Let's Play Pretend

“I hate him. I hate everything about him. The way he smiles. The way he talks. The way he presents himself as if he were the ruler of it all.”
“Then why did-”
“I’m getting there. It all started 4 days ago, when he waltzed into our school as the new transfer student. I hated him from the start. But it seemed I was the only one. The girls swooned over him, the guys accepted him because the girls swooned over him. All of the teachers loved him. I hated him. I cannot say that enough.
We had math together. We sat by each other actually. I knew from the beginning something was wrong with him. I can’t explain it, don’t ask me to try. Just call it intuition. I started to think of him as my enemy. Do you know that saying ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer’ ?”
You nod.
“That’s what I intended to do. So I pretended to be his friend. We talked, we laughed, we copied each others work. Don’t put that on record.”
“That’s how I got invited to the party. I went because I wanted to have a chance to check out his house. See if I could find anything suspicious. Are you getting all of this. Because this is the important part.”
You nod again.
“I got thirsty and all they had was beer so he told me to go into the basement because they had a fridge down there. I turned on the light and saw her. She was laying there in a puddle of blood. My reaction was immediate. I ran over to check her pulse. She was dead.”
I shuttered remembering that moment in time.
“Then I heard it. The camera click. I turned to see him standing there. ‘THIS ISNT WAS IT LOOKS LIKE.’ I shouted. ‘I DIDN’T KILL HER!”
“He smiled, ill never forget that smile. ‘I know that. You know that. But what will everyone else think when they see this picture. Look, you even have blood on your fingers.’ He sounded like he was about to laugh. I didn’t understand what he was doing.
“I killed her.” He stated it so simply, kind of like he was proud of it. “But I cant get rid of the body alone. Help me or ill go to the police with this picture.”
I pause and look a you. “What would you have done in this situation. You’re a scared teenager who doesn’t want to go to jail. What would you have done?”
You don’t have an answer. Or at least not an honest one. You wouldn’t have gone straight to the police and you know it.
“I helped him get rid of the body. Ill admit that. But not because I wanted to. Do you sort of have a better understanding now? Do you see that I possibly cant be the killer and in no way should be punished for HIS wrong doings?"
The nurse dressed in her depressingly white uniform opens the door. You pack up your notes into your breifcase.
"I'll be back Max. If what you're telling me is true, we're going to get you out of here." You walk out.

“The doctor wants to talk to you.”
I walked into his office and took a seat in the rather large chair infront of his overly-neat desk.
“Ah, yes. Mrs. Harrison I presume. I see Max called you in to hear his plea.”
“Yes sir. I think I could make a case out of it. How-”
“You’re not the first lawyer to be called in here Mrs. Harrison. Which story did he tell you? The one about the photo? A brilliant mind he has. Far smarter that you and I, I would bet money on that. But you mustn’t believe his stories. They are just stories, no matter how convincing.” He passed an manila envelope to me. “The girl was strangled, there was no blood. Nor was there a transfer student 3 days prior to the murder. It is a delusion he has created to cover up the fact that he murdered that girl. There is no case to make.”
He smiled and leaned back in his chair, crossing his hands over his rather large stomach.
“He’s had a number of stories. But all of them can easily be proven wrong. Its like he’s trying to get out of here, but he knows doesn’t deserve it. Whether his mind lets him believe it or not, he is a murder." He motioned around him. “That’s why he’s here.”