by Shayla Hyde
My heart dropped when I typed in my passcode and read: 6 Missed Calls: Dad on my home screen. He was probably freaking out! I jumped back on my feet and quickly dialed his number with my free hand. He answered on the first ring.
"Hey! How was your first day? Why didn't you call me after school?" "Sorry, I made a friend today, and we went to the mall together for ice cream. My phone was on silent," I stammered quickly.
"A friend, huh? Who?"
"Her name is Iris. She's nice. She showed me around the school," I explained, hoping he wasn’t going to be angry.
"Huh, well, that's good," he paused briefly, "What about the teachers?
Are they nice?"
I sighed in relief, dropping on the couch again.
"Yeah, they are," I insisted, "Everyone was pretty nice." "Good. That's good," Dad said, revealing a hint of anxiety in his voice.
"How about you?" I asked, "How's your first day going?"
"Going good. I'm in Idaho right now," he chuckled, "Pumping gas." I smiled but stayed silent.
"Are you back at home now?"
"Yeah, I'm about to cook something for dinner," I sighed, glancing toward the kitchen. “It turns out ice cream isn’t very filling.”
“I don’t suppose it is," he chuckled. "Don't forget to turn the stove off when you're done."
I groaned, "You really have no faith in me, do you?"
"I'm kidding," he laughed, "but really, though." "Mhm," I hummed.
He laughed once more. "Alright, Eve. I'll let you get to it. Just make sure to check in with me every now and then."
"I'll call you again tonight," I told him, "I promise."
"Okay, I'll talk to you then," he uttered, then the line went dead. I relaxed against the armrest on the couch. I was thankful that he'd taken it well. It was obvious he was really trying to tone it down on the overprotectiveness. I pulled the sheet of paper Iris had given me out of my pocket and unfolded it. I entered her name and phone number in my contact list and saved it.
I decided to shoot her a text, so she would have my number as well. I sent: Hey! It's Eve. This is my number.
I tossed my phone on the couch beside me and rested my eyes. I suddenly found myself thinking about Kaden again, despite my trying to forget about the whole ordeal. I just didn't understand why he'd ran off, how he'd gotten away so fast, or why I kept seeing him everywhere I went.
My phone, now on loud, pinged with Iris's reply: K, gotcha saved :) I smiled at the screen.
After finishing my homework and eating dinner, I called my dad and told him goodnight. It was still relatively early, but I was already tired. I spent the rest of the night, until sleep consumed me, relaxing on the couch with a cool washcloth over my nose.
CHAPTER FIVE:
The next morning, the sound of my cell phone alarm made me flinch awake. I sighed in frustration and turned it off. I didn't want to wake up yet. Since Iris was going to give me a ride to school, I was at least able to get an extra thirty minutes of sleep. I had a crick in my neck from crashing on the couch, and I could feel dried blood crusting the outer edges of my nostrils. I forced myself off the couch and got ready for school.
After a shower and getting dressed, I grabbed my phone and sent Iris a text: Ready when you are. :-)
I put on my backpack and sat on the couch. One minute passed by before my phone lit up with Iris's response: Be there in 5!
It was probably less than five minutes later that I heard an engine running in my driveway. I rushed outside, locking the door behind me and jogged to Iris’s truck.
"Thanks again for doing this," I said to her while climbing in her truck.
She waved her hand nonchalantly, "No problem at all. How's the nose today? It looks a little red."
"It hurts," I complained, slamming the door shut behind me. She chuckled, "Are you gonna confront Kaden today for running off?"
"Eh," I shrugged, "I probably should, but I don’t know."
"Look on the bright side," she shrugged, throwing the truck into reverse, "at least it finally stopped bleeding."
We got to school right on time, and I followed Iris to Literature class. We strolled into Mr. Axton's classroom just as the bell rang. We walked to our spots at the back of the classroom, and I nearly stopped short when I saw Kaden sitting at the desk to the left of mine. He watched me with a soft smirk on his face, and in return, I gave him a not-so-friendly look. I slammed my book on my desk and sat down. Mr. Axton stood at the front of the room and started handing out our “pop quizzes”. "Alright, class. You know what to do. Answer your questions, flip your paper over when you're done, pass it to a neighbor when I give you the word, and we'll grade them." He explained,
"Simple enough?"
The people in the front row took the quizzes and started passing them to the back. When I got my test, I quickly and confidently circled the answers to all five of the questions. I flipped my paper over with a smug grin. I just knew I'd aced my first quiz at Westview. I relaxed in my seat and peeked around the room at the rest of the class.
Iris was still intently leaning over her quiz, pencil in hand. I noticed a few of the students that had been chatting away the previous day were trying to cheat off of each other. I casually glanced over at Kaden. He was leaning back, his paper flipped as well. His eyes suddenly met mine again, and this time, I dropped my gaze. A few more minutes passed by, and everyone appeared to be done.
Mr. Axton perked up at his desk. "Okay everybody, switch papers with someone. It doesn't matter who with, as long as you're not grading your own."
I felt a soft tap on my left arm and turned to see Kaden. He was holding his paper out for me. Unsure, I glanced over at Iris, but she was already trading tests with the brunette girl to her right. I hesitantly took
Kaden’s quiz and handed him mine.
"How's your nose?" he smiled slyly.
"Fine," I whispered, sounding colder than I intended to.
"I'm really sorry about that, " he whispered, grabbing my attention again.
"For busting my nose, or for running off?" I interrogated, facing forward.
"Both," he said softly. "Even if the busted nose part wasn't technically my fault. You walked into that one."
I glared at him, and he chuckled, "But regardless of that, I'm sorry for both."
"Why did you run off?" I raised my brows.
"Blood," he paused. "It makes me sick."
Either he was full of it, or Iris was right. I decided to drop it.
"Okay, let's grade," Mr. Axton began.
I flipped Kaden’s paper over and checked his answers.
"You got number four wrong," he whispered to me with a chuckle.
"It's C."
I checked number four on his paper and scoffed at him.
"No, you did," I whispered back confidently, "It's A."
"Number one is A, two is D," Mr. Axton paused, glancing around the room.
Kaden raised a competitive eyebrow and whispered, "I guess we'll see about that."
"Number three is B," Mr. Axton said, pausing again.
I straightened my back with a smile. I was ready to prove Kaden wrong.
"And number four is-," Mr. A was suddenly interrupted by the ear-piercing screams of a siren.
Everyone in the classroom jumped from their seats.
"What the hell is that?" Iris shouted, covering her ears.
Mr. Axton dropped his answer sheet on his desk and quickly rushed to the door. He slammed it shut and fumbled with a pair of keys until it was locked. Iris grabbed my hand as the classroom erupted into chaos.
“Get down on the ground! Under your desks!” Mr. Axton ordered, his commands muffled by the siren.
My heart pounded erratically. I dropped on the floor next to Iris. We huddled together between our desks. Finally, after what felt like forever, the alarm halted. We all glanced around the room at one another in complete stillness. I heard the crackling of the intercom, and then Ms. Hayes' panicky voice say, "Attention all
faculty, please lock your doors. I repeat, please lock your doors."
My heart sank. Something terrible was happening. I just knew it. I locked eyes with Iris as she began to sob. I felt a presence behind me, then an ice-cold hand traced my forearm. I reflexively flinched away. I glanced back, finding Kaden. He was crouched down beside us, and his eyes were focused on the front of the classroom. His jaw was clenched tightly, and his nostrils were flaring angrily.
"Students, listen to me. As far as I know, none of you are in immediate danger," Ms. Hayes returned to the intercom, "Please try to remain calm."
It became eerily silent in the classroom again. I released the breath I'd been holding since the siren first sounded, when I heard police sirens off in the distance. They were getting closer to us. My head was whirling, and my stomach began twisting in painful knots. I felt like I was going to be sick. I leaned against my desk and breathed, trying to control my nausea.
"Are you alright?" Kaden asked me, grabbing both mine and Iris's attention.
They both stared at me. I tried to force a quick nod, but the sick feeling I had was steadily intensifying.
"I don't think so," I admitted, "I think I’m going to-" I quickly lunged to my feet, rushing to the trash can behind my desk. I proceeded to empty the contents from my stomach.
In the background, I could faintly hear Ms. Hayes come back over the intercom but couldn't concentrate on what she was saying. Iris rushed to my side when I was done throwing up. "Eve, come on. Let's get you sat down," she grabbed my elbow.
My cheeks burned with embarrassment, but I quickly realized the classroom was empty. Iris and I were the only people in the room. I followed her back to my desk while she dug around in her bag. She pulled out a water bottle.
"Maybe some water will help," she suggested with a frown, tossing it to me.
"Thanks," I twisted off the lid and took a long sip of the cool refreshing water, "That was quick. Where did everyone go?" "To the gym," she sighed softly. "Ms. Hayes announced that everyone needs to go to the gym. Do you think you're okay enough to go?
"Y- yeah," I stuttered, "Let's go see what's going on." We walked to the gym together in a hurry. The bleachers were overflowing with students when we got there, so Iris and I lingered in the doorway. There was a heavy-set police officer with a thick black mustache standing in the center of the gymnasium. He had a microphone in his hand but hadn't started speaking to us yet. The gym was surprisingly quiet besides some low murmurs of confusion coming from the crowd. I did a few quick scans over the bleachers for Kaden, but I didn't see him anywhere.
"Isn't your dad an officer?" I remembered.
"Yes, but that's not him," she stated, keeping her eyes on the officer. "Good morning," the officer spoke into the microphone, his booming voice resonating off the gym's walls.
The gym went totally silent, everyone's attention drifted to him. "I am sorry to inform you all, but a fellow Westview student has been found deceased on campus," he paused as some people let out gasps and low cries. "This school is now a crime scene until further notice, and we can't have anyone wiping out any evidence we may have, so what we are going to do is evacuate the high school. Please be careful not to touch anything but the door on your way out. And I apologize, but we are unable to disclose any more information about the victim at this time. Thank you." The officer nodded respectfully toward the crowd and handed the microphone to Ms. Hayes.
Ms. Hayes cleared her throat, "Okay, I need each row to exit the building in a single-file line. Come on, guys."
Iris and I slipped out of sight before anyone noticed us. We headed toward the parking lot, keeping our hands in our pockets to avoid disturbing anything.
"I can't believe this," Iris said, "It's so scary." "I know," I said softly.
We shoved open the double doors at the front of the school and made our way to the parking lot. Police officers were swarming the entire school. Iris was scanning the swarm, likely searching for her father. I noticed a couple of men in expensive suits were walking in our direction and carrying translucent plastic bags. One of those men brought a container to a black Crown Vic parked in front of us.
When I realized the contents of the bag, I felt my body jolt and the breath leave my lips. It was an all-too-familiar letterman jacket with the last name CLARK stamped on the back, and it was drenched in a dark red liquid.
“Oh, my gosh,” I whispered, grabbing Iris's arm, stopping her. The man rested the bag inside the vehicle and quickly slammed the door shut before she was able to see it.
"What? What was it?"
"Bradley Clark's letterman jacket," I covered my mouth, my stomach churning again. “It was covered in blood.”
Her eyes widened, and she stared at me in silence. That's when the rest of the students started to exit the building. I kept my hand on her arm as we booked it to her truck.
"I can't believe this." Iris pressed her fingers to her temples and rested her head on her steering wheel, "Are you sure it was his letterman?"
"Positive." I said shakily, "It was his."
I stared out the window at all of the blue lights. Iris cranked up her truck and accelerated out of the parking lot before the heavy school traffic could begin. As we sped away from the scene, I caught a glimpse of a metallic Mustang with dark tinted windows in the rearview mirror. It was parked in the grass on the outskirts of the parking area, just as it had been the previous day.
While Iris was driving us home, the bottom fell out of the sky. She flicked her windshield wipers on and slowly drove through the torrent. I stared at the window, unable to see anything beyond it. I was stunned, numb. Neither of us uttered another word until we reached my driveway.
"Are you going to be okay alone here?" Iris asked, raising her eyebrows and glancing at my house.
No, probably not, I thought to myself.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," I forced a convincing smile.
"Are you sure? If you want, I can ask my parents to let me stay with you for a few days. I know I wouldn't want to be alone during this. Especially since you are right across the street from them," she said, nodding to the Clark’s residence.
I thought about it for a minute. I almost told her no, that I would be fine, but having company did sound nice.
"Yes, but only if you want to," I stated firmly.
"Of course, I want to." She grinned, "It sounds like so much fun. My parents will probably want me home tonight after, uh, everything, but
I'll convince them to let me come back tomorrow." I chuckled, "Sounds good, Iris. Thanks." "See you tomorrow!" Iris exclaimed.
I gave her a thumbs up before hopping out of her truck and jogging through the rainstorm to my house. I unlocked the door as quickly as I possible could, and rushed inside, shaking the rain off of me. My mind was still trying to process the events of the day. Everything was so foggy, it was almost like it had all been a dream, but I knew that wasn't the case.
I peeked across the street at the Clark’s house through the living room blinds. There were no vehicles in the driveway, so I assumed they'd already got the news, whatever the news was. I closed the blinds and sank down on the couch.
My phone suddenly tolled in my back pocket. I felt a lump rise in my throat. I just knew it was going to be my dad. If he didn't already know, I was going to have to tell him.
"Hello?"
"Eve, tell me what's going on," Dad said sternly, "I got a call from the school saying there was an accident and school is canceled?"
"Yeah, I'm okay, but," I took a deep breath, "There was a body found on campus. I think it was Bradley from across the street."
"What?" he exclaimed, "What happened?"
"I don't know. The police didn't give any details," I muttered softly, practically whispering, "but I saw his bloody letterman jacket." The line went silent. When he didn't say anything for a while, I stammered, "Dad, a-are you there?"
"I'm coming home," he said. "Right now."
"No, please don’t. I will be fine," I
argued, "My friend Iris is coming to stay with me for a few days. I won't be alone. Finish your trip, Dad." He went silent again, then he sighed deeply into the phone. "I don't like this, Eve."
"I don't like it, either, but I promise you it will be fine," I assured him.
"Just please, finish your trip."
He hesitated for a while longer, but finally sighed and said, "I need you to be incredibly careful, okay? Don't trust just anybody. How much do you know about this Iris girl?"
"I know she's not a psychopath," I defended her, "She's really nice.
Her dad is also a police officer. He won’t let anything happen to us." "Okay.” He sighed heavily, "You know you'll have to call me twice as much as usual now, right?"
I made a tight-lipped smile, "Yes, that's fine."
"My boss is beeping in, so I have to go, but I will call you back tonight," Dad said, "I love you, Kid. Be safe."
"Love you too, Dad."
I hung up the phone and threw it on the couch next to me. I sat in silence for a long time, just thinking about everything that had escalated in such a short amount of time.
I sat on the couch, lost in my own thoughts for hours. Eventually, the soft pitter patter of rain on the roof soothed me into a light slumber. I wasn't sure how long I'd been asleep when a sharp knock on the door caused me to spring awake
CHAPTER SIX:
I hesitated for a moment before getting off the couch and tiptoeing to the door. "Who's there?" I called out, my voice cracking.
There was no answer. I was having extreme déjà vu as I peeked through the peephole and saw nothing but blackness on the other side. I inhaled and cautiously pulled the door open just a tad. I peeked out, but it was too dark to see anything. I was surprised to see the sun had already set. How long had I been asleep?
I was just about to shut the door when the sound of something hitting the pavement in my driveway stopped me. I quickly switched on my outside light and gasped at the sight before me. There, about ten feet from me was a guy on all fours. His clothes were drenched in blood, and he was wheezing for air.
