A small town just like any other one; quiet, warm, and full of cheerful people who know everyone they pass on the street. Roseberry was one of the smallest towns in all of Georgia. Everyone knew everyone, and there were never any secrets, that is until the summer of 1973.

In Roseberry, there was only one elementary school, middle school, and high school. At the high school, everyone knew each other and each other’s families. Rachael Smith was the prettiest girl in the school; her family was one of the richest in Georgia, and they were all some of the nicest people in the whole town. Rachael always went to visit the elementary school, to read to the young kids, and she tutored anyone who needed help. She was very smart, and she had bright plans for her future, including going to Harvard to major in business. Rachael never had a boyfriend. She was friends with everyone, and every boy in town wanted to be with her, but she always said she wasn’t ready. None of the boys understood what she meant by that, but they all accepted it; except for Joey Brown. Joey was in love with Rachael and he made sure she knew it. They had known each other since elementary school, and Rachael was always very nice to him, but it wasn’t until high school that Joey told her how he felt. She didn’t want to hurt him, but she had to tell him the truth, and he didn’t like what he heard. He wanted to be with Rachael, and he did everything he could to woo her. Joey would have done anything to make it happen.

Roseberry was a very routine town. During the week the parents went to work and the kids went to school, and on Sundays the whole town went to ten o’ clock Mass. There wasn’t much crime in the town, and if there was it was a teenager getting into silly trouble. Everyone thought they knew everything about all of their neighbors, but maybe they didn’t know as much as they thought they did about young Joey Brown.

After Rachael told Joey that she did not feel the same for him, he was very upset. He yelled at Rachael, and told her that she would realize that she was making a mistake. Rachael felt horrible, and she wanted to stay friends with him, but Joey screamed, “No, I’m in love with you, and I will make sure you fall in love with me”. He didn’t come to school for over a week, and no one knew why, but Rachael felt terribly guilty. When Joey came back, he acted as though nothing was wrong. He smiled at Rachael, and asked her how she was. Although she was confused, she answered, “Well, thanks, how are you?” Joey said he was great, and the two friends just continued on through their day, like nothing ever happened.

School ended in early June, and the seniors tossed up their red, graduation caps and said goodbye to Roseberry High School. Rachael hugged all of her friends, and made them all promise to keep in touch. When she saw Joey she gave him a hug, and told him that she hoped she would see him before they both left for school. Joey replied, “Don’t worry, you will see me”, Rachael just smiled, and walked home with her family as Joey watched intently.

Rachael couldn’t wait to spend all of her summer days, lying out in the sun, and having no worries at all. It was her eighteenth summer in Roseberry, and they have all been the same. Children run and play outside all day long, and all the popular kids go to the pool from noon to six. She loved summer and the routine every one of them had had her whole life. During these three months, everyone was full of joy and endless happiness. No one, especially Rachael thought that summers in Roseberry would ever change, but soon they would realize that no one is an exception to the inevitable and terrible things life brings.

A few weeks had gone by since school let out, and things were running smoothly in town, until June 22nd, 1973. It was a beautifully warm and sunny day, but the events that went on were not so wonderful. A teenager named Susie Thompson had been found dead in one of the cornfields just outside the school yard. The murder seemed to have been done with a knife into her heart. No one could fathom why someone would ever do such a thing to an innocent fourteen year old girl. “I can’t think of anyone in this sleepy, little town who would do such a terrible thing to young Susie”, said Mrs. Young, the woman who always had the town’s gossip. But unlike most of the things she said, this was true; the situation was truly terrifying. As Mrs. Young said, it was hard to imagine anyone in town killing someone, so no one knew who to expect.

The whole town was at the funeral, including Rachael and her whole family. Everyone was very upset, and Susie’s family had to work so hard to keep themselves together. Joey Brown walked in; Susie had been one of his best friends, and you could tell he had been crying. Rachael got up to say hello to Joey, but he continued to walk, and didn’t even look at her. She was confused, but she decided that he was probably just upset, and didn’t feel like talking.

My family left the funeral as soon as it ended, but I stayed to see if the family needed anything. After awhile she began to walk home, and Joey stopped her while she was walking through the forest. He looked very angry. Rachael asked what was wrong, and he just glared. “You know what’s wrong”, Joey replied. Rachael continued to look confused, and Joey came up close to her and started whispering in her ear. “You know how much I love you Rachael, and you know I’ve always wanted you. Now is my chance; there is no one around”. Rachael began to cry, and she was shaking. She asked Joey to please leave her alone, but he wouldn’t get away from her face. Rachael screamed “I’M SORRY JOEY! PLEASE DON’T HURT ME! I DIDN’T MEAN TO HURT YOU; I NEVER WANTED THAT TO HAPPEN”. Joey chuckled and replied, “What about Susie? Did you mean to hurt her?” Rachael stared at him trying to prove that she was confused. Joey said, “Rachael Smith, the most beautiful girl with the nicest family; Oh, you had us all fooled. And I was the most fooled…” Rachael was crying and trying to defend herself, saying that Susie deserved everything she got. “I loved seeing her suffer”, Rachael said. She took a deep breath in not thinking that it would be her last one, when all of a sudden Joey pulled out a knife and stabbed Rachael directly in the heart. When she was dead, Joey whispered to her, “Now you get to suffer, Rachael”. Joey took Rachael’s body and put it in his truck. He took it home with him and whispered into her ear again, “This was my original plan for you Rachael, and I know it will still be as great as I always imagined it.”