2:31PM.

Officers Taube and Kane stood on one side of a two-way mirror in the city's police station. From their side, they were observing Chris simply sitting at the table, patiently waiting. Neil Taube sighed. “Guess we better get this over with.”

“You sound excited,” Ethan Kane said with a hint a sarcasm, as he tossed the tape recorder up in the air and caught it again.

Neil shrugged in response. “It’s only a witness statement. Not much to get excited about considering-”

“Considering the captain’s going to look over every word with a magnifying glass? You know it’s his son, right?”

“No shit, Sherlock. I can read,” he remarked, flicking the file in his hand.

“Fuck you, Watson,” was all Ethan said before opening the door to the interrogation room. Neil entered the room first and both of them then sat down across from Christopher. Ethan placed the tape on the table for all to see and pressed down on record. “Please state your full name, age, and address.”

“Christopher Hughes, 17, and…” Chris stopped, leaning back in his seat. “No, I don’t have to say anything. It’s illegal to interrogate a minor without guardian supervision.”

“It’s just a witness statement. Standard procedure, as you were first on the scene and all,” Blake explained.

“We can ask your father to be present while you give your statement if that’s something you really want,” Neil added.

Chris was silent for a moment, considering it. His dad would want to know what had happened anyway and having him here would save Chris the trouble of telling his version of events twice. However, having him here would also mean there would be more room for error. Chris leaned forward and placed his arms on the table, resting his chin on top, acting as if he was giving them permission to do their job. “Okay, continue with your questions then.”

“Alright.” Blake cleared his throat. “Can you tell us how you found Matteo?”

“I found him in the boys’ toilets. He was passed out in one of the cubicles.”

“You were alone, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Was there anything near Matteo when you found him in the cubicle? Anything strange or odd that wouldn’t normally be there?”, Neil asked.

Chris just shook his head, rubbing his chin on the sleeves of his jacket. “You’ll have to state your answer.” Blake nodded to the tape recorder so Chris would understand his request.

“No, there was nothing near him, nothing strange or odd in there at all.”

Neil asked, “Could you please tell us in your words, exactly what happened from the time you saw Matteo to getting into the ambulance?”

After Chris had retold the series of events, leaving out the part about flushing the drugs, the officers were about to ask something else. Although, before they could, they heard a voice over the loudspeaker, “Kane, Taube, out here now.” Chris put his forehead down on his arms, as he recognised that voice.

Neil and Ethan left the room immediately, stopping the tape recorder and taking it with them. They met their captain on the other side of the glass. “Cap’n, we-” Neil was about to explain.

Captain Hughes interrupted, “What is the meaning of this? Why was I not informed?”

“Sir, this is just standard procedure for someone who has been a witness, he’s not under arrest.”

“Did you get what you needed?” Ethan and Neil nodded. “Good. Get out of here, I’d like to talk to my son alone.”

3:45PM. 

Tamara walked into Payless Drugs, a dying pharmaceutical chain. This business was situated just a couple of blocks from the school. She looked around for who could be the one she’d need to talk to, until she spotted them. A measly fellow in a large labcoat who had possibly turned the wrong corner into his career. Still, she felt a little anxious walking up to him, the money burning a hole in her saddlebag. Wasting no time by pulling out the cash, she bundled it into a roll and squuzed it tightly. “I believe you have an agreement in place at 4PM?!”

The odd-looking man stared at her, dumbfounded. “Pardon?”

“There’s been a change of hands.” She held the money out in her palm and watched the confusion fade from his face.

Neil and Ethan had got out of Ethan’s DeLorean and made their way into the hospital. The pair swung open the doors and walk straight past the reception desk.

“And who do you think you are?” The voice belonged to some middle-aged reception lady with tight lips, short fraying hair, and a bad attitude. At closer inspection, the name badge on chest said ‘Pam’.

Neil and Ethan turned, getting out their badges in unison. “We’re here on official police business,” Neil stated.

“I don’t care what business brings you to  my ward. I have rules here and you need to sign in just like everyone else.”

They both exchanged glances with each other. “We’re here to speak with Matteo Hayes.”

Pam waved a pen at them. “Sign in first, ask questions after.”

Begrudgingly, they walked over to the desk.

“Who did you say you wanted to speak with?”, Pam asked Neil as Ethan signed in.

“Matteo Hayes.”

She pursed her lips for a moment. “Not going to happen.”

“Why not?” Ethan asked, handing over the pen to Neil.

“I’ll have to get his doctor to explain his condition to you. It’s not something I can discuss.”

Pam then calls for Doctor Benjamin Franklin Pierce over the speakers.

“He shouldn’t be too long,” she said to the officers. She gestured for them to take a seat in the waiting area, but they stay standing where they were.

It was only a few minutes before Dr Pierce walked through a set of double doors and made his way to the reception desk.

“There are two officers here who need an update on Matteo Hayes’ situation.”

Dr Pierce nodded and turned to Neil and Ethan. “I’m Mr Hayes’ doctor, Doctor Pierce. What did you need, officers?”

“We  need to speak with Matteo Hayes,” Ethan answered. “But since that can’t happen, we’ve been informed that you can update us on his situation.”

“Very well, we found traces of opioids in his system. We believe the tests show that it was probably only an accidental overdose.”

The loudspeaker sounded out again, but this time it was coming from Pam. Another nurse must have been using a corridor phone. “Doctor Pierce, this is concerning Matteo Hayes. Please come to room 61, Doctor Benjamin Franklin Pierce, urgently!”

Robert Hughes steps into the interrogation room and Chris doesn’t lift his head. “Why are you associating yourself with a junkie, Christopher? Are you using?”

“No, I’m not  using . I just needed to use the bathroom and found Matteo there.”

“You didn’t answer my first question, Christopher. Why are you associating yourself with junkies?”

“I’m not. Like I said, I just walked in and saw him there. I barely knew the guy.”

“I believe you.” Robert crossed his arms and walked over to the one-way mirror, leaning back against it. “You’ve missed a whole day of school, will you be able to catch up?”

“I probably haven’t missed that much.” It was a public school after all, and news of Matteo would have disrupted the day. “But I’m sure someone will lend me their notes.”

“Well then, I should take you home. However, I do have to go back… come back here to do more work.” He had almost slipped and revealed to his son that he didn’t actual work at this location. Chris couldn’t know about Jump Street yet.

Chris nodded, hesitating to ask his father the question that was on his mind. “Do you… know if Matteo is alive?”

“I do not. Kane and Taube are going to find out now.”

Back at the Sugar Shack, Jason ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t…” He looked toward the door. “Hey, look who finally arrived. What took you so long, Brooke?”

Brooke walked to their table and nodded to Keira to move over. When Keira did she sat down. “Has anyone ordered yet? I’m starved.”

Jason shook his head. “No, not yet. Maybe we were waiting for you.” He smiled.

Charlene and Kiona exchanged glances, both thinking that he’d kissed Brooke and they were both playing it cool. Kiona was a little annoyed that he hadn’t answered their questions. Chloe watched as Kiona got tense and waited for everyone to be quiet before speaking. “Looks like you need to relax, K.”

Kiona nodded. “But you told me at school that you were out.”

“And now, I’m topped up again.” Chloe gestured to the bathroom with her eyes. “Let’s go then.” They both got up, Brooke and Keira stood too to let Kiona out. Brooke sat back down, but Keira started to follow them. “You need to relax too, new girl?”

“Home life has become rather intolerable lately,” Keira told Chloe.

Chloe understood, she could definitely relate there. She faced the rest of the group. “Any other takers?” They shook their heads. “Order me some fries then.” Then she walked off to the bathroom.

The female bathroom followed the same red, black, and white theme as the rest of the joint. It had three stalls and three sinks and was completely empty. Chloe entered first, turning to meet the girls after they’d entered. “Have you got the dough, K?”, Chloe asked, cutting to the chase. Kiona pulled out the money and Chloe walked over to collect it, starting to count it out. As she did so, she told Keira, “My rates are, eight a hit, but it’s half price for the deal and then regular rates after that.”

3:55PM. Back at the table, not long after the three had left, Tamara enters the Sugar Shack. Brooke noticed her come in and waved her hand in the air. “Tamara, over here.” She saw Brooke and started to make her way over. “Where have you been? What took you so long?”

“Sorry, still finding my way around town. I got a little lost,” Tamara lied.

“I offered to meet to after school to come here together, but you said you had something to do.”

“It was just paperwork to do with my transfer my records or something that adults are too lazy to do themselves.”

“Alright then, sit down then, we’ve ordered fries for the table.”

Just as she is about to sit down next to Brooke, Chloe and the other two returned. “Well, who’s this then?”, Chloe asked.

Before Brooke could answer, Kiona said, “Hey, it’s Tamara, you made it.”

Tamara remained standing and nodded at Kiona. She then put out her hand to Chloe, “They call me Tommie.” Chloe shook her hand.

Doctor Pierce ran up the corridor with Ethan and Neil hot on his tail. They rounded a corner and entered a small four-person hospital room. A nurse was standing beside the bed that Matteo lay in. There were several screen monitors on the other side of the bed and a thin tube was coming out of to his wrist. The nurse turned to face the three men as they entered.

“He’s still unconscious but has started to respond, Dr Pierce. I believe he’s about to wake up.”

Dr Pierce walked over to Matteo’s bed and checked his vital signs. As he checks his pulse with his watch, Matteo’s eyes flicker. After a few more seconds, they open. Matteo is conscious.