“What?” I asked.
“You stopped walking.”
“Sorry.” I shook away my thoughts. “I was just… remembering.” I ran my fingers over one of the lockers. If I didn’t make it out alive tonight, someone would have to come to school to clean my locker out. I remembered last year, when a senior girl passed away after a sudden accident. Her locker had become a shrine of sorts. People would write notes to her and slip them through the cracks, as if it were a mailbox to the beyond.
“Omigosh.” I pressed my hand against the locker, wondering how I hadn’t thought of this earlier.
“What?” Zac jumped to full alert, scanning everything around us.
“The lockers,” I said. “What’s the point of having security at the dance when we can store whatever we want in our lockers? If someone wanted to sneak anything in here, they could have brought it in their bag to school today, left in in their locker, and retrieved it tonight. It would be so stupidly easy.”
“They could have,” he said. “But even if they did, what could we do about it?”
“Nothing.” I sighed, realizing that he was right. “At least not now.”
My phone buzzed, and I checked the message. It was from Jake.
At the dance, in the gym, with Marisa. Are you almost here?
The text was so formal—so unlike the Jake I knew.
“Jake’s inside,” I said, shoving my phone back into my bag. “We should probably go in too.”
But I just stared at the doors to the gym, listening to the music blaring and the buzz of everyone talking and laughing. They had no idea of the horror that was about to happen here.
I wished I could scream that there was a bomb threat and tell everyone to get out.
But then the shooter would leave too… and we would have no clue when or where they were going to strike next.
Plus, there was no bomb, and everyone would think that I’d lost my mind afterward.
Having no other choice, I straightened and walked inside the gym. I’d been brought to this alternate universe for a reason. I was here to stop what was going to happen tonight. Or at least stop anyone from getting killed.
I was determined that at the end of the night, I would walk out of these doors having done just that.
Friday, October 31
Walking into the gym was like stepping into a nightmare. Everything was the same as I remembered—the black floor coverings, the flowing curtains, and the dim lights. The DJ jammed out as he played hit songs, and the group of football players wearing t-shirts that said “I’m on Bath Salts!” had taken over the dance floor.
“You told me they were going to wear that, but it’s the biggest group costume fail ever.” Claire looked around, fiddling with the fringes of her flapper costume. “Oh, look, there’s Robby. Dressed as a mobster, like you said he would be.”
“Let’s grab drinks before he sees us.” I pointed toward the tables in the back.
I was so nervous that my mouth tasted like cotton, and I guzzled down my first cup of Coke before reaching for a second. I sipped this one slower, looking around to see who else I recognized.
Jake was across the room, standing against the wall with Marisa. He wore the same vampire costume that he’d had the first time around, but instead of being Alice in Wonderland, Marisa was now the Queen of Hearts. She looked beautiful, and if the situation between us were different, I would have told her so.
The similar costumes were yet another reminder of how this world and my world—and maybe every other alternate reality out there—were somehow linked together.
Then Jake’s eyes met mine, and I stilled. It was like we were the only two people in the gym. There was a darkness in his gaze—a resolute determination—but he still managed to smile at me.
In that moment, I forgot that I was upset with him at all. I wanted so badly to forgive him.
But he’d kissed Marisa—not just in this world, but in mine too. He’d kept it from me. They’d both kept it from me. It was too soon for me to get past that. The hurt was too fresh.
I needed more time.
“Let’s sit down?” Zac asked, motioning toward the bleachers.
I nodded for him to lead the way, and he headed toward the seats near the fire exit, which we’d already agreed was one of the safest places in the gym. I situated myself between him and Claire and we sat through a few songs, watching the crowd. But I barely saw anything. I was too busy worrying about the plan for tonight.
Which was why I didn’t see Robby approach until he was hovering in front of us.
“Hey Claire.” He smirked and gave her a single nod. “Zac. Annabelle.”
“Hey, man.” Zac scooted to the edge of his seat. “What’s up?”
“Not much,” Robby said, turning his focus back to Claire. “Do you want to grab a drink?” He pulled at the bottom of his jacket, and I stared at the place where I’d seen the flash of silver last week—his interior breast pocket.
I couldn’t see inside the jacket right now, but it was so close—easily within reach. If he was hiding a gun in there, what would happen if I grabbed it? I could stop this all before it even started. I could save everyone and get Robby locked away, without a single shot going off.
Not allowing myself to think about it, I darted my hand into his jacket, wrapped my hand around something metal, and pulled it out. But before I could get a good grip, Zac was out of his seat and had wrangled it from my hand.
My heart dropped when I saw what he was holding.
A flask.
“Whoa there.” Robby grabbed the flask and shoved it back inside his jacket, looking around to make sure no one had seen. Luckily, we were far enough in the corner that no teachers were watching us. “If you wanted a drink that badly, all you had to do was ask,” he said. “But the answer is no. I only brought enough for me. And for Claire, if she wants some.” He looked at her and raised his eyebrows suggestively.
“No, thanks.” She pursed her lips, not meeting his gaze. “I’ll pass.”
“You sure?” he asked, close enough now that I could smell the alcohol on his breath. “Maybe it would help you loosen up and have fun instead of looking miserable in the bleachers. I bet the teachers wouldn’t notice if I poured some into your cup…”
“She’s not interested, okay?” I said, irritation leaking into my voice. Robby might not be the shooter, but he was still a total creeper. There was no reason why I had to be nice to him.
“A minute ago you were grabbing inside my jacket.” Robby smirked at me. “I thought maybe you were warming up. But I can see that the ice bitch has returned.”
“Lay off.” Claire’s voice was sharp. “You’re drunk, and Annabelle’s right—I’m not interested.”
“Whatever.” He backed away, holding his hands up in the air. “Your loss.”
He swaggered over to the dance floor and found a sophomore cheerleader to dance with—although I’m not sure “dance” was the correct term. What he was doing was more along the lines of “rubbing his crotch all over her.”
I almost looked away from the group, but not before I noticed Liana close by, talking to none other than Eric.
He had his pirate hat sitting low on his head, and was trying to stand behind people and angle himself away from me, but I would recognize him anywhere. Danny stood behind him, looking around awkwardly, as if he wanted to be anywhere but here.
At least that made two of us.
“What did you just try to do?” Zac asked.
I was so shocked over Eric being here that it took me a second to process that Zac was talking about what had just happened with Robby.
“What if that hadn’t been a flask in his pocket?” he continued. “You could have gotten us all killed.”
“It was a chance I had to take.” I stood up, feeling more empowered than I had the entire week. I couldn’t believe that I’d had the courage to grab a potential gun.
If it had been a gun, we would have had it in our hands. We wo
uld have stopped the shooting.
For the first time tonight, I felt ready for whatever was coming. I also knew that we couldn’t cross Robby off the list just yet. He didn’t have a gun in his front pocket, but he could still have one somewhere else.
“It’s done, and nothing bad happened,” I said. “But Eric’s here. I don’t know how he got here, but he’s here.”
“Really?” Claire’s eyes widened. “Where?”
“On the far end of the dance floor.” I tilted my head toward where he was standing with Liana and Danny. “I’m going over to get him. He needs to go back home. Now.”
“You’re not going out there until you need to.” Zac stood up, blocking my path. “I’ll get Eric. You and Claire stay here, where it’s safe.”
I was about to say no—that I didn’t want him bossing me around and that I could take care of this myself.
But then his eyes softened. “Please?” he added. “I’ll bring him straight over to you.”
“Fine.” I gave in and sat back down, since I knew Zac was being so insistent because he was worried. The last thing I wanted to do was worry him further.
He walked over to Eric and said something to him. Eric glanced over at me, scowling. My stomach dropped, because I couldn’t blame him. I’d told him that I wouldn’t say anything about his stealing the rum, and I’d broken his trust.
I thought I was keeping him safe… but I’d failed.
He and Zac were arguing, and Zac crossed his arms, towering over Eric. Liana held out her hands and backed away, clearly not wanting to be involved. Finally, Zac turned and headed back over to the bleachers, with Eric and Danny at his heels. Liana stayed behind to dance with her friends.
“You’re supposed to be grounded,” I said to Eric the moment he approached.
“And you were supposed to keep the rum a secret from Mom and Dad.” He narrowed his eyes. “Don’t even try to say that you dropped it accidentally—you’ve never been that clumsy.”
“How did you even get here?” I asked.
“I rode my bike.” He puffed up his chest, clearly proud of himself for finding a way around the rules.
“You haven’t ridden your bike since elementary school,” I said.
“I rode my bike here,” Danny chimed in. “Eric called and asked for a ride, and I suggested he take his bike, too.”
“Mom and Dad will be pissed if they find out,” I said to Eric. “But if you go home right now, I won’t say anything to them. They’ll never know you were here.”
“And if I don’t?” he asked. “Will you call them and make them pick me up?”
“No,” I said, since I wanted Mom and Dad as far away from the school as possible. Even though they probably wouldn’t come inside to pick Eric up, I couldn’t risk it. “But they’ll find out, and then you’ll be in more trouble than before. Is that really worth it for a dance?”
“It’s not for a dance,” he said. “It’s for Liana. She didn’t say it, but I know she thought it was lame when I got grounded. Coming here anyway shows her that I’m cool.”
“You don’t need to prove yourself to Liana,” I told him. “If she was really interested in you, she would have stayed in and watched movies.”
“That’s not true,” Eric said, although I could see the doubt in his eyes.
“You should go home.” Zac stepped to my side, surprising me by backing me up after everything he’d said about wanting to change as little as possible about tonight. “Staying isn’t worth it.”
Eric glared at him, not saying a word.
Then the song changed, and a popular line dance song came on.
“I love this song.” Eric glanced at the dance floor, over to where Liana was still hanging out with her friends. “See you around.” He rushed off to join her, leaving me staring after him, unable to stop him.
I dropped my hands to my sides, feeling helpless. Especially because I knew this line dance song.
The last time I’d heard it had been a few days ago—the first time I went to this dance.
It wouldn’t be long until that first slow song came on. And then… well, I knew what would happen then.
Suddenly, all of the confidence I’d felt after the confrontation with Robby vanished. I wasn’t ready for this. How did I get here? I wanted to run to the exit, go home, and not look back.
But Eric was here, and Jake, and Claire, and Zac, and Marisa, and so many other people I cared about who could get caught in the line of fire. I couldn’t leave them here to die.
“I’m sorry,” Zac said. “I tried. He’s more stubborn than I gave him credit for.”
“He always has been,” I said. “But thank you for trying. It means a lot.”
“Do you want me to go out there?” Claire asked. “Maybe I could try talking to him and get him to change his mind…”
“No.” I kept my gaze on my brother and clenched my fists to my sides, knowing what I had to do. “I don’t want you to go out there. Because I’m going to do it myself.”
Friday, October 31
Fueled by the thumping music, I pushed through the crowd until I reached Eric.
“You need to leave.” I grabbed his arm, pulling him off the dance floor. “Now.”
“What’s wrong with you tonight?” He threw my hand off his arm, spinning to face me. “You’ve turned into a complete psycho-bitch. And you’ve ruined my chance with Liana.”
“I’m trying to help you,” I said, desperate for him to believe me. “You need to trust me and go home. Now.”
“Trust you?” He laughed. “That’s what I did when I told you about that rum. And look how that turned out.”
“I know,” I said. “I’m sorry… but please, I need you to believe me.”
He narrowed his eyes. “I would only trust you again if you stop telling me to go home, and don’t tell Mom and Dad that I snuck out to the dance. They’ll be out late, and I’ll get home before they do. They’ll never know if you don’t tell them.”
“Listen,” I started, burying my fingers in my hair. “I don’t have much time to explain, but it’s not safe here. You have to go home. Something really bad is going to happen soon, and I don’t want you to be here for it.”
“What are you talking about?” He studied me, and I could tell he wasn’t sure if he should believe me or think that I’d gone insane. “What’s going to happen?”
I looked around, making sure no one was listening. “There’s going to be a shooting,” I said into his ear, quiet enough so no one else could hear. “Someone here has a gun, and they’re going to use it. Soon. You can’t be here when they do.”
“What?” He pulled away, his brow crinkled. “Who would do that? And how do you even know that?”
“It’s a long story,” I said. “I’ll you everything later, I promise. But for now, can you just get out of here? Please?”
“Something happened on Monday morning, didn’t it?” he asked. “You’ve known about this since then.”
“Yes,” I said, since there was no getting around it now. “I have.”
“But how…” He stared off, scratching his head. “You’re not a part of this, are you?”
“No!” I gasped. “Never. I’m trying to stop it.”
He looked over at the dance floor, and then back at me. “This doesn’t make sense,” he said. “If you’ve known about this since Monday, and you want to stop it, why didn’t you go to the police and turn in whoever’s going to do this?”
“Because I don’t know who’s going to do it—I only know that it’s going to happen, and that it’s going to happen soon.” I glanced at my watch, panic rising in my throat. “We’re running out of time. You have to get out of here—now.”
“Fine,” he said, standing straighter. “But only if you come with me.”
Friday, October 31
“I can’t do that.” I shook my head sadly. “I have to stay here.”
Before either of us could say more, someone approached us—Jake. He watche
d me, clearly confused about what I was doing, since this wasn’t part of the plan. Marisa trailed behind him, and she crossed her arms, sneering at me.
“What’s going on here?” Jake asked, resting a hand on my arm.
“Eric was grounded tonight, but he snuck out to the dance anyway, so I’m telling him that he should go home before Mom and Dad find out.” I watched what I was saying, since Marisa was listening. Then I re-focused on Eric and shook my head, hoping he got the hint that he shouldn’t mention anything about what I’d just told him.
He pressed his lips together, not saying a word.
“Anna’s right,” Jake said. “You should go home. One night out isn’t worth getting into more trouble.”
“I’m only going home if Anna comes with me.” Eric stood his ground.
“I can’t do that,” I said. “Please, just go. I’ll be fine. I promise.”
My stomach twisted with guilt, since I wasn’t sure if it was a promise I would be able to keep.
Then the current song ended, and the DJ’s voice echoed through the sound system. “It’s time to slow it down,” he said, and the opening notes of a familiar slow song echoed through the air.
The song that had been one of my favorites until last week, when it became the soundtrack to my worst nightmare.
Terror washed over me, and I reached for Jake’s hand, needing something to hold onto.
“Anna promised me one dance,” Jake said to Eric, his voice surprisingly calm considering what we both knew was about to happen. “Go to the lobby. After this song is over, I’ll make sure she goes home with you.”
Eric just watched me, his eyes wide, so scared and confused.
“Go,” I told him. “It’ll be fine. Just let me have this dance with Jake. Then I’ll meet you in the lobby and we’ll go home.”
“Fine,” he gave in. “But if you’re not out there by the end of this song, I’m coming back inside to get you.”
“Okay.” I nodded, relief flooding through my chest. “Sounds like a plan.”
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