Okay. Keep it short then.

"Just sorry. Sorry sorry. Won't keep you." And I still don't know what I did wrong! Figure out later.

She sighs, runs a hand through her hair, and then decides she can't be bothered to deal with this right now.

"Yeah, see ya," she responds, then walks into class.

Nodding. Cynthia isn't going to stop her.

Cynthia then decides [w]ell screw it I'm just going to go home. Don't feel like standing around today after hitting my leg... and will proceed to leave.

Guess who didn't leave and will call down Thea at the end of class? The Officer!

Of course he will.

Thea goes wherever she's been directed to go and tries to seem less like she's been fuming for the past twenty minutes. She actually manages to succeed rather well.

Thea is sent to the small meeting room in the guidance area again. The aide doesn't hang around this time.

Officer Del is sitting there, writing something that looks official. He looks up when she arrives. He seems a little less smiles and a little more business. "Hey there, sit. Explain what happened to me?"

She does indeed sit.

She also tries to seem generally less like the bitchy self that she's feeling.

"She didn't really tell me much. I tried asking her about it, and at first she just ignored me and then she flipped out."

Which isn't quite how it happened, but she's not gonna tell him about how Cynthia seems to think she's a lesbian with some weird kinks.

"From what I've heard, you went to talk to her and leaned in too close. She then fell backward exclaiming that you tried to kiss her. Is there something more here, Thea?"

Thea is not going to snap, because this officer has done nothing wrong and she is also better than that.

She settles for folding her arms and simply responding with a "No."

"Now now Thea, I'm trying to help. You pointed back towards each of your friends in turn while talking to her. What were you saying?"

"I was naming them for her. She didn't know them."

"Did she ask you about them? Is there a chance she might go after them? She likely isn't the type to be violent as far as I know. What does she think of them?"

She frowns at him and says, "She didn't tell me anything. She thought I was calling one of them a criminal."

"So she doesn't see herself as having done something wrong..." He scribbles that thought down onto a sticky note. "Anything else you wish to say? You won't be named in anything I say."

"No? Nothing that would help you, I don't think."

"It all helps in the end. Even if it's just something strange she might have said, an odd writing, anything. It might not mean much to you, but investigators can pull links together out of anything, trust me."

Perhaps a roundabout way of asking about the Midnight Hour? Who knows.

She thinks for a moment, then says, "I can't think of anything obvious. I really haven't known her very long."

"Well, that's right, how did you two meet?"

"I saw her after school one day in the park, recognized her from school, and decided to say hi. She seemed kinda lonely."

"At the park. Sure."

"Is she following you around, or is one of you inviting the other to do things?"

"What do you mean 'is she following me around'? I got her number, she got mine, and we sometimes plan to meet up for food."

"You plan to meet up for food. I was asking if she just shows up when you're out getting your own food."

"Shouldn't be long until next period, if you're wondering."

"I wasn't really," she says. "But it's not like she just mysteriously appears when I'm out for food. We've only met up a few times anyway."

"I didn't know how you were deciding to meet up. I do have to make sure you're safe."

"What, because I'm a minor? Oh wait, I'm not, I turned eighteen like three weeks ago."

He looks a little confused. "I'm an officer of the law. It's part of the job, I didn't mean to upset you."