed her eyes, all she could hear was her alarm. She looked at the clock and it read seven o'clock in the morning and she turned it off. She pulled the curtains open and was blinded by the morning light, confirming that it was in fact morning and time for her to get ready for school. Tori sighed as she grabbed a pair of skinny jeans and a maroon long sleeved v-neck to wear and headed into the bathroom to take a shower.

     Once she was finished, she put on her clothes and combed the knots out of her hair. She tied her dark tresses into a half up half down ponytail and brushed her teeth. She tried to cover the dark circles under her eyes with concealer and it turned out somewhat okay but she didn't have the patience to be picky about it. She put on her shoes and grabbed her bag before heading downstairs, where her mom was sitting with a cup of coffee and a bagel with cream cheese.

     "Morning. Did you sleep well last night?" she asked.

     "Yeah," Tori said as she nodded shortly and smiled.

     She took out an orange from the fridge and started peeling the skin off over the garbage can. She prayed to God that her mother didn't catch her lie and she hoped that she didn't notice the concealer under her eyes.

     "Do you want a ride to school today?" Selena asked.

     "No thanks, Mom. I can just walk," Tori said as she tossed out the orange peel. "I have time."

     "I'll see you later."

     "Bye, Mom."

     And she was out the door.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

     WHEN TORI GOT THERE, SHE SAT DOWN IN THE STUDENT LOUNGE with a large cup of mocha iced coffee in her hand. Since she didn't sleep at all, she needed something to keep her awake through the day. Toni walked into the room with Fangs and sat down right across from her.

     "Please tell me that's not the only thing you had this morning," Toni said.

     "Oh, please. I actually ate food before getting this so you don't need to worry about me," Tori said before taking another sip.

     "You'll get bad nerves if you drink too much caffeine," Fangs chimed in.

     "I don't think they can get any worse than they are now," Tori said while rolling her eyes.

     "What about bad nerves?" Sweet Pea asked as he walked in and sat down next to Tori who didn't even look at him.

     "We were saying how Tori is gonna get bad nerves if she keeps drinking those iced coffees," Fangs said while chuckling.

     "I swear to God, Fangs, if you don't shut up right now, I'm gonna shove my fist so far down your throat you'll be shitting my grip until we graduate," Tori said while glaring at Fangs who stopped laughing immediately.

     Sweet Pea and Toni were both concerned about what just happened and neither of them were sure on how to approach the situation.

     "Um, Tori? How much sleep did you get last night?" Toni asked, clearly concerned about Tori's currently explosive behaviour.

     Tori scoffed. "Who keeps track of that?"

     "After what happened last night, I don't blame you," Fangs said while shrugging his shoulders.

     "I think you've had enough caffeine for one day," Sweet Pea said as he reached for Tori's drink but she pulled it away before he could grab it.

     "If you want me to stay awake all day then I need the caffeine," she said.

     "Could you at least eat something besides drinking caffeine at lunch?" Fangs asked.

     "For God's sake, if it will get you three to shut the hell up and leave me alone, fine," Tori said as she stood up. "I'll see you guys later."

     She grabbed all of her stuff and left the lounge without another word and started heading to her locker. When she got there, she saw Cheryl but before she could talk to her, the redhead had already taken off. Tori sighed as she grabbed her history textbook from her locker and started heading to class.

     She already knew that it was going to be a really long day and a really long month filled with stress as the town prepared themselves for Midge Klump's funeral.