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Students were already streaming out of the building. I had my phone in hand, ready to text North to let him know where I was. I wanted to stay by Jay. Maybe it was the confusion, or the fact that we’d been called in and the chaos earlier, but I didn’t trust what was going on. I didn’t want to be alone among the other students.
I was afraid. It struck me in that moment, but since I’d been back, I’d always been with one of the boys. Even during gym, Nathan ran in to get dressed, and Gabriel waited with me in the gym by the bleachers. Then when Nathan got back inside, Gabriel went to go get dressed. They’d said it was so I wasn’t by myself in case something happened.
Now I realized that without them, I was terrified of this school. Having North outside the door, and with Jay, whom I trusted wouldn’t hurt me, made a difference. Maybe it was also because I was under administration supervision, too.
But out among all the other students, fear crept in.
When I didn’t respond quickly enough, Jay turned toward me. He had his hands in his pockets, and the way he stood made the T-shirt on his body tighter and his defined muscles underneath seemed more obvious. His eyes were lit with confusion. “Something wrong?”
“I just...” I said. A student broke through between us, and I leapt back to get out of his way, surprised by the interruption.
Jay tilted his head and then shrugged. “Want to walk out with me until Silas shows up?”
I nodded repeatedly. “Sorry,” I said.
“Don’t be.” He jerked his head in the direction of the parking lot. “Let’s go.”
I breathed out slowly, walking beside him. With the loud sirens going off, crowds of kids around us, and all the confusion, it was easy to simply be quiet and just stick by each other.
It didn’t take long for Jay to find some other people on the football teams to stand next to. I quietly stood alongside him, using my phone to let North know where I was. Jay didn’t acknowledge me, but talked to the others and I stood just close enough to appear we were standing together. The other football players looked curious, but didn’t say anything.
Not long after, North and Silas showed up. Silas waved to the other team members and started talking as he and North casually wedged themselves between me and the others.
Because we were around other people, we didn’t say much, but North studied me and I tried my best to convey that I was fine, but at the same time ask what in the world this alarm was about.
Instead of talking, we listened to other students. They were all asking the same questions. Another bomb threat? Are they serious? What are we doing out here again?
The fire truck returned. The policemen who had been at the school earlier were joined by additional units.
“This is going to be a fucked up week,” North said.
I agreed.
Unyielding
It was another hour before we returned to class. Despite efforts from teachers to settle people down, the rest of the day was filled with talk of why there had been two bomb threats on the same day, and of all days, during homecoming week.
After it was over, through Mr. Blackbourne’s investigation and later, Kota’s, we learned that another student was brought in for questioning. While I wasn’t called back into the office for anything, there were other students called in as administrators and the police tried to figure out what was going on.
On Tuesday, there were three bomb threat calls. School was called off an hour early after the third one. Busses were brought in and everyone was told to go home.
Three more kids, three more phone calls.
According to Mr. Blackbourne, none of them appeared to be in charge of their actions.
“Our bomber is using proxies,” he said while standing in Nathan’s kitchen Tuesday evening. Nathan, Kota and I were sitting at the table, along with Luke and Victor. North and Silas were training for the football game on Friday. “Instead of making phone calls himself, he’s getting these kids to make the calls for him.”
“Then why aren’t they ratting him out?” Luke asked. “They’re all going to get suspended at best.”
“They’re facing expulsion for terrorism,” Mr. Blackbourne said.
I sucked in a breath, holding my palm to my mouth to cover my response. I stared wide-eyed at Victor, whose concerned fire eyes were an explosion of flames.
“Can they do that?” Kota asked. “I know normally it’s a big offense, but these kids sound like they were manipulated into it.”
“They were, but Mr. Hendricks is following protocol to the letter. These kids are being told to use their own cell phones to make the calls. Their calls were recorded. They were reading a script. Once they’re caught, they don’t say anything. They’re being blackmailed somehow.”
Later in the evening, I spent time with Luke at the diner until I was too tired to move. Luke and Victor slept over while Kota and Nathan took turns watching Theo. Amid the chaos of the bomb threats, I’d almost forgotten about him, but at the moment, he was doing what he was supposed to, so there was nothing to prove he was out causing trouble.
During English class on Wednesday, I sat in my usual seat and Luke fell in behind me. I had my arms folded with my head resting on my desk. With the sound of the chair creaks behind me, it seemed like Luke was doing the same.
For a while, I rested, listened to the sound of other students shuffling in.
A hand fell on the back of my head, massaging deeply, a warm touch, followed by the scent of soothing spice. “Are you ill or are you just sleeping?” Kota asked.
“Mergh,” I mumbled. I was fine, just worn out and the thought of a whole day of schoolwork ahead had me on edge and I wanted to wallow in the sleepy state I was in.
“That’s sounds like a sleepy groan to me,” Gabriel said somewhere over me. More fingers threaded through my hair, catching a few locks and twisting. “Did you even brush your hair this morning, Trouble?”
I groaned and then lifted an arm to wave away arms and hands. “I’m fine,” I said. “I’m just tired.”
Gabriel laughed. “Tell me about it.”
“Did you take your vitamins?” Kota asked.
“Yes.”
“Did you sleep?”
“Yup,” Luke said, although his voice was echo-y and masked behind me, like he had his head down, too. “We both did. More than eight hours this time. I’m still tired, too.”
“It’s the stress,” Gabriel said. “It’s messing with all of us.”
“I know,” Kota said, in such a low tone, soft and full of concern. “I wish I could fix it.”
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nbsp; It was all I needed to hear to find my second wind and lift my head. I didn’t want to appear like I couldn’t keep up and worry Kota on top of everything else we were concerned about. “I’m fine,” I said. “I just needed a moment.”
“This school shit on top of everything else is what’s killing us,” Gabriel mumbled quietly. “It’s eight hours out of the day of sitting in classrooms when we could be—”
“I’ve never known you to give up on a job,” Kota said. He put his book bag down and sunk into his seat. “You’re not a quitter.”
“You’re fucking right, I’m not,” Gabriel said.
“Gabe,” Kota said in a tone that I knew to be him warning Gabriel about his language.
Gabriel dropped in his seat and slumped back, putting his arms over his chest. “I’m just saying the school part isn’t really necessary. We could do more if we weren’t stuck in class.”
“Shh,” Kota said. “Talk later.”
Luke stayed hunched over his desk for a few more minutes, and then lifted his head, but sat way back, his arms folded and his legs under my chair. Gabriel was almost the same. Kota was upright, looking forward.
For a moment, his hand stretched behind him, and he found my knee. He stroked my leg, giving me a comforting firm touch before retreating.
My heart fluttered. Kota reaching to touch me more warmed me through and through.
Ms. Johnson started to pass out papers. The bell rang for the start of class.
And then there was a blend of sound as another ringing started on top of the class bell: the bomb threat siren.
A wave of groans started up throughout the room.
Surprisingly, Ms. Johnson took the papers she was holding, and tossed them into the air, showing a give-up gesture. The papers fluttered out and spread across the floor. I felt her frustration. She left the papers on the floor and waved a hand. “Okay, everyone. See you tomorrow,” she said angrily as we all reluctantly filed out.
Everyone was tired of being out of class. Everyone complained. Maybe not everyone liked to be in class, but they did hate the long waits of standing out in the lawn.
