text: M. Jade Glock It Takes Two To Murder 
   
   
   Chapter 1  
   
  She sat at her desk frustrated. She dug her fingertips into her hair and looked at her book. Final exams were tomorrow and she had nothing ready at all. She had been out all day and hadn't had any time to study. It was now 11 o'clock in the evening, she was tired and couldn't keep her eyes open but she could hardly make for her bed, even if she tried she knew she would collapse and fall asleep right there in the middle of her living room floor. Besides, if she went into that classroom unprepared she would never forgive herself, and neither would her mother, if she failed the test. She thought this over but soon had nodded off onto the desk she was seated at, shortly after that she began to snore lightly. It was completely over after that. 
  Her alarm went off. She jolted upright, she could feel the bags under her eyes and the noise from the alarm clock felt like it was screaming in her ears. She scooted out from the desk and began to walk to her bedroom to turn off the alarm; once she reached the doorway of her room was when she remembered. She didn't study! Panic rippled through her sending a chill up her spine, she could just feel the color drain from her face. What time was it? She jerked the clock off of her end table and just stared at the digital numbers across the plastic screen. It was 7 in the morning, which hardly gave her time to do anything. Like a whirlwind she got dressed and tried to wash her face some, ate breakfast and studied what she could before 8, she ran out the door and to the car “Why oh why did I have to live off-campus?” her mother’s words came to her  
  “Are you sure you want to live off-campus honey? It would be so much easier if you lived with a roommate in the dorms” 
  “But no, uh uh, not me, I had to go off and be all independent and show everyone that I could live on my own without a problem “She grumbled as she slipped into the car. As soon as the keys were in the ignition she was off and down the road in record time.  It took her about half an hour to actually get into the campus parking lot. Those were 30 minutes she didn’t have. As soon as her car was parked she jumped out and closed the door. This was one instance that she appreciated the automatic lock button on her key ring. She pressed the button and her headlights flashed, although she barely noticed. She walked through the glass double doors that made up the entrance to the college and was sitting in a seat in her classroom before anyone could ask her a question. Her teacher, Mr. Thurman gave her a quizzical look that said “Where have you been?” but he didn’t ask any questions. He addressed the class: “As you all know finals are today, you know the drill and as always, good luck” she began to perspire as she sifted through her bag for a pen and some paper. How was she going to get through this without failing? What was her mom going to say when she found out? How was her mom anyway? She began thinking that over “I haven’t called my mom in forever” she thought to herself. “I wonder if she’s doing alright.” It wasn’t until someone had given her the test before she slipped out of thought and back into reality. “No more thinking about things that don’t pertain to the test” she scolded herself. “I can think about mom later”  
  “Begin” Mr. Thurman said. After that she whizzed through the test, the whole time nervous of her score and the fact that she hadn’t studied as well as concerned because her mom hadn’t called her in forever. She assumed that it was because her mom was giving her some space, you know; let her be a college kid, but it had been so long now that it was worrisome to her. She stopped writing and started thinking about her mom again “Are you finished Lisa?” Mr. Thurman asked her, his quizzical brow back. “No sir.” she stammered a bit. 
  “Then I suggest you get back to writing” 
  He was right of course, but still, she couldn’t get her mind off of her mom. The clock kept ticking and ticking, she barely noticed as her mind drifted from the test to her mother. 
  “Pencils down” Mr. Thurman boomed 
  Lisa was jolted back to the classroom. She looked down at her test and saw that it was only about halfway finished. She picked up her pencil and randomly shaded in different circles. To her it kind of looked like a smiley face, but enough distractions. Mr. Thurman was coming to collect the tests and she wasn’t very many rows away from the front. “I said pencils down Lisa” He didn’t look angry just annoyed. “Honestly, what’s wrong with you today?”  
  “Nothing, sir”  
  “Well then, we can talk about nothing after class” 
  Lisa groaned as he passed by to take up the other tests. “What’s up with me today?” She thought to herself. “All I want to do is go home, go to sleep and dream that this whole day didn’t happen” 
  It didn’t take long before Mr. Thurman had collected all of the tests. He dismissed the class and Lisa was hoping that she could sneak by him or that he forgot that he wanted to talk to her. But no, it was just her luck that he would remember. “Except for you Lisa, I need to have a word with you” 
  ‘I need to have a word with you’? Really? That never sounded good, especially coming from Mr. Thurman. Lisa slowly approached his desk and he looked at her through the tops of his glasses. “What’s the matter Lisa?” He asked inquisitively. “Usually you’re the most concentrated person in the class, but today it was as if an opposite you had walked through that door, you were late and you didn’t finish the test.” 
  “I finished the test” She protested but then he gave her his eyebrow again “I did!” the eyebrow “Okay, I didn’t” She said, sounding defeated. 
  “So what is the matter?” 
  “Nothing’s the matter” Gave her the eyebrow “Fine, I was distracted, that’s all, I was up most of the night trying to study and I was just tired.” 
  He seemed to be satisfied with her answer because he dismissed her and told her not to do it again and that I should study rather than go out and hang with my friends. Honestly, how am I supposed to have a social life if all I’m supposed to do is study? My mom was right; I should have stuck with a roommate on campus. 
  It wasn’t until a couple of weeks later before she got her test results. She was afraid to even open up the envelope. She was so afraid in fact that she did all sorts of stuff that she wouldn’t normally do. Cleaned out the garage, organized her cupboards. Everything but look to see what was inside that envelope. “Why am I so nervous” great, now I’m talking to myself too, what else could happen? “I mean, I know what my results are going to be so there isn’t going to be any surprise to it” Stop it! I can’t start talking to myself, that’s what crazy people do. I was about to argue that point with myself but my better half decided I should open the envelope “I mean, what’s the worst thing that could happen?” Shut up, you want to get me into an insane asylum? The voice stopped speaking after that. She grabbed the envelope off of the dining room table and headed for her bedroom. I really don’t know why I walked to my bedroom when I could have just opened the envelope right then and there and been done with it but I’m trying to create some kind of climax here, I’ll be it, a lame one. She sat down onto her bed, the mattress bowing to her weight. She ran her fingertips across the letter. She used her index finger to open up the flap and she pulled the contents out of their package and unfolded the pages. “Huh, who knew” she said as she scanned the results, the test had given her an 87 which was a B. That wasn’t too bad. “I knew there was a pattern to those tests” she said as she cast aside the papers. She was finally graduating, that’s when it hit her. “I’m graduating” she whispered. “I’m graduating!” the excitement filled her almost immediately. “I’m going to call my mom” she thought. Her excitement deflated a little as she stared at the phone. I hope she’s okay she thought with a grimace as she dialed the familiar numbers that made up her mother’s telephone number. Her mother answered on the second ring. 
  “Mom?” 
  “Lisa, honey” She could hear her mother’s surprise “How are you doing?” she could also tell that her mother was smiling while she talked. She always smiled while talking to Lisa. 
  “I’m doing okay” a slight pause “Guess what mom?” she decided not to inquire why her mother hadn’t called in a while, she decided to leave it. 
  “What?” Her mother started to grow excited 
  “I passed my finals, I’m going to graduate!” She could hear her mother squealing on the other end like a school girl, her mom always got easily excited, when Lisa was younger she found it annoying but now it was the best thing that she could have heard from her mom. 
  “When’s the ceremony?” She could just imagine her mother trying to find a pen and paper, her mother was always supportive, even when she changed her major 5 times in 2 months her mother had always encouraged her in every field. 
  “I’m not sure, but I’ll let you know as soon as I find out” 
  “Okay, you better” Her mom was still smiling 
  “Mom?” 
  “Yes?” 
  “I love you” she could hear her mom growing thick with emotion 
  “I love you too” 
  Their conversation went on for a little while longer before her mother had to be somewhere, something about going out with the girls tonight. She reminded Lisa to call her as soon as she got the date for the graduation ceremony, they exchanged another round of ‘I love you’ and Lisa hung up the phone. 
   
   
   Publication Date: January 21st 2012 https://www.bookrix.com/-renaldowen