22. Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Lucas
“JT, wait up,” I call after my friend as we’re heading to the locker room after school for baseball conditioning.
“What is it? We’re going to be late.” He doesn’t stop walking, just keeps going.
I don’t know what’s going on with him, but he’s changed since Jimmy fell on the football field. There’s a few of the guys on the team who have been real assholes this season who were fine last year. I mean, we had the ‘your hormones are changing’ shit in biology class, but this is extreme.
When I walk into the locker room, there’s a group of guys in the corner, all talking in hushed tones. Jimmy, who just returned to school a few weeks ago, Conner, Mark, and Troy are passing something around, but I can’t see what it is from here.
“Hey, what are you guys—” I cut myself off when I break through their huddle. “What is that?”
“Nothing, loser. Go away.” Mark pushes me back, but I know what I saw. A baggie with pills in it.
Jimmy glares at me before shaking his head, like he’s disappointed in me. What the heck? He’s in here passing around pills and I’m the disappointment.
“You just fucked up,” Conner tells me as they break apart. “Wait until Coach hears you have pills in the locker room.”
“But, I don’t—”
“You do now,” Jimmy says, putting a baggie down my pants.
“Hey! What the fuck, man?”
“Yo! Coach! Got something you need to see here!” Mark yells into the attached office.
Coach Brown, our stand in coach and vice principal, comes out of the office. “What’s up?”
“You should check Mills’s pants. He’s got something he shouldn’t have.”
“Is that so?”
“What? No!” I tell him.
“Drop them. Now.”
I slowly back up with my hands in front of me. “You can’t search me.”
“Want me to call the cops and you can tell them what you have that’s so important I come out of my office for?”
“No! But I should have an adult with me.”
“You aren’t under arrest, kid. Not yet anyway. What do you have?”
“Jimmy shoved something down my pants. I don’t know what it is.”
“He did, huh? Well, why don’t you show it to me and I’ll decide what we need to do about that?”
The boys snicker, all looking at me like they already know the ending to this story. I keep backing up with Coach advancing on me until my back is against the wall.
“Looks like you don’t have anywhere to go now. Might as well give it up.”
If I can get out of this room, I can get away. That’s all I’m thinking. I need to get away. Something’s wrong here.
“Wait.” I hold up my hands and he stops. I can’t believe that actually worked.
“Are you a part of this?”
“Part of what?”
“Are you using drugs, too?”
His laugh is mocking. “You’re kidding, right? Me? I’m not involved in anything.”
“Then why won’t you trust me when I say they are?” I ask, pointing to the boys behind him.
“Because I know them. All I really know about you is your sister is a bitch and her best friend is a fucking whore.”
Yeah, that’s it. I need out of here.
Without really thinking it through, I reach for the door and slam it open, running out into the hallway.
“Get him, boys! Bring him back to me!” Coach yells.
I run as fast as I can down the hallway, trying every other door, trying to find one that’s unlocked or open. All of them are already dark for the day. Damn, no one hangs out and grades shit when the last bell rings anymore?
I can hear the others chasing me, calling me names, and if they catch me, I’m afraid of what they’ll do.
What would happen if I just give up? Will they kill me? Beat me? I don’t know, but I don’t want to find out. There has to be somewhere safe in this damn building! Wait, what’s that sound? Where is it coming from? I finally look up to see where I am and realize I’m near the auditorium and the music room is over here. Ginny!
I run to her door and yank it open, skidding to a stop inside. She’s with Audrey, a girl in ninth. Both of them stare at me, shocked at my entrance.
“Hide me!” I plead. “Please. Don’t let them get me.”
Ginny stands quickly and points to a closet in the corner of the room.
“It’ll be crowded, but go there.”
No questions. No doubt. Fuck that guy for what he called her. My Aunt Ginny is awesome. She meets me at the closet and opens the door, pulling out a large instrument in a hard-shell case. It’s like the one she plays. She moves another hard-shell case forward and points behind it.
“Get behind that case and lie down.”
I do as she tells me. She throws some type of fabric over me and closes the door.
“Aubrey, let’s play.”
I hear music start, and close my eyes, trying to slow my heart down and take a full breath. How am I going to get out of this? Obviously, I’m going to have to drop out of school. I can’t come back here. Not with everyone after me. We’re just going to have to move.
I hear the other boys yelling and the music stops. I put my ear to the door to try to listen.
“Where is he?” It sounds like JT asking.
“Who?” Ginny asks.
“Lucas.”
“Haven’t seen him. What happened? Is everything alright?”
“It’s fine. But we know he’s in here. What did you do with him?” That sounds like Troy.
“I didn’t do anything with him and you need to leave my classroom.”
“We don’t have to do anything. We know he’s in here.”
“Boys, what’s going on?” Coach Brown asks. “Ms. Mills?”
Ginny replies, “I don’t know what’s going on. They are looking for Lucas and he’s not in here.”
“Is that so? Then you wouldn’t mind me looking around?”
“Go ahead.”
What? Why would she do that to me?
I hear him moving around the room. Something hits the floor.
“So sorry about that,” Coach Brown says, not sounding sorry at all. Ginny doesn’t respond.
I hear other small things crash to the floor. Is he pulling out desk drawers? When the third small crash happens, I’m ready to bust out of here. He’s going to trash her room.
“Mr. Brown. I don’t think a six-foot-tall fifteen-year-old is going to fit in my desk drawers, do you?”
“Just turning over every possibility. What’s in the closet?”
“Instruments.”
I hear his steps getting closer and he tries the handle, but it doesn’t open.
“Unlock this.”
“I don’t have my key with me today. Besides, how would I have had the time to open it before you got in here?”
“This might be true. You aren’t the fastest, are you? It’s the extra weight you’ve put on since…June, right?”
I hate this man. So much.
“Actually, I lost about two-hundred, two-twenty-five since then.”
“I don’t weigh—” he cuts himself off.
“You can destroy my classroom. You can insult me. But you won’t get a rise out of me, Mr. Brown. I suggest you leave my classroom, much like I asked your little crew to do.”
“You have no say in this room. I thought I made that clear the other night.”
“Ohhh, Mr. Brown and Ms. Mills got freaky in the music room. Wait until the other kids hear about this,” one of the guys says.
“That’s not—that didn’t.” He looks at the boys like they are nothing but a problem. Exacerbated, he huffs. It’s his wimpy version of a growl. “Fine. We’re leaving. Keep looking for him, boys. Let’s go. Ms. Mills, I’ve got my eyes on you.”
“Have a great day, Mr. Brown.”
I hear everyone leave and then the door close.
“Lucas?” Aubrey asks quietly. “Are you alright in there?”
“Yeah,” I whisper back. “I’m okay. Can you have Aunt Ginny call Davis?”
“I can do that. We’ll get you out in a minute.”
“Aubrey, you need to keep playing so I can make a call, okay? Make them think we’re just practicing in here.”
“Okay, Ms. Mills. Any particular song?”
“Whatever you want, just make it loud.”
I don’t know how long I stay in this closet, but the walls are starting to close in on me. I hope Ginny called Davis, and he’s on his way. I have to get out of here.