RED LIPSTICK [l.zvahl]

chapter ten

We froze like a scene in a movie. It felt as though we were apart of some kind of The Breakfast Club remake. Instead of five people in detention, there's four of us fleeing for our lives from a crazy girl. Hm, I think, this would be an amazing movie.

"Stop caring about the crazy bitch and instead care about staying alive!" Alex yells, grabbing onto Laurance's arm, pushing him forward.

The running begins again, but now we're being chased. If we don't escape them, we're screwed. If we do escape them, we still have a possibility of being in deep trouble as well. Why is it that I had to be kidnapped? Why did I have to agree with Leo? Why couldn't I have never met these people. That way, I wouldn't be in the predicament that I am now!

"How do we get out of here?" Laurance, who is in front of us all, asks. He looks back at Vylad who appears to be falling behind us, lost in thought. Alex stops and grabs onto his arm, pulling him forward and knocking him out of his trancelike state of mind.

"Sorry," he apologizes. "I was mapping out he building in my head. We came from the left but when we came everything looked untouched. That means there's an exit in either the left or right side of the building. The downside of that is that either side could be heavily guarded and air vents aren't going to help us anytime soon."

"Then what do we do," the question slips from my mouth harsher than I intended, and the look of shock spread across Vylad's face shows it. He wipes it away with a shake of his head and stops running. The other two stop as well and try to catch their breath. "You guys have those tools. Can't you just drill a hole in the wall or something?"

Before I can hear the smart comment from somebody concerning Laurance and holes, Vylad shakes his head.

"It doesn't work like that. This was an unplanned and rushed rescue mission. We need to call backup. Laurance, you're in charge of that. Alex, if we get caught, you need to do something to pass time as a distraction."

"And what about me?" I question, watching Laurance take out his phone. Vylad licks his lips and looks around. He sees we'll built and stocky males turn around the far corner towards us and yells to run. "I'm useful!"

"You're the one who got kidnapped. For now it's best if you don't do anything to get us captured!"

His words feel like knives piercing through my heart, but the realization that strikes me is even worse. Maybe if I wasn't as petty, or jealous, or even as immature as I had been, maybe we wouldn't be in this situation.

If I had been different, Alex's eyes wouldn't be full of fear instead of light. Her face wouldn't be black and blue, and her plump lips wouldn't be cut and bloodied. Vylad wouldn't have sassed at me the way he did, and there could've been a chance (even if it would be extremely slim) that he would like me back, and we'd be together like him and Alex. And Laurance, maybe I wouldn't have avoided him when things went wrong. Maybe we would be even closer, or we would've just been simple friends.

But I know one thing for sure. If I wouldn't have been the way I was, I wouldn't have this reality heck that slapped me in the face. If it wasn't for what just happened, I wouldn't have realized that Vylad wasn't right for me, but somebody else was. But now, I don't know if he'll take me back with everything I've put everyone through.

"Backup is requested," Laurance comments, running a hand through his hand. "Do you think you can hack into the cameras here?"

Vylad shakes his head. "I didn't bring my phone, and there's no computers here. Besides, there's no time to look for one, it'd be useless."