Chapter 4
A few weeks after the first murder, there is another one. The murdered has left no evidence behind except for a scale that they had used as the murder weapon. This time Jackie’s the victim.
“Well, there goes the theory it’s Jackie,” Duke says at lunch one day. He tears into his ham and cheese sandwich.
The guys shrug and dig into their lunches. We watch the cheerleaders walk in holding each other sobbing. That is everyone except Emily. She wears a big grin on her face and flips her long burgundy hair over her shoulder.
“Guess Emily’s dream came true. She’s the new cheer captain,” Wallace says with a wrinkle of the nose.
“Maybe it’s Emily,” Ronny says. Emily always humiliates Ronny at school. He’d be okay if she’s arrested for the two murders. “She’s a little too happy right now.”
Ronny’s friends agree. They talk about who they think the scale killer is and who’s next for the rest of lunch. Ronny groans when he climbs on the bus after school. He has three tests next week and a ton of homework. He’s not looking forward to doing any of it. After he’s dropped off at home, he grabs his bike and heads to a local diner to get some food, a shake, and to get some of the homework done.
To his surprise, Ingrid walks into the diner after he sits down at a table near the back of the diner. He waves at her and nearly chokes on his own spit when the girl who’s been ignoring him actually waves at him. He points at the chair across from him and she smiles. She walks over and sits down with him.
“Hello, Ronny,” Ingris says. “Thank you for letting me sit with you.”
Ronny smiles at the girl as she struggles a little when she tries to find the right words in English to say. Her accent is cute. “This is the first time you’ve acknowledged me and acutally talked to me since you started going to Brave High.”
Ingrid looks down shyly. “I am sorry. My English isn’t very good.”
“You sound great to me.” Ronny hands her his menu and leans back in his chair. “You hungry?”
Ingrid takes the menu with a grin. “Oh yes, I am starving.”
The waitress joins them at their table. “Are you two ready to order your drinks and food?”
Ingrid takes a second then nods. “Yes, please, I’d like the peanut butter milkshake , onion rings, and the cheeseburger with onion rings on it.”
The waitress smiles when Ingrid tries to say peanut butter. “Okay, so a peanut butter milkshake, a mushroom, swiss cheese, and onion ring cheeseburger, and onion rings on the side.” She writes it down on the pad of paper. “One of my favorite cheeseburgers, too.”
Ingrid nods enthusiastically. Ronny looks at her strangely for a minute. He jumps when the waitress turns her attention to him and asks for his order.
“I’ll have the s’mores shake with the ranch bacon cheeseburger and fries.” Ronny looks back at Ingrid again once the waitress leaves. Ignoring what she has ordered, he clears his throat. “So, Ingrid, how are you liking Brave High so far?”
“It’s umm… nice?”
He laughs. “You don’t seem too confident with your answer there, Ingrid.”
Ingrid laughs and shrugs. “I’m enjoying it okay. Just a lot of housework.”
“Yeah, tell me about it. I came here to get some of my homework done, but I’d rather chat with you instead.” Ronny says with a grin, winking at her.
Ingrid grins. “Okay, let’s get to…” She looks confused as she tries to think of the words.
“Get to know one another,” Ronny says, helping her out.
She nods and leans forward. “Get to know one another.”
They talk and eat for nearly two hours before they leave the diner and go their separate ways. Ronny smiles as he rides his bike home. He thinks he has a crush.