Class 101❖Jeff Winger

I'm Still Standing || twenty-six

Jeff's Perspective

"Hey, do you know where Lou is? We were supposed to meet up fifteen minutes ago, and she said to come here if she didn't show up," I asked, leaning against the Dean's doorframe.

"Oh, hello Jeffrey! No, she hasn't come back yet. I sent her to go tell Chang to disband his army," the Dean explained, not looking up from his computer screen. I looked around, noticing Lou's bag propped up in the back.

"When was she supposed to come back?" I asked.

"I sent her an hour, no two hours ago, I think. I figured she was just sidetracked," he shrugged.

"Did it not occur to you that she may be in trouble? Chang isn't mentally stable," I stated, my eyebrows furrowed in worried shock.

"Oh, she did say that if she wasn't back in an hour to assume she was dead. I thought it was a joke," he gasped, looking up at me, "You have to save her, Jeffrey."

I shook my head, quickly leaving the room. I checked my phone once more to see if Lou had texted, but I had no notifications. I took off running towards the security office, pushing various preteens and other college students out of my way. I passed Britta and Shirley along the way, not giving them an explanation as to where I was going. I didn't have time.

I pushed through the double doors leading to the security hallway, the hallway filled with a bunch of preteens. I made my way between them, not caring if they got shoved into the wall or that I was being hit by their low-quality riot shields. At least these ones didn't have the taser batons.

"Jeff!" I heard Lou yell. I looked around, realizing the noise had come from ahead of me. I ran to it, finding Lou locked behind a really badly made jail cell a few feet up the hallway. It was just a closet with the door taken off, somehow replaced by a chain-link fence gate.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" I asked, trying to squeeze my hand through a gap so I could hold her hand.

"She's fine, Winger. I'm going to need you to leave. She'll be released when she can cooperate," Chang stated. I turned around to see him with his arms folded, the preteens surrounding him.

"Chang, you can't legally hold her here. What crime did she commit?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest.

"She tried to interfere with official police business and then attacked me!" he exclaimed, pointing to red marks around one of his wrists.

"As her legal counsel, unless you can prove she was not acting out of self-defense, I need you to release my client. Asking you to disband your twelve-year-olds on behalf of the college administration is not interfering with police business," I stated. Chang didn't budge, staring me down while insanity flashed through his eyes. I sighed and said, "You can release her now, or I'm going to take matters into my own hands."

"You can try, Winger. But I guarantee that anyone will take my word over someone who's known to be untruthful! Who would believe a disbarred lawyer?" Chang laughed.

"You chose the wrong day to make me upset," I groaned, quickly turning towards the fence behind me. I yanked the door open, breaking off the lock hasp from the door. I grabbed Lou by the hand and pulled her behind me, running as fast as we could towards the door.

"After them!" Chang screeched, the sound of the screaming children running after us echoing through the hallway.

I slammed the double doors behind us shut, holding them closed as I said, "Move that chair cart in front of the doors. It'll save us time because they'll have to run to the other set at the other end of the hallway." Lou quickly pulled the cart over, and I helped her push it against the door. The kids kept banging on the doors, mumbled orders from Chang echoing through the hall. I grabbed Lou's hand once more, pulling her behind me as I ran through the winding hallways. I knew the Dean's office wouldn't be safe, but we had to get her backpack.