Kendall Forbes

The world is so unfair. There’s so much injustice in it.

First up, my neighbour gets arrested on suspicion of burglary, even though he had an airtight alibi. Next, my best friend gets picked up for the same job, when he was innocent too!

And now, because I’m an “associate” of them both, the cops want to interview me.

No way. What’s the trouble? I’m their alibi. I know they’re both innocent but the police don’t want to believe it. Even my dad thinks they’re involved, and therefore I am too.

The truth is, we were all at Liam’s place – my neighbour – watching some stupid movies with unbelievable stunts. You know the type, the ones that are so impossible and unlikely, and yet seem so plausible and incredible at the time.

Well, we were there all day – about six hours – watching the original, the sequel and then the third movie they really shouldn’t have made.

And I know that I should talk to the cops, but I also know they’ve already made their minds up.

It doesn’t matter what I say, and how many one-liners I repeat from the flicks. We’ll all end up in court and that’ll be the end of any decent career.

Not that I know exactly what I want to do at the moment, but hey, that’s not the point, is it?

So instead, I’m hanging out at my mum’s grave and suddenly wishing I’d helped dad with his deliveries instead of going over to Liam’s.

Dad reckons he was back around midday and that we weren’t there, but we were! The curtains were closed because the sun was hitting the TV and ruining a movie that was more than capable of ruining itself. And anyway, surely he would’ve heard the explosions and gun fire since we had the TV so loud.

I’m watching the sunset and feeling ice settle on my bones. It’s time to move. I can’t stay here all night. Can’t go home, either.

As I stand, it looks like I don’t have to worry about figuring out a place to sleep, because I can see the glow of blue and red from in the carpark. Two men in blue are already walking towards me and there’s nowhere I can run to, not that I probably could when I’m this cold.

I shake my head. They won’t believe me. If they haven’t believed the others, why would they believe me?

One of them tells me I need to come down to the station, but he’s not acting aggressive, not putting me in handcuffs. The other one looks half bored.

Something doesn’t feel right, but I let them lead me to the car.

They’re so casual about it all, you’d think they were just taking me home instead of downtown.

I expect to see dad waiting for me as we walk in, but he’s not here. They lead me down the hallway to the left, the way I came last year when I had to ID the guy who stole dad’s car.

Again, it doesn’t feel right.

As I’m taken through another set of doors and then motioned through to a small room, I realise I’m not here as a suspect.