by Raathi Chota
“Morning, class. I’ll be taking the attendance now,” he said as he sat down. I glanced around the classroom to see Melissa nearby. She sat down in front of me, but I didn’t miss the glare she sent.
“Blake?”
“Here,” a deep voice said. I looked up from my laptop to see Blake Gunner walk into the classroom. Mr. Dockwell gave a stiff nod to Blake as he turned to us. He barely came to class, so to see him here was a surprise. Mr. Dockwell continued with the attendance as Blake came to Melissa’s desk. She pulled out the chair beside her as he gave a small smile. He continued to walk as he took a seat next to me. I tried so hard not to laugh as Melissa stared at him. She had Nick Byrne as a boyfriend anyway; he was on the team.
“Okay, class, I have most of your photos from the previous assignment, and I’m happy to say that they were all beautiful. You’ve successfully used what is needed, and since everyone passed that task, we will be starting a new one,” Mr. Dockwell said as he walked up and down.
“What’s the topic?” Tyler asked.
“Well, since the previous assignment was about vintage, and you guys took some amazing shots with beautiful settings, I have decided to let you all make a decision on the topic.” Mr. Dockwell beamed as a smile appeared on his face. Everyone cheered as people discussed among themselves. “But it will be due before spring break,” Mr. Dockwell added. Everyone groaned as he playfully rolled his eyes. “That’s your treat, if you pass this semester.” Everyone went silent. “In the meantime, you can continue with your unique project.” He went to sit back at his desk. For our unique project, we had to take pictures of what we thought unique was and explain why we believed it was. I’d started, but I might do something else. My mind had changed the past few days. I decided to go through all the pictures that I had taken; some were quite good, to be honest. A few had Miranda and me at the amusement park; she held a bunch of balloons while she posed by the pier. Then there was one of Miranda making googly eyes at something, but my focus was on her. She used to have a crush on Ethan when she first came to Jefferson High. I didn’t know if she still did. She knew he was a sort of man-whore, but he was also a sweetheart. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Blake grin as he held up a Canon camera. He snapped a few pictures of me, and I rolled my eyes, then looked at him.
“Like what you see, Willson?” he asked with a smirk on his face as he squinted his eyes behind the camera.
“You know we have to take pictures of something unique, right?” I asked. He lowered the camera and grinned at me.
“I think you are unique.” I looked back at my laptop as my cheeks reddened. Blake laughed beside me, then put the camera down. “Is that you?” he asked, then casually leaned his head against my shoulder. I looked at the screen and saw a picture of a girl; I couldn’t see her face because she angled the camera so that her face was covered, but I saw the rest of her body as she posed in front of a large mirror. Her long brown hair was in knots as she stood by the mirror in a tank top and shorts. The mirror ended at her thighs, yet the frame of the mirror was visible.
“Yeah,” I breathed out.
“Who’s that?” he asked and pointed to the person behind me. I didn’t notice that anyone was there because the background was so dull, the white wall with a single painting hung up. The person’s back faced the mirror, but I immediately made it out as a guy. His black hair was neatly gelled as he stood there. He had his left hand through his hair while his right arm hung loosely beside him.
“An old friend,” I mumbled as I stared at Levi Radcliff.
“What happened?”
“Let’s just say we moved on.”
***
I was in Physics, the last period of the day before we went home. The teacher wrote formulas on the board as we copied them. Carter and Ethan were in this class as we sat in the back. I leaned on the desk as I slowly closed my eyes.
“Lana.”
“Ugh.”
“You okay?” Ethan asked as he touched my shoulder and rubbed it gently. I wanted to drift off to sleep at his touch, but I knew I couldn’t. I nodded as I sat up and looked at Carter and Ethan. Looks of concern filled their faces as they watched me. I raised my hand as I did an awkward cough. All eyes turned to me as I slowly put my hand down.
“Can I be excused, sir?” I asked. He gave a slow nod as I got up. I gathered my things and rushed out of the classroom. I walked to my locker and put my books, along with my backpack, inside. I managed to catch up with all the homework, so I didn’t have any. I walked out of the school and into the parking lot, where I saw the guys’ cars. I leaned over Carter’s truck and saw the blanket in the back that he kept when we’d ditch and hide in the back. He made it comfy as possible with two blankets and a few pillows. I climbed in the back and wrapped myself in the blankets. I shifted as far as I could so they wouldn’t see me. The bell rang as I heard people rush out; I waited another ten minutes until I heard voices.
“Are we seriously gonna do this?” I made out the voice of Aidan.
“We have to. It’s been going on long enough,” Blake said.
“If we included Lana in this, she would have hated us,” Ethan grunted.
“Yeah, so the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can just move on like nothing ever happened,” Carter said as I heard him open the door.
“Whoa, Carter, didn’t know you had so much junk in here,” Aidan said as I felt a weight on the truck.
“Yeah, I should clean up soon,” he said. I felt a hand hit the blankets, and I tried so hard not to squeal.
“Come on, guys, we gotta get going,” Blake said as I heard his motorcycle roar. Carter started his truck as I held on for dear life. While he drove, it gave me time to think. I thought of what I’d say if they caught me. I didn’t want to sound nosy, so I had to think of something. Plus, they’re my friends, so of course they’d tell me.
“Oomph!” I groaned as the truck came to a stop. I heard Carter’s door open, then slam shut. I waited for five minutes until I was sure they were inside the cottage, then unwrapped myself. I slowly looked up to see Aidan’s car and Blake’s motorcycle. Ethan must’ve gotten a ride with Aidan. I slowly got out of the truck and tiptoed to the cottage. I peeked through the open door to see them in a circle. They seemed to be in a deep conversation, as they spoke in hushed voices, so I walked to the other side. I peeked my head through the window and recognized the room. It was the one Ethan brought me to when Benny told me complete, utter nonsense. Thank goodness the window was open as I quietly slipped inside. I took my glasses off and stuffed them in my pocket as I scanned the room. It looked the same as last time, but the door was closed. I leaned against it as I heard shuffles from the main room.
“Okay now, let’s get the others from the room,” Aidan said. My eyes widened as the footsteps neared me. I ran to the bed and laid on it casually, but grinned as I posed on the bed like a model. The door flung open as they stood there, jaws dropped.
“I’ve been expecting you.” I laughed as their eyes widened.
“Lana? What are you doing here?!” Carter demanded.
“That’s not very nice.” I pouted as I slowly sat up.
“I know, but we thought you’d be hanging out with Miranda today?” Aidan asked as I stood up. I looked over his shoulder and out the door. We weren’t much of a height difference since we were the shortest ones. Ethan stood behind Aidan as he blocked the view of the living room.
“Miranda has volleyball practice, so she got Marcus to drop me here,” I lied.
“Wait, you let Marcus come here?” Blake demanded.
“N-Not really. He dropped me off at the gas station, and I walked the rest of the way,” I mumbled. I couldn’t believe I made up so many lies in front of them. “And aren’t you supposed to be doing homework? And you at practice?” I asked as I looked at Aidan, then Ethan. They looked away as I stared at each of them. I’d never seen Aidan look so nervous nor Carter so angry before, and it frightened me. A loud horn, which clearly was
n’t a car, broke the silence.
“They’re early,” Aidan mumbled as he looked down at his watch.
“Who?” I demanded. Carter pulled me against his chest and pressed a finger to his lips. I slowly nodded as he slowly removed his finger.
“All right, we’ll get the stuff in here, and Aidan, just stall them,” Carter said, then forced me into the desk chair. Aidan walked out, then closed the door halfway. Blake emptied the drawers, and out came those weird parcels.
“What are those?” I whispered, because apparently, they didn’t want me here. Blake ignored me as I looked at Ethan; he emptied the closet, and out came more parcels that he took into the living room. Carter grabbed more parcels from under the bed and carried them out.
“What the hell is going on?” I asked Blake, who passed the parcels on. He opened his mouth but cut off when a deep voice echoed throughout the cottage
“You got my coke, boys?”
My eyes widened as I stared at Blake. I wanted to yell or scream for what they did, and I couldn’t believe I was so stupid as to ever get involved. I opened my mouth to speak, but it was immediately shut when Blake pressed his lips against mine.
Chapter Eleven
Lana
I was surprised at first as Blake’s lips met mine, but I immediately let him take over as his upper lip sucked my bottom one. His hands wrapped around my waist as he brought me closer. My arms wrapped around his neck as we kissed. I heard movements in the room, but I knew it wasn’t us. It didn’t matter; all that mattered was Blake Gunner’s lips on mine. A moan escaped from my lips as Blake smiled against mine. The kiss was passionate yet forced, but somehow I liked it, and I didn’t want to pull away and neither did he.
“Wow, what a distraction,” a familiar voice muttered from behind me. I pulled away from Blake as I saw Carter behind us with parcels in his hands, one of them slightly open, and I saw the cocaine spill on the floor. My eyes widened as I snapped back to reality.
“You guys are drug dealers?”
Carter looked down in disappointment as Blake put a finger to his lip.
“Who’s there?”
I gasped as a guy entered the room with a gun in his hand. Blake stood in front of me as he looked at the guy. I finally caught on and hid behind Blake.
“She’s just a friend,” Blake stated calmly. The big guy lifted his gun up as I stiffened. He motioned us to get out the room in silence, and we did as we were told. I quietly walked out of the room and down the hall into the central area. We were in the living room, where Ethan and Aidan stood with blank looks. Another guy stood next to them as a shorter, buffer guy stood in the middle. I glanced down at all the parcels of cocaine. We stood there as the shorter man, who I assumed was the boss, whispered to the other guy as they glanced at me. The shorter man walked closer to me as Carter held my hand. The shorter man had a grin on his face as he twirled a gun in his hand. Carter slowly let go of my hand as the guy stood right in front of me. I tried to keep my face neutral as I stared into his dark blue eyes.
“And who is this?” His voice was gruff as he eyed me.
“A friend,” Ethan mumbled. As the guy stood in front of me, he slid the gun down my neck; I breathed uncontrollably as the corner of his mouth lifted.
“What’s your name, beautiful?” he whispered. I bit the inside of my cheek, which only resulted in the gun being pressed against my chest.
“L-Lana,” I stuttered, then sighed in relief when the gun was removed. He didn’t seem phased by my name as he slowly nodded. He raised his gun and motioned toward the door.
“Count,” he said, and the other men nodded. They picked up four parcels each and walked out of the room; the buff guy twirled the gun around his finger as he looked at us. Nobody spoke, yet I wanted to. So many questions ran through my head; however, nothing came out. We stood there as the shorter guy walked out of the room. Nobody moved or talked; I was surprised and confused that they’d be involved in such a thing. So many scenarios ran through my head that I didn’t even hear the guy come back. I raised my head and noticed how his jaw tightened as he glared at us. This time the gun was in his pocket as he clenched his fists, his eyes darkened as he turned to Aidan.
“Two hundred and fifty.”
“Excuse me?” Aidan asked.
“Two-fifty!” He raised his voice. “There’s supposed to be two-fifty. There are only two hundred and forty-eight parcels!”
Everyone froze for a moment as I turned to the door. An engine roared, and I tilted my head to see a big truck. From the corner of my eye, I saw the guys running, probably in search for the two parcels. I wanted to help, heck, I tried to run away and never come back because I was scared, but something urged me to stay; something told me to stay put because if I didn’t, then the man in the suit would shoot me. I stood there as I tried to register everything that happened in the last hour. The short guy took out a phone and typed. He did a hand signal to the other two guys outside. A few seconds later, they walked in.
“Wha-what are you doing?” I asked. By his appearance, it was clear that he was dominant and that people feared him. He wore a slick gray suit and shiny brown shoes; his hair was gelled, which defined his jawline. He was taller than me, probably Ethan’s height, but the other two guys were the tallest in the room.
“Your friends have failed to do their duty, Lana Willson,” he said, then walked outside. It took me a moment to realize that I hadn’t told him my last name. It might be the reason as to why he wasn’t surprised when I told him my name. I glanced up and followed him. My jaw dropped as I walked outside; there were two trucks filled with parcels. I couldn’t believe two hundred and forty-eight parcels filled with cocaine came out of the cottage. I heard footsteps of the guys too as we looked at the men. One of them was still in the cottage. The one with the blue eyes came over to me again. He took my hand and left a gentle kiss on it. “Until we meet again, Lana Willson,” he said as we locked eyes. He gave me such a comforting smile that made his features look similar, yet his smile disappeared when he glared at the guys.
“Now you’ll face the consequences, boys,” he said as the other guy came out of the cottage and gave the nod. I pulled my hand away, which only made him smirk. The three men approached the trucks and locked everything. We could just watch as they climbed in and drove away. The trucks got smaller by the second, and once they were out of sight, I looked over my shoulder. I kept my mouth in a straight line as I stared at the guys. I was worried, scared, but most of all confused. My thoughts were interrupted when Blake walked over to me. Something about their appearances made me afraid. I really didn’t personally know them.
“Willson, you need to go now,” he demanded as Aidan nodded in agreement.
“What? No! What the hell just happened? Who are they? Are you guy’s re—” My hard questions got interrupted by Ethan.
“Lana, please, just go. We’ll explain later,” he murmured. I shook my head, then turned to Carter. He looked down as he slowly shook his head.
“Ethan, get her legs,” Blake commanded, then pointed to Aidan. “Grab her arms.”
I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion as I watched Ethan and Aidan walk over to me. Ethan grabbed me by the legs while Aidan took my arms; they hoisted me up in the air. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? I demand answers!” I yelled as their grip on my arms and legs tightened. I heard Blake’s motorcycle start, and I moved frantically. They forced me on the seat as Carter took the helmet and put it on me. “Carter…” I mumbled as I looked at his blue eyes filled with fear and sadness. The Carter Halls that held a smirk on his face, ready to become a free man, was gone. The sarcastic jerk that always made fun of me in English wanted to help me by not getting into trouble. I gripped my hands on the handles then turned to see Blake’s stare.
“Go, Lana, please,” he begged as he rested his hand on my thigh. His eyes were dark, and he had the same look as when I asked him about his parents. I didn’t know what possessed me, but the look in Bl
ake’s eye told me not to question it. I was confused and knew they wouldn’t let it go. I looked straight ahead and winced at the impressive noise as I kicked the side stand in. I sped down the road, although I didn’t know where I’d go, but I drove. I looked back one last time to see why they dragged me away. Blue and red lights approached the cottage. Dad got out of the car, along with the rest of the police force. I looked back at the road to see it clear, but I couldn’t help but look back again. They were pushed to the ground by the police officers as their hands were forced behind their backs. I looked back at the road with tears in my eyes as I went faster. I glanced at the rearview mirror to see they got smaller by the second.
I couldn’t take it anymore. The longer I drove, the guiltier I felt. It would be my fault. If I wasn’t there, maybe they could’ve gotten away with it or they could’ve found the other two parcels. I couldn’t believe they were drug dealers and that they’d hide it in Ethan’s dad’s cottage. However, I shouldn’t be quick to judge. I didn’t know the full story, so I shouldn’t jump to conclusions. I stopped Blake’s motorcycle on the side of the road and looked over my shoulder. They’re probably at the station already, and something inside me told me to go there. So, me being me, I turned around and sped to the location.
I arrived at the old building and parked in the visitors’ area. The last time I was here was when I was twelve. A guy robbed a bank, so my dad thought it’d be fun to show me how it worked.
I got off the motorcycle and placed the helmet on the seat. I shoved the keys in my pocket as I walked to the front doors. I looked at myself in the glass and shivered at my appearance. I grabbed the hair tie that was around my forearm and put my hair up into a high ponytail. At least today I wore a big sweater, black jeans, and black Converse, so I looked at least presentable when I entered the sheriff’s station. I opened the double doors to see people walk up and down, and none gave me a second glance as I strolled to the front desk. I recognized a few faces as I looked behind the counter to see Ms. Jackson on the computer. She was a middle-aged woman who worked here for years. When I came to the station, she’d always keep me occupied while I waited for my dad.
