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Chapter 9: Tess's Extreme Melt Down

Tess sat at her desk staring at the paper work in front of her. She couldn't believe that her Chief, Mr Johnson, would make her do this work. She had just watched Jake, one of her closest friends die in front of her and he expects her to do this work? On top of that she was taken from her job and replaced by who she thought of was a rookie. She couldn't take it.

She finally decided to do something about it. She grabbed the papers off of her desk putting them in one huge pile. She tucked them up to her chest storming her way to Chief's office. People stepped out of her way seeing that she was angry. No one bothered her after what had happened to Jake. Jake was liked in the station, maybe a little cautious at times, but he did awesome work, but sadly, he never liked using a gun. When Tess came onto the force she didn't mind. In fact, it was Jake who got her the gun in the first place. After she had gotten it she was the best gunman on the force and Jake was proud to be her partner. And then, his life was ended by a bullet from Keina. Tess was going to get back at her.

Tess swung open Mr Johnson's office door. Surprisingly he wasn't on the phone. He looked up at Tess and saw her anger with one glance. Next thing he knew, Tess slammed the pile of papers onto his desk. From the force of the slam some paper slipped out and fell onto the floor around her.

"Why are you making me do this!" she shouted. Everyone outside the office listened considering the door was open.

"Tess, you need to do it. Who else will?" he then asked. Tess tried not to lose it.

"Have Mack do it!" she shouted.

"He's on vacation."

"Have someone do it other then me!" Tess shouted slamming her fist on the pile. Mr Johnson leaned back in his chair looking at the angered teen.

"You're the only one who is available." He said to her. Tess clenched her fist that rested on the pile of papers. Suddenly she swiped her arms through the air knocking the pile of paper everywhere onto the floor.

"I JUST LOST MY PARTNER CHIEF! MY HANDS WERE STAINED IN HIS BLOOD! I USED MY SHIRT TO STOP THE BLEEDING! I WATCHED HIS VERY LIFE SLIP AWAY IN FRONT OF ME! AND YOU EXPECT ME TO DO THIS WORK!" She slammed her hands onto the table. Mr Johnson pushed his chair back. With one angry sweep Tess knocked his lamp off of the desk and onto the floor. The lamp fell into pieces on the floor as she then knocked the phone off. "YOU CAN FORGET ABOUT ME DOING THIS WORK! FORGET IT! SCREW YOU AND EVERYONE IN THIS STATION!" She shouted storming out of his office. Mr Johnson pulled his chair forward and sighed as he rubbed his forehead. He leaned over his desk to see everything on the floor.

"Nance." He called.

"Yes sir?" in popped a woman's head. Mr Johnson stood up and begun to pick up the papers.

"Can you find me someone who can do this paper?" he asked. Nance nodded her head as she walked into the room and begun to help him pick up the paper work. Mr Johnson looked at her. "What are you doing?" he asked, "I told you to find me someone to do this paper work."

"I did. I'm available." She said to him picking up the papers. He nodded his head. Once the papers were picked up and the broke glass was in the trash and the phone was back on his desk; Nance headed for the door. She came to a halt and sighed. She turned her head to face Mr Johnson as he set himself into his chair. "Sir?"
"What is it?" he asked. Nance turned her full body to face him.

"I've known Miss Moore ever since she got on the force, she's not as tough as everyone thinks she is. She does have limits, and I think she has reached them." Nance said to him. Mr Johnson looked at her. "Personally, from her view, I would do the same thing if I was forced to do the paper work of my partner who I watched die." She added leaving the room. Mr Johnson sighed.

He never thought of it the way Nance did. Tess was always the one to push everything to its limits including Jake as well. She's shown everyone that no matter what would happen she would be tough and never fall in defeat. But that night and what happened today showed Mr Johnson and the rest of the force that Tess did have limits and she had reached them.

Tess stormed right out of the station and to her car. She looked through her keys trying to find her car key. Her hands shook with anger and sadness. Finally, she slammed her hands onto the soft roof of the car and slammed her keys onto the pavement. She leaned up against it and she begun to sob uncontrollably. Tess slammed her fist onto the roof of the car about four or five times till she finally calmed down. She then wiped tear stains as she picked up her keys and got into the car. She started it up and drove off into the streets.

She came to a stop in a parking lot to a diner. The very diner where Jake brought Tess on her first day on the job. She stared at the very doors she always walked in with Jake, but today, she would walk in alone. She entered the diner and was greeted by the waitress she and Jake always got. She got a seat at the bar. She folded her arms on the table leaning her head on it. The bartender also knew Tess and Jake, and he knew them by name.

"What will it be Tess?" he asked. Tess looked up and rested her chin on her arm.

"A Pepsi." she answered with her voice trailing off. He nodded his head as he stood in front of Tess getting her drink.

"Where's Jake?" he asked setting Tess's Pepsi in front of her. Tess nearly winced at his name. She sniffed her congested nose and sat up taking a good long drink from her cup of soda.

"He's um...dead." Tess said twirling the straw in her cup.

" What?" he asked. Tess looked at him as she again folded her arms on the table.

"Did you go to the funeral?" Tess asked. The bartender shook his head.

"No, I was out of town, how did it happen?" he asked. Tess didn't want to recall what had happened that night and how Jake was shot by Keina. But this bartender was Jake's best friend, she had to tell him.

"Jake he um, was shot." She answered. "Well, we were being shot at and Jake didn't have time to take cover and he was shot in the upper and lower part of his chest and um..he fell down some stairs." Tess could feel the warmth of the tears coming into her eyes. "And he was bleeding really badly." Tess's eyes turned red as her voice was a little high pitched the usual now. "And next thing I knew I was telling him goodbye and...he was gone." She said recalling the look on Jake's face when he died. She pictured everything. She pictured his body going into a limp and Jade slipping the water everywhere. The bartender stood there as he watched tears slide down her cheeks. He reached out and touched her hand. Tess looked up to see his eyes full of tears but he didn't want to let them go.

"I know how you feel Tess." He said. tess pulled her hand away.

"No you don't, your hands weren't stained with his blood and neither was your shirt." She said. She then felt a sudden burst of anger. She slapped the cup onto the floor and walked out of the diner. The bartender looked at her and sighed.

"She's reached her limits." He said softly as a waitress came over sweeping up the broke glass. Tess got back into her car. She wished that everything would end. She wished that she would go home or hear her phone ring to hear Jake's voice on the other end telling her to get her butt to the office and finish the paperwork. But, she knew it wasn't going to happen. She knew it wasn't possible. Jake was gone. He was really gone. And there was no one else to turn to for help anymore. Jake was always that one she would go to for help and vise-versa with him, but no more will she get frantic phone calls from Jake nor will he show up at her house suddenly and drag her out, nor will she get Jake coming over early in the morning, forcing her out of bed and dragging her butt to work. No longer she would see him.

Tess's car drove down the street. There she saw an ambulance and a bunch of police squad cars. Tess pictured what had happened the night that Jake died. She slammed on her breaks and got out of her car. She rushed into her front yard to see Conan standing on the porch being questioned by an officer. Tess pulled her badge out of her pocket and ran forward.

"Excuse me! What's going on?" Tess asked. Before the officer could even get the chance to ask her who she was Tess showed him her badge.

"There was a shooting here. Some neighbors called 911 and--"

"I'll take everything over from here."

"Do you live here Miss..."

"Moore."

"Alright, do you live here Miss Moore?" he asked her. Tess nodded her head.

"Yes I live here..." she said trailing off. She was worried about Ai, Conan, and Jade. "Was anyone killed?"

The office shook his head, "no, no one was killed." He said. Tess nodded her head as he walked away. Tess looked at Conan.

"What happened?" She asked. Conan looked up at Tess.

"Keina showed up and she tried to kill me and Ai." Conan answered. Tess's eyes widened.

"Where was Jade?" Tess asked with slight anger.

"She left without a trace. And then Keina had Jade's cell phone and she wouldn't tell us what she did with her." Conan answered. Tess growled slightly. This gave her all the more reason to kill Keina. One for killing Jake and two for hurting Jade. She didn't even know if she was alive. Tess looked around and then faced Conan.

"Where's Ai?" she asked.

"Ai's going to the hospital." Conan answered.

Tess's eyes widened. "What!"

"She was the one shot." Conan added. Tess placed her hand onto her forehead and turned around rubbing it. She tried to keep calm. She was yelling at everyone today and she didn't want to yell at Conan. She turned back around and started yelling anyway.

"Why didn't you guys call me!" She asked shouting. Conan stepped back slightly.

"Well, Ai said we should call you or Jade and Ai was shot in the shoulder so she ended up calling Jade. And Tess, there's another thing."

"WHAT!"

Conan pulled out the contact box he had found out of his pocket and showed it to Tess, "do you know anyone who wears blue contacts?" Conan asked. Tess shook her head.

"No," Tess said softly entering the house. She then saw the window. "WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WINDOW!" she shouted in anger.

"That was the window Keina came in." Conan said. Tess clenched her fists as she whipped around.

"NEXT TIME SHE SHOWS UP AND I'M NOT AROUND! CALL ME ON MY CELL!" She shouted at him. Conan's eyes widened. What's wrong with Tess? She keeps on yelling at him and he didn't do anything.

"Tess what's---?"

"I've been having a bad day!" Tess shouted again. "have my mom drive you to the hospital to meet up with Ai, I'll meet you guys there." Tess said. She exited the house and slammed the doors shut. Conan turned and faced the door.

It must've happened at work. Yeah that's it. Someone must've gotten her angry or something. She did have to go to the station and do paper work on what had happened to Jake. Maybe that's what set her off. But would it set her off that easily? Tess is going through an extreme melt down, and Conan knew it now. Tess was trying to cope with the death of Jake. She's never really had anyone die that was close to her besides Jake, he was the first and hopefully the only one. Conan was going to leave her alone when she got to the hospital, if she went.

Tess drove down the street. She drove with her elbow resting on the door of the door still rubbing her forehead. She couldn't believe she went off on him like that. She didn't mean too. It just happened.

"I should go back and say sorry." She told herself. She took a back road all the way back to her house. She drove slowly considering it was a slightly busy street, busy with children that is. Tess drove till she came to a stop. There standing in front of her was someone dressed in black. She squinted and saw someone lifting up a gun. In her car's lights something shined as it lifted. Tess's eyes widened as she saw a gun. "Keina."

BAAAANG!