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ELEVEN
secrets
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Thursday brings in heavy showers and thunder for a second time this week. I had been longing for this since a long time. But the trouble began when it transformed to a hailstorm. I stomped my feet in agitation as I stood under the dark stairwell. The entire school was jammed with students and staff, nobody could move out in this calamity. Lightning skittered across the black sky, the howling of the wind hurtful to the ears.
"I wonder if we can get back home before midnight." Jae-Hwa says, scrolling through the weather updates that only showed hours and hours of rain.
"You mean stuck at Winston High in the dark. It would bring out Seinfeld's vampire side even more. Have you seen her teeth?" I joke, looking around to make sure nobody heard me. If this kinda thing reached Principal Seinfeld's ears, she'd straight kick me out to die in the hailstorm.
"Don't forget we're still at school." Audrey laughs, pulling together her brown leather jacket.
It was well past dispersal time and the student body was already disturbed at the thought of spending the night at school. The rat race in my stomach didn't improve the situation. Though our canteen supplied food that was eatable enough, I longed the comfort of my bed. Besides, the only thing that was good at my house was Gabriella's cooking.
"Let's walk back to class. There's no point standing here and watching the sky fall." Jae-Hwa sighs and we start moving past the crowd that had gathered near the portico.
"I have a better idea. The gym is empty right now. We could snack on something" I state and my best friends give me an approving look.
"That's like Vanessa! Eating is prohibited in the gym" Audrey giggles as we enter the room full of exercise equipment and tread mills.
"You know am always a rule-breaker." I shrug.
"That is quite evident by the scars you carry." This voice didn't belong to any of us. It was Ian, to my disappointment. I froze in shock, my heart thumping loud against my rib-cage at the thought of what he might say next. Audrey and Jae were pretty much surprised to see him here, I could tell by their frowns.
"What the heck are you up to? Alone in this gym!" Despite my poor attempt to change the topic in a shaky voice, Ian didn't press his argument further.
"Well, I like my solitude." He shrugs, picking up his backpack that had been resting in one of the bench presses.
"Audrey, I need to use the washroom. Can you come along?" Jae-Hwa's statement makes me flinch. So I was to be alone now, with this asshole, in a lonely gym?
"I'll go with you." I take a step forward and Jae chuckles.
"Two people need not accompany me to a bathroom stall. You can stay here. Ian, will you be there with her?" Jae-Hwa asks him. Ian nodded, looking least bothered.
