Trystan crosses his arms, his eyes back on the TV.
"Mr. Edwards," another reporter says. "Do you know if Mr. Novak was still involved with Ms. Reynolds despite his involvement with another girl?"
My heart pounds as I await his answer.
"It was my understanding that yes, they were still having relations, despite his involvement with the other girl."
I feel Trystan's eyes on me, but keep mine on the TV. It's not true. Jackson didn't cheat on me. He wouldn't do that. He told me things were over with Kristen and I believe him.
"And the girl he was involved with," the reporter says. "Is it true she's the niece of actor Brock Halliway?"
Principal Edwards nods. "Yes. The girl recently moved here and enrolled in Twisted Pine Academy."
"Where you are currently the principal," the reporter says.
"Yes, that's correct."
"And will you remain the principal? Despite what has happened?"
"As of now, that's the plan. The school is very important to me and I feel it's my duty to both the school and its students to return there as soon as possible."
"Regarding this girl," a different reporter says. "What do you know about her?"
"I know she has a troubled past. Her mother died suddenly, leaving her with nowhere to go. Brock Halliway, her uncle, generously offered to take her in."
"What about her father?" a reporter asks. "Brock's brother, Devon Halliway."
"As many of you know, Devon Halliway has struggled with drugs and alcohol for years, making him unable to care for his daughter. At least that's what I was told when Brock enrolled her in my school."
"What else do you know about her?" the reporter asks. "And do you think she was at all involved in what happened?"
"I'm hoping that's not the case but I'm not ruling it out. The girl is a bit of an outcast. She's struggled to make friends at school. She has anger management issues but is currently in counseling to hopefully help with that."
Trystan laughs. "Anger management issues."
"Shut up," I say, raising the volume on the TV.
"How well did she know Kristen?" a reporter asks.
"Unfortunately, Ms. Halliway didn't get along with Kristen, which is unusual because everyone got along with my daughter. Kristen was well-liked by everyone in school. But Ms. Halliway was very jealous of her, particularly when it came to her relationship with the Novak boy. There was an incident at school in which Ms. Halliway went so far as to use physical violence against my daughter, punching her in the face so hard she needed immediate medical attention."
"I barely punched her," I mutter.
"Given the girl's troubled past and history of physical violence toward my daughter,” Principal Edwards says, “I wouldn't at all be surprised if she was somehow connected to what happened to Kristen."
"So you think she was working with Novak to do this?" a reporter asks.
"At this point I don't want to make assumptions. I'm confident the police will discover the truth and make sure the right people are locked away." Principal Edwards looks at the camera directly in front of him. "Although the investigation is ongoing, I personally believe the killer is already behind bars. I thank you all for your prayers and concern for my wife and me during this difficult time. That is all I have to say for now." He turns and walks back to the house.
The camera pans back to the reporter.
"As you can see, the feelings are still raw from this tragedy. Steven Edwards is clearly shocked and distraught after learning his stepdaughter was found dead behind the house of the boy she was in a relationship with. Now we're learning another teen may have been involved. A troubled girl who recently moved here and was apparently also dating Mr. Novak. It's not yet known if the girl had anything to do with the murder but hopefully we'll know more as the investigation unfolds. Now back to you, Marissa."
They switch back to the news desk and move on to another story. I turn the TV off, staring at it in disbelief.
"Shit," Trystan says, rubbing his jaw. "Now I'm thinking you did it."
"I didn't do it!" I turn to him. "What the hell?"
