Trouble School

28}}Friends

It took a great deal of effort, but Suzanne managed to get almost every phone (that mattered) in the lobby to start ringing. It took even more of her concentration to keep up several different conversations at the same time, and imitate several parents and spouses. And if she was a bit off in some spots, it was okay, because the officers weren't prepared for the phones to start ringing like that. Perhaps it would seem strange, but she could only hope they would investigate all the same.

But one thing she kept in common with every call. "Where is Detective Norgaard?" It had to be him. She knew it would seem odd that all these people would ask after a specific detective, but she didn't really care. Nor did she have the brainpower to spare on coming up with logical excuses.

As soon as the last phone was hung up, Suzanne let go, breathing a sigh of relief. Well, as much as she could, given she wasn't completely in her body at the moment.

There was a roaring in her ears, then ringing, and her head pounded mercilessly as what she could only think of as her consciousness snapped back to where it was supposed to be. Later she would think of it as some kind of out of body experience, if you could call it that.

But she hit what she could only describe as a wall, and she bounced off of it as a wave of indescribable pain washed over her. Then everything went blissfully, painlessly dark.

{ { o } }

Tom let out a vicious curse, trying to figure out what the hell to do about Suzanne's bloody nose. She was out cold, slumped back against the wall, and he didn't know why. "Hey, Fred," he said, turning to the taller boy. "Got any idea what's wrong with your girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend," Fred snapped, though it seemed more like a programmed response than anything else. Fred tore a strip of fabric from the bottom of his shirt, wadding it up and pressing it over Suzanne's nose. He carefully tilted her head back, his other hand on her shoulder to keep her steady.

It didn't escape Tom's notice that Fred handled his 'not-girlfriend' like she might shatter at any second. Then again, it could be that he was just trying to avoid touching her skin. But Tom didn't want to jump to any conclusions. Well, not too many at least. "So what's wrong with her? Why's her nose bleeding?"

"How the fuck should I know?" Fred demanded, though he didn't look away from Suzanne's face. Even in the dimness of the stairwell, Tom could see the concern in his expression, but decided not to comment on it.

Eddie, however, wasn't so considerate. "Careful, Freddie," he said. His voice sounded strained, like it was taking him a great deal of effort to sound normal. "You get any more protective of her and I'll have to insist on an invite to the wedding."

"Shut up, Eddie," they chorused.

After a moment of silence, Syd said softly, "We should probably get out of here."

"I don't really think that's in the cards for us right now," Tom argued, though not with much enthusiasm. He mostly felt, and likely sounded, tired.

"We can at least get off the stairs. Maybe find someplace a little warmer," she countered.

This was met with silence, but no one seemed to disagree.

"How are we getting Suzanne down there? I don't think I'm strong enough to carry her for very long," Fred said.

There was a contemplative pause, and then Eddie shifted, seeming almost nervous. "I can probably do it."

Tom stepped aside, making room for Eddie to slip one arm under Suzanne's knees, and the other behind her shoulders. He paused, backing up for a second to get one of her arms over his shoulder before grabbing her again.