Devil in the Details

FOUR: Drinks and Disabled Kids - Pt. 2

Lana followed me onto the bus. She walked me to my locker. She escorted me to homeroom. She was around me so often that I was surprised no one had asked yet if we were dating.

Lana was asking me yet another question—"We've still never had a female president... Do you think you'd like to give it a shot? Or maybe you're more into a dictatorship..."—when I noticed that Taylor's seat was empty. And Taylor was always in class early; she lived a block away from the school.

I wheeled towards Lana, cutting her off mid-sentence as she rambled about political affiliations. "Where's Taylor? What did you do to her?"

She blinked. "I don't know what you're talking about and I didn't do anything to her."

I pulled out my phone and frantically started texting my best friend. I didn't believe Lana Gibbons or her supposed code of "ethics." What if she was so desperate to make a deal with me that she had hurt Taylor?

Where r u?? I demanded.

Her response came a few minutes later, but it felt like an eternity. Sick. Staying home.

"See!" Lana said, reading the text over my shoulder. "I told you I did nothing!"

But my stomach started to churn. Because even though Taylor had been essentially non-existent last week, I had held out hope that this week she would be here for me. And now that she was sick, I was alone.

Again.

I had never had any sort of mental health issues before, but when I realized this, I felt a rush of anxiety like I had never felt before. My heart started racing, pounding beneath my breastbone like an angry animal. My skin clammed up, I started to sweat, and a voice in my head starting shouting: Danger! Danger! Go! Go! Go!

So I listened to the voice. I darted out of the classroom, leaving Lana in my wake. I ran down the hall, ignoring a shout from one of the teachers, and only stopped when I reached a bathroom on the opposite end of the school. I had wanted to run outside and go home, but I knew that wasn't feasible, so I had chosen the bathroom that was the furthest away from Lana. I arrived just as the bell rang, signaling the start of class.

Part of me expected Lana Gibbons to be in there, lounging against a stall in her short skirt, watching me with her dark eyes. But, thankfully, the bathroom was empty.

I stood in front of the mirror, staring at my face. My skin was paler than usual with shadowy crescents beneath my brown eyes. I looked like I had seen a ghost—though I guess that wasn't too far from the truth.

I turned on the faucet and splashed some water on my face, letting the droplets drip back into the sink. I cranked the black handle of the paper towel dispenser, wiped off with a brown disposable towel, and looked back in the mirror. I still looked awful—only now, my hair was wet as well. Wonderful.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. I needed to talk to someone. I couldn't make it another day feeling so alone and helpless. Taylor was my first choice, but I didn't want to bother her when she wasn't feeling well. So my next thought was my mom. But what could I say? Hey Mom. So Lana Gibbons is actually the Devil and she wants to make a deal with me. What do I do?

I stared at my favorites list. I can still call her, I reasoned, needing the comfort. Just for a moment. Just to hear her voice. I'll make up something about school...

Before I could talk myself out of it, I hit dial and pressed my phone to my ear.

After three rings, the phone crackled as someone picked up. "Hello?"