LELA TROD OVER TO THE CAFETERIA WITH TYLER TO MEET UP WITH HER PALS, HER GUT STILL TWISTED WITH GUILT FOR PURSUING ANYONE BUT HER SNOOKY WOOKY, COOKIE BOOKIE, SILLY BILLY, HUBBLE BUBBLE.
SO, GUILT-RIDDEN AND TIRED, LELA CONTINUED ON, MAKING DULL CONVERSATION WITH HER FRIENDS.
THAT WAS UNTIL MINDY SPOKE UP.
"I HAVE NO IDEA WHY," SHE BEGAN, CATCHING EVERYONE OFF GUARD WITH HER SUDDEN SPEECH. "BUT I GET THE FEELING THAT SOMETHING IS GOING TO GO AWFULLY WRONG." SHE STATED BLUNTLY. LELA'S BLOOD RAN COLD AND HER FACE DRAINED OF COLOR, LEAVING HER WHITE AS A SHEET AND SHAKING LIKE A LEAF.
"I SHOULD GET TO CLASS EARLY!" LELA BLURTED OUT.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, LELA? WE STILL HAVE TO GO TO THE PEP RALLY IN THE GYM TODAY. DID YOU FORGET? GET A SCHEDULE, BRO." ESTELLE SCOLDED. LELA'S MOUTH DRIED UP AS JAY GAVE HER A CONCERNED LOOK. LELA COULDN'T BARE TO EVEN THINK OF LOOKING IN HER BUBBSY'S DIRECTION AT THAT MOMENT.
"OH, RIGHT. OF COURSE." LELA BARELY MANAGED TO SQUEAK OUT THAT MINI SENTENCE. HOW IN GUY FIERI'S NAME WAS SHE GOING TO MAKE IT THROUGH THAT DAY?? LELA AND HER CHUMS HEADED TO THE GYM, JAY IN THE FRONT OF THE POSSE AND LELA IN THE BACK. THE PAIR THAT WAS ONCE STUCK TOGETHER LIKE FLEX SEAL WAS NOW AS UNIFIED AS TWO PIECES OF CARDBOARD JOINED BY ELMER'S GLUE. LELA REMINISCED ON ALL THE GOOD TIMES SHE HAD WITH HER HUBBA BUBBA BEFORE PUSHING THOSE BITTERSWEET THOUGHTS ASIDE.
HER BESTIES PICKED OUT A ROW TO SIT IN UP IN THE BLEACHERS AS LELA BLINDLY FOLLOWED. THEY WAITED IN SILENCE (OR AS CLOSE AS THEIR GROUP COULD GET TO QUIETNESS) FOR ABOUT FIVE MORE MINUTES BEFORE THE PEP RALLY BEGAN.
THE DISPLAYS OF OVER THE TOP SCHOOL SPIRIT WERE ENTERTAINING, EVEN A LITTLE INSPIRATIONAL. OR AT LEAST, THEY WOULD BE IF TAYLOR SWIFT'S OUTDATED "SHAKE IT OFF" WASN'T BLASTING INSTEAD OF SOMETHING FROM THE CURRENT DECADE. UNTIL THE PLAYFUL POP HIT ECHOING FROM THE RADIO CONNECTED TO THE SPEAKERS WAS CUT OFF. INSTEAD, THE SOUND SYSTEM SPEWED STATIC FOR A CONFUSING FEW MOMENTS.
THE ONLOOKING CROWD OF STUDENTS ERUPTED IN CONFUSED MURMURS. SOME LAUGHED AT THE CLEAR DEMONSTRATION OF THE SCHOOL'S TECHNICAL INCOMPETENT, WHILE OTHERS SUSPECTED FOUL PLAY. LELA SQUINTED DOWN AT THE RADIO AND GAZED AROUND TO GET A LOOK AT THE SPEAKERS.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK MADE THIS HAPPEN?" ESTELLE ASKED IN A PERPLEXED TONE.
"I DON'T KNOW, PROBABLY A TEACHER WHO DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE DOING." TYLER THEORIZED.
"OR A STUDENT WHO ABSOLUTELY DID." LIZZIE PONDERED WITH A SMIRK.
"WELL IF LIZZIE'S THEORY IS TRUE THEN I ADMIRE THE CIVIL ACT OF PACIFISTIC REBELLION." LELA CHIMED IN.
"HAHA, THERE YOU GO WITH YOUR BIG ASS DICTIONARY WORDS AGAIN." CHUCKLED JAY. LELA SWIVELED HER HEAD AROUND, PREPARED TO RESPOND.
"DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THE REASON IS," MINDY CUT OFF LELA'S UNSPOKEN WORDS. "I WAS RIGHT." SHE DECLARED.
TYLER NODDED RELUCTANTLY.
"YEAH, THAT'LL BE THE FIRST AND LAST TIME." TYLER TAUNTED. MINDY ROLLED HER EYES AND GIGGLED.
AT THAT EXACT MOMENT, AN EARSPLITTING SHRIEK ERUPTED FROM THE SPEAKERS. THIS SPREAD A PANIC THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE POPULOUS OF THE GYM. THEN, THE ROOF COLLAPSED IN THE CENTER OF THE ROOM. THE FALLING DEBRIS JUST BARELY MISSED STUDENTS AND TEACHERS WHO SCATTERED OUT OF THE WAY, CLIMBING ONTO THE BLEACHERS AS TEENS AND ADULTS ALIKE WERE THROWN INTO ABSOLUTE FRENZY.
LELA FELT HER NERVES FRY AS SHE HUDDLED CLOSE TO HER FRIENDS, FEELING AN INSTINCT TO PROTECT THEM WHILE ALSO DESPERATELY NEEDING THE COVER THEY PROVIDED.
"LET'S STICK TOGETHER AND GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" ESTELLE CALLED OUT, DESPERATELY URGING THE GROUP FORWARD. THEY NODDED AND HEADED TOWARDS THE EXIT, SCRAMBLING TO GET AWAY FROM THE PERILOUS CALAMITY ASAP. LELA SLIPPED SLIGHTLY, STUMBLING FORWARD. JAY SWOOPED OVER AND CAUGHT HER IN THEIR ARMS. LELA LOOKED UP AT JAY, WHO NOW DRAGGED THEM FORWARD, SPEEDING OUT OF THE SCHOOL AS FAST AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE.
ONCE THEY REACHED THE PARKING LOT OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL, THEY STOPPED IN THEIR TRACKS.
"WHERE DO WE GO NOW?! WHY DID WE STOP? WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!" LELA BARKED WITH A MIX OF FEAR AND DISORIENTATION.
THE REST OF THE SQUAD LOOKED AT EACH OTHER, THEN BACK AT LELA.
"LELA," LIZZIE SPOKE IN A CALM TONE. "NONE OF US ARE ACCUSING YOU OF ANYTHING, BUT YOU WERE DESPERATE TO AVOID US, AND THEN YOU WERE ADMIRING WHOEVER MESSED WITH THE SPEAKERS... DID YOU HAVE ANY PART IN THIS?? JUST BE HONEST." LELA WANTED TO LAUGH, UNTIL SHE EXAMINED THE LOOKS ON HER FRIENDS' FACES. THEY WERE AS SERIOUS AS A HEART ATTACK.
"OF COURSE NOT! HOW WOULD I EVEN BE INVOLVED IN ANY OF THIS? I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU'RE ALL IN SHOCK BUT THAT'S STRAIGHT UP CONVOLUTED!" LELA SNAPPED BACK, COMPLETELY ENRAGED.
"YEAH, OKAY. THAT'S FAIR. AFTER ALL, THAT'D BE TOTALLY RIDICULOUS!" TYLER LAUGHED DESPITE FEELING LIKE THROWING UP.
"BAHAHA, YEAH! LELA WOULD NEVER HARM ANYONE HERE! SHE DOESN'T HAVE THE STOMACH FOR THAT!" JAY ADDED THROUGH THE TENSION.
"LELA (LAST NAME REDACTED). TURN AROUND." A SQUEAKY VOICED CALLED OUT FROM A MEGAPHONE. LELA TURNED AROUND SLOWLY, HER BODY COMPLETELY RIGID.
WHEN SHE LOOKED BACK AT THE FACE OF THE ATTACKER WHO WAS RAMPAGING AGAINST THE SCHOOL, SHE WAS MET WITH THE HARSH BROWN EYES OF A SMALL, BLONDE BOY...
WAS THAT...
"THE COCOMELON BABY?!" LELA AND HER AMIGOS CRIED IN UNISON.
