A New Beginning (Second Chance #1) (28 page)

            
 
Mr. Johnson’s voice came across the intercom system.
Attention students. Please turn your attention to the nearest AV unit and stay tuned for a very important message. Thank you.

              As soon as the message finished the security footage of James attacking Karla filled all of the AV screens. Chase had set it on an automatic feed immediately followed by the security footage from the dance when Albert was bad mouthing Karla.

              About a minute into the footage Chase and Dominic walked into the cafeteria and sat down with Callie and Rylee. Once both videos played out the AV units clicked off and the lights came back on. Karla walked over to the table she’d been sitting at and sat back down and Conner walked over to Kevin, who had just entered the cafeteria.

              “Man, Mr. Johnson is furious. If steam could actually come out of someone’s ears it would have been coming out of his. That was beautiful.” Kevin said with a laugh.

              “I just hope it worked.” Conner said and walked away. The lunch bell would be ringing in a minute so he walked out of the cafeteria and headed toward his next class.

Once everyone was in class Mr. Johnson came onto the PA system.
Attention students. Due to a breech in school security classes are suspended for the rest of the day so I can find out who hacked into the system. You are not, however, dismissed from school. You will wait in your designated classrooms for me or another staff member to question you. Thank you.

              Their Spanish teacher looked up from her desk. “If we’re going to be here anyway you all may as well break into groups of six and study. Conner, Karla, Callie, Chase, Rylee and Dominic immediately grouped together and started a whispered conversation.

              “Did anyone leave anything behind that can link them to this?” Karla asked everyone.

              “Nope and I wiped the security footage from the time class dismissed and programmed the cameras not to come back on until after the video feed ended. He isn’t going to find anything to link it to us.” Chase told them confidently.

              “I didn’t touch anything in the AV room except the things I touch every day to play the morning news cast.” Dominic told them. “So even if he has the cops in to dust for prints mine are supposed to be there.”

              “Okay. Good. I’d go to him right now and confess to it all before I would let any of you get in trouble.” Karla told them.

              “He wouldn’t believe you Karla. You were having a very public discussion with Conner at the time and everyone saw us three together in the cafeteria.” Callie told her.

              Before they could say anything else Mr. Johnson walked into their classroom. “Miss Hall, may I speak to you a moment in the hall please?”

              “Yes sir.” Karla said with false confidence and rose from her chair.

              As soon as they were in the hall Mr. Johnson faced her. “Miss Hall if you or your friends had anything to do with this I will drop it all right now and everything will be forgotten. I know that your life here has been miserable since Mr. Greene attacked you and by publically playing the security footage everyone now knows what really happened.”

              “Mr. Johnson are you saying that if I tell you that my friends and I did this then we wouldn’t be in trouble? Hypothetically of course.”

              “That’s exactly what I’m saying Miss Hall. You and your friends are exemplary students and have never caused any kind of trouble before. I’d do nothing more than give you a warning to not do it again and it’d be over.”

              “May I go back inside for a moment? I need them out here with me.”

              “Yes you may. I’ll be right here when you get back.”

              Karla walked back into the classroom and got them all. Within five minutes Mr. Johnson told them what he’d told her. They looked at her, she shrugged and told Mr. Johnson the whole story starting with what happened Friday after school all the way through what had happened that morning.

              “I see. Well why don’t you all get back to class? I have an announcement to make. Oh and Miss Hall. With planning skills like that you’ll go far in life. Have a good day.” He nodded to them all and walked off.

****

The rest of the school year passed quietly. The rumors stopped and Karla enjoyed the last two weeks of school. Finals were over and summer had begun. Everything was going great and life was finally what it should be for Karla.

              About a week after school let out Karla and her friends came in after a day at the mall and Leslie and Andrew were sitting in the family room on the couch. Karla was instantly on alert. “What’s wrong?” She asked them when she saw the expressions on their faces.

              “Sit down Karla. We have to tell you something.”

              “Umm… okay. What’s wrong?”

              “Captain McGraw just called us a little while ago to inform us that he got a phone call from a lady named Mary Matthews.” Andrew paused when Karla gasped at the name. “Do you know her?”

              “Yes. She was Grams’ best friend back in Texas. What’s going on?”

              “You may have a younger brother in Texas.”

              “What!?” Karla asked in shock.

              “According to Mrs. Matthews, Diane and her son David had a relationship their senior year of high school. It started right after you were born and lasted for a little over two years. It ended when she gave birth to a baby boy. She took off and left him with his dad. David named him Elliot and has raised him alone since then. Three weeks ago David was killed in a tractor accident and Mrs. Matthews has been caring for Elliot since, but her health won’t allow her to continue to take care of him. She tracked Diane here and contacted Captain McGraw.” Andrew explained to her.

“Karla, Andrew and I discussed it and we’d be willing to go to Texas and bring Elliot to live with us if that’s what you want.” Leslie told her.

“I have another brother? This is surreal to me. I want to meet him. I want to go to Texas.”

              Hello everyone. I’d like to take a minute to tell you a little bit about myself. I am thirty-four years old and have been enjoying the world of books for the last thirty years. Reading is my passion. A little over a year ago I turned that passion into something more when I started editing professionally. Until the idea for A New Beginning popped into my head I had always considered myself a fixer, not a creator. Through the encouragement of some wonderful authors, great friends and a supportive family A New Beginning was born. I hope you enjoy the first book in The Second Chance Series.