And His Jacket Smelled of Cigarettes

07 · Events

     Shay squinted at my phone, apparently trying to decipher something in the message I had received last night before I fell asleep.
    
     "Well, there we have it," she said, handing the phone back to me.
    
     "So?" I questioned.
    
     "He's a creep."
    
     I blinked at her. "Well, no shit, Sherlock. I just..." I trailed off, pressing a finger to my temple.
    
     "You know, you still haven't told me what the fuck happened last night. So... what the fuck happened?"
    
     "I don't know."
    
     Shay raised her eyebrows as if she didn't believe me.
    
     "I'm serious! I... I can't even remember if Athan came over last night. Honestly, I woke up in the kitchen, with two water bottles spilled on the floor. Then Nick came home, and I went to bed. But before that... it's just, the more I try to zone in on what happened, the further it slips away from me. It's like... nothing happened at all."
    
     "Damn. That sounds pretty critical."
    
     "Asshole," I sighed, standing up and slinging my bag over my shoulder, "I think I'm just gonna go to the nurse."
    
     "You're really feeling that bad?"
    
     "I just need some time to recuperate."
    
     "Fine. Fucking text me, alright? If you don't, you're just stooping to my level of asshole-ness." Shay grabbed my hand and patted it before grabbing her usual cup of fruit again.
    
     "Alright. See you later, Shay." I waved and scratched my head, not caring about smoothing the hair down again. I wasn't in the mood for sarcasm, school, and definitely not hair.
    
     Walking past the library, I glanced over toward the trees that Athan usually sat by, but he was nowhere to be seen. For two months straight, Athan had sat there every day, for every lunch period, right in that very spot. His absence record was totally clean. Why was he gone today?
    
     "Hey, dyke bitch."
    
     I turned around, knowing whoever had said that was talking to me. A group of boys were laughing their asses off.
    
     "Can I help you?" I said, suddenly feeling lightheaded.
    
     "Yeah. How about coming over here for a sec?" A boy with red hair and a football jersey was waving me over, his friends forming a crowd behind him. I stayed where I was.
    
     "No, I think I'm okay."
    
     "Aww, don't leave me hangin'," the boy walked over to me, getting uncomfortably close, "I was kiddin' about the name I called ya. How's about a kiss to make it up?" The boy bent down to kiss me, but I moved away, my hand instinctively coming up to slap him across the face. The crowd of people starting screaming with laughter, but the teen was not amused. He grabbed my wrist tight enough to make me wince in pain.
    
     "That wasn't very nice," his teeth were clenched as he spoke, "I think you'll have to make it up to me, now." Suddenly the boy tugged me aside, starting to pull me to a place off limits to students. I struggled, unable to get my hand free from his grip.
    
     "Let go of me! I said let go of me, you prick!"
    
     "Ladies don't struggle when a man is tryin'a get his way. Ya really are a dyke, aren't ya?"
    
     My voice became low, trying to make it so that only he could hear me, "We are seniors! If you do this, you'll ruin your chance to graduate. Don't be a fucking idiot!"
    
     "No one is gonna find out--"
    
     "Mr. Robertson." A woman's voice beckoned to us.
    
     "M-Mrs. Savinski, hey," the boy let go of my arm, turning toward the teacher, "w-what's up?"
    
     "I should be asking you the same. Come with me, you will spending the rest of your lunch in the principal's office, telling me exactly 'what's up'." Mrs. Savinski walked forward, her crime book in hand, and pushed the boy towards the front office. She stopped and turned to me, placing a firm hand on my shoulder.
    
     "Are you going to be alright, Ms. Solace? I'm so sorry, this boy will be dealt with, I can assure you."
    
     "I-I'm fine... really. I actually have an unrelated question to ask you."
    
     "And what might that be?" The woman turned and looked at the teen who had stopped walking, "I didn't say stop! To the office with you, Mr. Robertson!"
    
     "Um... has... Athan Lucas been around school at all today?" I frowned, realizing that was probably a stupid question.
    
     "I'm sorry, dear, I have not. I only have him in my sixth period, along with you. I do not see him any other time throughout the day." She smiled apologetically, and walked off to the office to deal with the boy. I took a deep breath and walked a couple of feet behind them, still wanting to go to the nurse's office.
    
     Finally, I had gotten to the door. Just as my hand was about to turn the handle, a strange feeling overwhelmed me. I let go and took a step back, turning my head to the right, toward a gate that leads to the school's parking lot. A figure was standing on the other side, unmoving; their body was covered by shade so I couldn't make out any of their features. I stood there, staring at the figure, unable to move. Several moments had passed when the shadow unexpectedly turned and walked into a blindspot, the feeling I had gotten beforehand dissipating immediately. What the hell is going on here?
    
     "I need to go home," I said to the nurse as I walked in, "I feel really unwell."
    
     "Have someone who can pick you up?" The male nurse put a sign-out sheet on top of his desk.
    
     "I'm old enough to walk. I'll be fine." My vision was starting to blur around the edges, but I walked forward and signed my name on the sheet.
    
     "Alright, you're all set. Be careful, Jennifer."
    
     "Got it," I said, my words becoming slurred. I waved to the office ladies up front and pushed through the front door, finally leaving school.
    
     My feet trudged onward; my surroundings were fuzzy, and my body felt a hundred pounds heavier than usual. What was wrong with me? Never in my life had I felt so out of it. My phone began ringing wildly in my pocket, so I pulled it out to answer.
    
     "Hello?" I said, trying to sound alive.
    
     "I can see you, cutie."
    
     The voice that answered sounded so familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on where I had heard it before.
    
     "Who the hell is this?"
    
     "I'm just outside your school. Why don't we go hang out somewhere?"
    
     "Fuck off," I said as sternly as I could, hanging up the phone. Almost instantaneously, it started to ring again. I answered, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk.
    
     "Hello?" My voice was more forceful this time.
    
     "Yeah, so, if not now, when, doll?"
    
     My eyes widened, the realization setting in. "... You're the dude from the text."
    
     "Aww. My secret is out," the man laughed, his tone playful, "And I thought I was gonna get to play with you some more before... well. Never mind. I guess that means you win for now. See you later."
    
     "H-hey, wait--" I yelled into the phone, but it was too late. The only sound the phone was making was the tone of a dead line. I angrily turned my phone off, shoving it back into my pocket. Something was going on, and I was going to get to the bottom of it.