Chapter 9 #4
“Amelie can be a bit of a handful. Pretty sure Haldon’s grandma spoils her while we’re at school.”
I laughed, “It’ll be fine. Just… don’t blame me if she’s not in bed by the time you get home. Kids sense a weakness in me and like to take advantage of it. I’m a sucker for a cute face.”
The next day, I woke up late. Last night was awful.
Keith hadn’t been drinking last night, but I sensed a familiar sort of hostility from him that I remembered from childhood.
He’d asked about my day, so I gave him a watered-down version, keeping it to the basics about my classes, and then he grunted in response and turned on the TV.
When I went to the fridge to see what I could make for dinner, I found it was pretty bare, yet the freezer was jammed full of frozen meals.
So I threw one into the microwave for us to split before he left for his shift.
We ate in silence in front of the television, watching some cop show I’d never heard of, and then he left for work without a word.
I’d spent the rest of the night reviewing my notes, rewriting them, and finishing the smaller homework assignments.
Then, I spent the remaining night hours aimlessly traveling down the social media rabbit hole before calling it around midnight.
I woke up every half hour, sitting upright in bed as I gasped for air and struggled to calm myself.
I always woke up feeling like I was in the middle of being hunted.
Several times, I would tug the curtain back to peer out the window. The sounds of sirens, the occasional rumble of an engine, or shouts down the street, disturbing the peace—all the sounds I had once been used to. But I kept thinking about what Meredith had said in Home Ec.
The real bad guys are outside of these walls, and they’re trying to break in.
What the hell did that mean? And she mentioned that was why Hunter and his gang were so dangerous.
So what was their goal? If the Celtic Beasts and the Faceless were using them, then it was some serious shit. Was it drugs?
As for Vail, Lee, and Shaw, it would appear they were fighting on the other side, trying to protect the students from that bullshit. But then why did it matter what side I chose? Why did I matter at all?
Right now though, I was just scrambling to get ready.
I had put on a pair of black leggings, a casual canary yellow tank top, and a white cardigan.
I left my hair down, finding it helped act as a curtain to hide behind.
I kept reminding myself I needed to shop locally for some new things, but at the same time, I didn’t really want to change who I was.
On the other hand, I wasn’t sure if I even liked who I was.
I was basically a product of someone who adapted to a new environment and was now struggling in another.
I was going to be seventeen at the end of November, and I had no idea who the hell I was, and with all this social drama, I was just as confused as ever.
I felt more anxious going to school today than I had yesterday. I stared at myself in the mirror, wondering what the hell I was going to do. Meredith seemed sure that something was coming, to stay close to her because the crew hadn’t written me off yet, but her words had put me on edge.
At school, not too much had changed. Celeste was still casting me death glares, and whispers followed wherever I went.
However, I could sense some sort of tension in the air.
Despite the whispers from the Skank Squad, everyone else pretty much left me alone.
Everyone else, however, was on edge and moved quickly, keeping their heads down.
Any loud noises, like someone dropping their books, the slam of a classroom door, had kids throwing themselves back, making everyone wary and watchful.
What the hell was going on?
By the time lunch came around, I was tempted to call it a day and go home. I felt like I was walking on eggshells the entire morning. I hadn’t seen Meredith all morning, despite her warning to stay close to her. Hard to do when the only class you shared together was in the afternoon.
I bought the same meal from yesterday and sat in the same spot off to the side. I had brought Othello with me again and sat on my own, pretending to read while I ate, when actually, I was observing everyone around me.
I could make out Hunter and his group on the opposite side of the room, close to the doors leading to the Atrium.
Vendetta was near the back, along the walls with the prison barred windows.
Meredith’s blue head stood out amongst them all, and I thought I could see Shaw but no one else.
Vail wasn’t there. Neither was Lee. Or Meredith’s man.
I know she’d said to stay close, but I felt awkward about going over to that table when I wasn’t a member.
The two crews, and those around them, were quiet, heads bowed over their lunches, casting suspicious glances at each other every so often. Occasionally, I’d peek up through my lashes and notice Shaw staring my way, not even bothering to look away when I caught him watching me several times.
The other students, meanwhile, the ones that belonged to other cliques, were chattering away, though some seemed anxious, as well. Something was happening… they, like me, just didn’t know what.
I had almost finished picking at my food when the atmosphere shifted from quiet and ominous to a sudden explosion of activity.
Out in the hall, there came yelling and shouting and the sound of lockers slamming.
At once, several security guards raced out of the cafeteria to break up what I could only assume was a small fight.
Several other kids ran out, too, hoping to get a look at the feud, but I remained behind, not wanting to be a rubber-necker.
It was strange, though, I thought, because when the fight broke out in the hall, not one member of Vendetta moved an inch.
No one watched, flinched, or left their seats when the shouting began, nor when it sounded like it had escalated a bit to a more physical altercation.
Mrs. Reeves ran out after the security guards, and when she made it into the hall, I could hear her scolding what I assumed were two juniors for their “trivial squabble.” Her words, not mine.
I wiped my hands off on my napkin and gathered my garbage together onto my tray, noticing that a crowd was forming near the doors leading out to the atrium where the adults had disappeared to.
The sound of chairs scraping across the floor as students rose to their feet made the hairs on my neck stand on end.
I jumped in my seat when I saw Vail standing over the far table, his fist gripping Hunter’s shirt.
Their faces were close, both red with rage, both staring each other down with mutual loathing.
Lee was standing at Vail’s back, along with Meredith’s guy, Haldon, forming a wall of muscle as they fought back members of the Jackals to keep them from saving their leader.
At the cafeteria doors, other members of Vendetta and who I thought were simply random students were blocking the exit, some looking out the windows into the hall, some watching the rest of the room.
I stared in shock, unable to hear the words exchanged between the two guys, but at one point, Hunter’s gaze flickered over to me.
Vail gave him a rough shake then, bringing him back around, but Hunter was undeterred.
He shoved Vail back, sending him into Lee and Haldon, and straightened up to his full height, almost reaching Lee’s massive size.
They stared each other down, their mouths moving as they quietly threatened each other, but I was still too far away to hear.
Meanwhile, members of the Jackals and Vendetta were flying across the room, clashing in the open space in the middle of the cafeteria.
Fists were flying, and people were thrown into tables while chairs were kicked out of the way.
Kids outside of the two gangs watched, picked sides, and shouted at the fighters, while some of the jocks were trying in vain to intervene.
It was chaos as I shrank back against the wall, looking around for an escape route.
At the doors, I could hear the shouting from teachers and security as they tried to break through, but the kids standing watch had formed a sort of crush, blocking any from entering.
Seconds later, an alarm went off overhead, and a loud blaring echoed throughout the school, the Jackals flashing lights almost blinding me.
Either the two groups were too far gone to be reasoned with to stop, or they couldn’t hear over the blaring of the alarm system.
“Enough! Everyone, settle down!” Mrs. Reeves had returned and attempted to push her way through the line of kids barricading the entry of the Atrium, but there were too many blocking her way.
I also heard security guards and other staff members trying to get the students to settle down, but it was like a riot in here.
I shifted along the wall, dodging students who had chosen to hide rather than stay and watch, preferring instead to stay out of the fight, and making my way towards the Emergency Exit near the far end of the room.
Another group of Vendetta were standing there, like guards on duty, but they allowed some kids to leave, so I figured this was my best bet.
I hitched my bag onto my shoulder and had to climb over several tables to safely get by the pandemonium in the middle of the room.
But just as I was about ten feet from the doors, I saw a flash of blue in the mass of fighters.
Meredith!