Chapter 6
6
W HILE THE NURSE WAS OCCUPIED , I scrambled off the bed, setting the gross wastebasket on the floor. My backpack was on a chair by the door, with my books and supplies stuffed inside. Thankfully someone had brought it, along with my books from my third-block class. But that didn’t tell me where my phone was. I patted down my pockets just to make sure it hadn’t miraculously zapped into my jeans, but nope.
It was probably still in the hallway. I’d have to go back to the scene of the fight.
I checked the clock on the wall. It was close to the last hour of the school day, which meant I really needed to talk to Al, preferably before one of my parents showed up. Unfortunately, I couldn’t contact Al without my phone because I had no idea where their fourth-block class was. I would kill to have access to Lenore right about now.
Okay. Step one. Calm down.
Step two. Find phone.
Step three. Text Al and hope they could tell me what the hell had happened to me.
Step four… never return to school and go live my life as a hermit in a hut in the woods? I mean, not a bad plan for someone who had been humiliated at least twice in one day.
My hands shook as I slung my backpack over my shoulder. My head still felt like someone was ramming ice picks into my ears. And I couldn’t be sure that I wouldn’t throw up again. The rational thing to do would be to stay in the nurse’s office and wait for my parents. But rational had taken a hike the moment I slipped on sprite water. I took a deep breath, willing my heart rate to chill. I wasn’t successful.
I heard the nurse end her call with my mom. Okay. Step one would just have to be “in progress,” because I needed to dip if I was going to have a chance at step two.
I carefully pressed down on the metal door handle and then slowly pulled the door open, just enough for me to slide out as quietly as possible. Success.
I took one step down the hallway, then promptly had a heart attack.
Because Mateo Lopez stood in front of me in all his athletic, five-foot-eleven, ridiculously attractive glory, dark eyebrows raised, brown eyes staring at me with a curious glint. His hair curled in soft waves around his face and caressed the sharp jut of his jawline. It was as if I’d stepped right into one of my daydreams. Him—eyeing me up and down, full lips in a pout, body language expectant, like he was waiting for an opening to talk to me. All the details were perfect, except I was probably concussed, damp in unpleasant ways, breathing erratically while clutching my chest, and on the verge of losing my mind. Running into Mateo while I was definitely not firing on all cylinders really was the icing on top of my already catastrophically bad-day cake.
The nurse called my name in the room behind me.
I winced. Then, without really thinking about it, I grabbed the crook of Mateo’s arm and made a wobble for it. It wasn’t a run. My head was swimming too much for that, but it was enough to get us down the hallway and into the small alcove by the restrooms. And huh. There the bathrooms were.
To his credit, Mateo didn’t resist or even blink, though his expression had morphed from curiously amused to downright confused.
“Sorry,” I breathed, leaning against the wall nearest the water fountains. “She called my parents, and I just don’t want to deal with it, you know?”
Mateo frowned.
And oh. Maybe he didn’t know.
“Anyway,” I plowed on, “I really hope you were planning to talk to me, or I just basically yanked you down the hall to the bathrooms for no reason.”
Mateo’s lips twitched. “Here,” he said, and held out my phone.
My phone!
“Fantastic!” I said, sounding completely awkward. I reached out to take my phone from Mateo’s hand, but for some reason I paused halfway, my fingers hanging limply in the space between us. Mateo tilted his head and waited. “Sorry,” I breathed, suddenly and acutely wary of touching him. “Sorry. Um, let me just…” I gingerly lifted the phone and made sure not to graze his fingers. Great, now I also looked incredibly awkward, as evidenced by the incredulous expression on Mateo’s face.
Today really was just not my day. My phone sported a new large, jagged crack running from the top right corner to the opposite bottom. Awesome. I tapped the screen, and thankfully it still worked. I had a ton of messages from Al. But… they could wait. I looked back to Mateo and smiled.
“I was just going to go look for it. Thank you, really. And thank Danny for me. I heard he carried me to the nurse’s office? Is that true?”
Mateo put his hands back in his hoodie pocket and shrugged. “Yeah. He did.”
My face lit on fire. Seriously. I could roast marshmallows near it. “Well. Thanks.”
Mateo’s brow furrowed. “Are you… okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said, lying through my teeth. “I have a headache, but otherwise I’m good.”
“You look…” He trailed off.
Looked what? Cute? Amazing? Like boyfriend material?
He finally settled on, “Pale.”
“Ah,” I said, my hopes deflating like a sad balloon. “Yeah.” I gestured to my head. “Unfortunate side effect of being launched into the lockers.”
His expression didn’t ease, but he didn’t speak further.
And this was embarrassing. Really embarrassing. I didn’t know what to say, and my eyes throbbed like they were going to pop out of my skull, and I wasn’t certain that I was going to make it through this interaction without vomiting again.
My phone’s screen lit up with a text. And then another. And oh—saved by intrusive technology.
“I should probably get to these,” I said, holding it up.
He nodded. “I should go back to class.”
“Yeah? What class are you in right now?”
“Art block.”
“Oh! Me too. I mean, I should be there. I don’t think I’m going, though. Actually, pretty sure my parents are on their way here as we speak, so…”
“I’ll take notes.” He coughed. “To share.”
My middle fluttered. “Thanks. That would be really helpful.”
“Okay.” He rocked back on his heels. “See you.” And then he was gone, striding quickly away. I watched him until he disappeared.
And what the hell was that? I’d have to unpack that later. Right then I had more pressing issues.
I slid my thumb along my screen and opened my texts. There was a string of them from Al.
Come on, Cam. Don’t be mad.
Fine. Be mad.
Where are you?
Did you hear about the fight?
Wait. You were IN THE FIGHT?
Are you okay?
You’re freaking me out.
Text me ASAP.
Cam?
And one from my mom:
I’m on my way to the school.
Ugh. That was not going to be fun.
I texted Al.
I’m fine. Can you get out of class and meet me on the front steps?
The reply was instant.
Yes.
I bolted. I found my way to the front of the building, past the main office, and out the door. The sun gleamed off the bleached white facade and sent a spiking ache behind my eyes. A fragrant breeze ruffled the manicured flower beds, but when I inhaled, the smell of rotten eggs and blood clung to the inside of my nose.
There were a few kids ditching, sitting under the receptionist’s window where no one could spot them from inside. They glanced in my direction and then went back to batting different brightly colored balls of light back and forth, in some kind of game that I didn’t understand and that seared my eyeballs when I stared too long.
I found a place in the shade, under the large oak tree near the HOME OF THE SAINTS sign, and waited. I closed my eyes and leaned on the trunk. I was so tired. Just drained. I wanted to go home and curl up in my bed. I wanted to talk to Aiden. I wanted to forget the image of the girl in the field. I wanted to rewind the whole day and start over.
The sound of footsteps filtered in, and I opened my eyes to find Al jogging over.
“What the hell happened?” they asked as they joined me by the tree. “The rumors are all over the place.”
Ugh. Great. Rumors could make or break a reputation. Mine was certainly going to take a dive after everyone found out about Danny swooping in to save me.
“There was a fight. I was collateral damage. I’m fine.”
“You look really pale. Are you going to pass out?”
“I already did once. I think. Anyway, my head is killing me, and I’ve thrown up. So I’m not at my best. And my mom is on her way here.”
Al shuddered.
“My feelings exactly,” I said. “But anyway—”
“Don’t you think you should see a doctor?”
“I don’t know. Maybe?”
“If you passed out, you definitely should. You could have a concussion. Why did the nurse allow you to wander away?”
“I wandered away of my own volition.”
“Cam! That’s dangerous. What were you thinking?”
“Al,” I said a little forcefully. “The fight and the aftermath aren’t a big deal. Okay? Something else happened, and I need your help.”
Their eyes widened. “What?”
I sucked in a breath. “When I fell, I saw… something. The nurse said that the other kids in the hall saw me have a vision. But I’m not sure. I really don’t know.”
“A vision? What do you mean?”
“You know. Like a clairvoyant vision. That’s what she said, at least.” I held the heel of my hand to my aching head as the world spun nauseatingly around me. “I don’t know about that, but I did see…” I trailed off, swallowing down the fear and the bile bubbling in my throat.
Al dropped their voice. “Like a seer-type vision? A glimpse?”
“I… guess? Maybe? But whatever it was… it was real .”
“Are you certain?”
“Yeah. I could feel it and smell it and… and taste it.” I shivered. “It was like I was there, but not fully. It was weird.”
“Wow,” they breathed. “That’s really cool.”
“It was terrifying!” I snapped. “Not cool at all.”
“Sorry.”
I shook my head, which was a bad idea. My sight went blurry, and I stumbled to the side. Al reached out to steady me, but I jerked away from their touch. They froze, then took a step back, observing me in much the same way the nurse had. I didn’t like it.
“Cam—”
“I’m fine,” I said, way too quickly for that to be true. “Just… I need you to find out everything you can about visions, or glimpses, whatever they’re called. The real stuff. Not like internet shit. The stuff paranormal folk know.”
Al readily agreed. Their curls bounced as they nodded. “Yeah. Sure. No problem.”
“But don’t mention it to your moms. Can you keep it between us? Just for now.”
“Cam, if you are—”
“I’m not .”
Al pursed their lips.
“I mean, it may have been just the head injury. Actually, I’m pretty certain that’s what it was. A hallucination or something. But please don’t say anything, not until we know for sure.”
They crossed their arms and tapped the toe of their boot. “Fine. I won’t tell my moms for now. But what did you see that’s made you so… fidgety?”
My throat tightened. “Something I don’t want to revisit. Not right now.” Or ever again, honestly. But I had a sinking feeling that I would have to.
“Okay. I can respect that.”
“Good. Look, my mom is going to be here any second. And it’s already been a catastrophe of a day.”
Al held up their hands. “Say no more. I need to head back to class anyway and grab my stuff before the bell.”
“Thank you.”
They gave me one last concerned look and then fled up the stairs and into the building, ducking through the front doors.
And just as they did, my mom whipped her black SUV into a parking space right in front of the school. My whole body tensed when the driver’s side door opened and she stomped out, her rigid posture and long strides indicating just how absolutely livid she was.
I sighed and rubbed my brow.
Time for damage control. I plastered on my best fake smile, which was more like a pained grimace at this point, and met my mom on the stairs, ready to lie through my teeth.