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That this is the last time we’ll see each other.
“I love you, malishka.”
“I love you, too.”
His hand brushes a stray tear from my cheek before turning for the door.
“Lock the door behind me.”
And then he’s gone.
I pace back and forth across the tile floor, trying to keep myself occupied. My ear is throbbing in pain, but it’s a welcome distraction from the terror happening downstairs.
Another distant gunshot echoes far away. I jump.
They’ve been popping off, but the time between each round is growing further and further apart, and I can’t help but compare it to microwave popcorn that slows down once most of the kernels have popped.
Except in this case, the popped kernels are probably dead bodies. I shudder.
Alek told me to stay here, but it’s hard to feel safe when the school is still under siege, and he’s out there in the midst of violence.
Reaching into my vest, I pull out my phone only to find an empty screen. Not that I expected Alek to text me already—has it only been five minutes since he left?—but I’m helpless here and have no way of knowing what’s going on. Are the protesters winning, or are the police neutralizing the threat?
I want to send my dad a text, but if he has his phone on him, I don’t want it to vibrate and give his location away. I’ll have to wait for him to reach out to me.
But Prisha is on the second floor, taking her final exams today. Surely, they had a head start to hide.
ME
Are you ok?
I grip the phone in my hand, staring at the screen and silently praying for a response. Please, please, please answer me.
The seconds tick by, and if the intensity of my stare could burn a hole through my phone, it’d be a pile of ashes now.
Come on, Prisha. Answer!
When her text comes through on the screen, relief overwhelms me. I sink to my knees and begin to sob.
PRISHA
We’re ok. Classroom is on lockdown and lights turned off. Are you ok? What happened?
ME
I’m ok. Alek thinks the protesters broke through the gate and stormed the school. It was an ambush.
PRISHA
Was anyone hurt?!
ME
Yeah. Johanna was shot. A few others too.
PRISHA
Where r u?
