I walked into school the next day feeling slightly nervous. I hadn't came to school in almost two weeks. The last time I had been there no one knew about Drew or Quentin or Will, and no one knew about me and how I left my best friend to die. Now I was pretty much doomed to get plenty of disapproving stares, and I could just picture my fellow classmates whispering harmful gossip to each other. I didn't have much of a choice, though. I had to come if I still planned on graduating with honors at the end of the year.
I kept my head down as I slipped past people conversating in the middle of the hallways. I did my best to avoid as many people as I could. A few girls started coming up to me, but I simply waved and told them that I was in a hurry.
Once I reached my locker I had to stand there for what seemed like forever trying to remember the code. When you don't use it for two weeks it really seems to slip your mind. 3..6...1.. No! 3..6...7...89! Yes, that was it! I quickly put it in, and heaved my heavy backpack into the already overstuffed locker. My locker was pretty bland compared to most of the other girls at school. Mine wasn't covered with pictures of Justin Beiber and other guys who they fawned over constantly. I had one picture of myself, Lauren, and Ryan from when we went on a camping trip a few years back.
I quickly slammed the door closed. It was too soon after my breakdown last night to look at a picture of Lauren. I definitley didn't want to cry at school.
I tucked my biology textbook under my arm, and started off to the classroom. It would be awhile before the bell rang, but the longer I stayed out in the hallways the more of a chance there would be for someone to stop me. As I mentioned before, I wasn't really in the mood to talk and listen to them give me some fake sympathy crap. I knew all they wanted was some information that they could spread around school. Well they weren't going to get any information from me.
Another few girls who I knew waved at me. I waved back to be polite, but then lowered my head again so I could make like I didn't see all the other pity looks. In the next few moments, though, I found out that staring at the floor while trying to maneuver through a packed hallway wasn't my best idea. Before I could move out of the way I was tripping over a rather large foot. I shrieked as my textbook flew out of my hands, and my knees broke the fall.
Laughs and giggles erupted around me until I lifted my head. Then they saw who it was and everything went silent. Even the oversized basketball player who I tripped over didn't make a sound. I felt like I was in a movie, and everyones eyes were on me as I slowly lifted myself off the ground. No one helped me, and no one asked if I was okay. They just stood there with their gaping at the girl who left her best friend to die. The girl who helped the star football player not get arrested for something he didn't do.
Speaking of the star football player. There he was standing in front of me with my textbook in his hands. He handed it over to me, and then grabbed my hand and led me down a less crowded hallway. I stumbled along beside him, and glanced over my shoulder to see everyone staring as we walked away. Thanks, Drew, now they really had something to talk about.
Finally he stopped in front of a locker which after a few seconds I realized was his. "Are you okay?" He asked quietly with a worried look on his face.
My mouth opens and closes but no words would come out. I'm not sure if it was because I was still shocked that nobody had helped me except Drew, or if it was because I had suddenly gotten lost in his green eyes and it wasn't really helping that he was holding my hand.
"I'm...uh...f-fine," I stuttered out.
He chucked lightly and took his hand away to open his locker. I let my own hand fall limply to my side as I watched him slide his backpack off his arm and place it inside his locker. The voices of my peers buzzed around me, but my eyes stayed on him. Why did I feel this way so suddenly? What was it that made me wish for his hand to be back in mine? Maybe I just liked the way the other girls stared in jealously went he grabbed my hand and led me through the crowd. That had to be it.
For a minute there I was too busy questioning myself to realize that a sudden hush had befallen the once noisy hallway. I stared confused at the kids around me whose heads turned slowly to stare at the end of the hallway. I stood on my tiptoes to see over everyones heads and what I saw was extremely unexpected. Two policemen marched in almost perfect unison with their heads held high and their hands on their guns. I turned my head to look at Drew who turned his head to look at me. I felt something squeeze my hand and I looked down to see that Drew was holding it again. He pulled me back a little just as everyone else stepped back to make a path for the officers. One freshman girl who was on the other side of the hallway was shaking in fear. I knew what they were there for, though.
And a few minutes later I found out that I was right. The two men were coming back down the hallway, but they weren't alone. Quentin and Will marched beside them in handcuffs. They kept their heads lowered as whispers echoed off the halls. Once they were out the door I didn't know if I should have been happy or sad. I didn't have to think about it long, though, because in the next few seconds I was pressed close to someone. Drew was hugging me! For a second I just stayed there like a limp noodle, but I slowly wrapped my arms around his back and returned the embrace.
"They've got them, Kels. We don't have to worry about it anymore. I'm not a suspect. It's over with," he gushed once he pulled away from me. Kels? Ryan was the only person who ever called me Kels.
"Yeah. It's over with," I echoed his words. I was still staring at the door they had walked out of. Those were the last faces Lauren saw. It's scary to think about, isn't it?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I sighed heavily as I dropped my textbook onto the desk and wearily climbed into the chair beside my very talkative biology partner, Chloe. I tried not to make eye contact in the hope that she wouldn't ask any questions, but my attempt was unsuccessful.
"Oh my gosh, Kelsey. Did you hear about Quentin and Will? I hear that two police came in and arrested them. I hear it was for the murder of Lauren," Chloe questioned in her usual high pitched voice and over dramatic hand gestures and facial expressions. Her fiery red ponytail bobbed up and down as she practically fidgeted in her chair waiting for me to answer.
At that point I was already sick of answering that question. People had bombarded Drew and I with it the whole way to the classroom. Did I mention he walked me there? Well he did.
"Yes, Chloe, I did hear. I was there, and yes it was for the...because of Lauren," I answered breathily, trying my best to be polite even though I was extremely annoyed.
"You were there?! You saw it? Oh my gosh, tell me all about it. I need the details so I can tell my friends," she insisted. Right then I realized that the majority of people didn't really care about Lauren's death. They just cared about the gossip and the stories that they could get out of it. And the popularity they might get if they were the first to know, and the one who had the most details. Before I could let my temper fly and go off on the scrawny big-mouth another person came to my rescue.
A curly blonde headed boy seemed to appear out of nowhere. "You know I don't think she really feels like talking about this right now," Ryan interjected. I looked up in astonishment at him. He gestured for me to come with him. "My partner is out sick today. You can sit with me," he said. I slowly slid off my seat and grabbed my book. I gave Chloe one last ticked-off look for good measure.
"Thanks for helping me out. I just almost earned my first detention ever because I was seriously about to go off on that girl," I thanked him as I sat down in the seat where Greyson Tabor, a quiet kid with glasses, usually sits.
Ryan smiled that smile I had been missing so much the past few days that we hadn't been talking. "No problem. She would have deserved it, though," he replied.
I was about to aplogize for the other day, but the teacher walked in before I could say anything.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brinng! I almost jumped out of my seat when the bell went off to signal that biology was over. Ryan chuckled as he gathered up his books, and I playfully stuck my tongue out at him. He started to file out behind the other kids, but I quickly tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. He spun around quickly, and bumped into the table. One of the beakers that was filled with a green liquid started to topple over, but he quickly fumbled around and caught it before it could fall and break.
I stifled laughter, and I could tell in Ryan's eyes that he was extremely relieved that everyone else was already out the door.
"I just wanted to say sorry about the other day. I shouldn't have-," I started my apology, but he quickly cut me off.
"Let's just forget about the other day. I'm just glad that we're talking again. I missed you a lot," he said, and then he pulled me into him, wrapping me in a bear hug. I wanted to pull away, but I didn't have the heart to. "I love you, Kels," he whispered in my ear.
There it was again. I just wished he would stop. "I-I've got to go." I quickly wriggled out of his grasp, and left him in the classroom all alone. I just couldn't say it back to him. I would have felt like a hyprocrite. Because I knew that while I was saying it, I would have been thinking about Drew.
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