When the Fire Burns Out

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

It was the end of 4th hour, right before my lunch. I didn't see Jakob at all during the day, almost as if he had been avoiding me. Maybe he just wasn't here today.

Emilee had avoided talking to me so far today too, but that was probably a good thing. For her, and for me.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, so I slipped it out, making sure no one in my math class saw it. I eyed the message, which was from Jakob.

'Sorry I haven't seen you yet today, want to go out for lunch?'

I sent back a reply.

'But we're not seniors..?'

Since this school was a smaller school because of the less populated area, only seniors were allowed off-campus.

'Your point?' he responded.

I rolled my eyes. I was not going to sneak out. There was no way, and I really don't want to get on any teacher's bad side.

As the bell rang, I gathered my things and started walking towards the cafeteria. I was nearly there when someone grabbed me by my waist and pulled me away. I screamed slightly, but when I realized my captor was only Jakob I settled down.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Uhmm, the cafeteria? You know, the places where grades 9 through 11 gather to eat," I hinted.

"Well you know where 11th graders who sneak out for lunch go?"

"I'm assuming the main office, to beg the principal for forgiveness and promise to them that it won't happen again," I said dryly.

"Well I was gonna say Charlie's. Your alternative only happens if you get caught," he laughs. "Which might happen if we don't leave now. Come on!" he pulls me by my hand down a dimly lit hallway to a door.

"We won't get in trouble?" I asked him worriedly.

"Come on, I'm trying to make you have a little fun here. Consider it my welcome gift to you for being a student at Southe High School."

"Oh, what's the gift?  A scolding from my Aunt later?"

He shoved me out the door after he had opened it, making me stumble into the bright light. I turned around, sheilding my eyes from the sun and watched as he slid a scrap of paper over the automatic lock, before carefully shutting the door. I didn't hear the 'click' of the lock, and I assumed he had done this many times before. He grinned at me widely, obviously proud of his ingenious solution.

"Come on, we only have an hour," he said as he dragged me to his car, which was conveniently parked a few feet away from where we had exited. I remembered him once saying that he didn't drive to school, which led me to believe he hadn't been in school yet.

"You really planned all of this out, didn't you?" I laughed.

"Well sure. I had to make it perfect for you."

--Cue the mental "Aww".--

He drove away quickly, using yet another exit that I didn't know the school had. I wonder why more people aren't sneaking out like this; or maybe I just didn't notice. Guilt gnawed at my stomach as we got further and further away from the school.

"So," I started. "Where have you been all day?"

"I, um, got into it with my dad. So I drove down the state line for an hour or two, to let off some steam I guess. And now I'm here," he said carefully.

"Ah," was all I said. If I had learned anything over the past couple of months, it was that silence made people uncomfortable. It made them want to talk to fill the silence.