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“Hey.” Shrugging my backpack from my shoulders, I sit it on the floor, sliding into the seat beside him. “How’s it going?”
“Good. Glad you’re back, man.”
“Thanks. It’s good to be back.” I look around the room, meeting several overly curious, gawking stares, as if I suddenly sprouted another head. “I think….”
Jeff chuckles at the hesitant tone of my voice. “Ignore those dumb fucks. Annoying assholes who can’t think for themselves and do anything to try to be popular.” He grabs his water bottle and takes a drink. “As if it will matter when they graduate in May.” Rolling his eyes, he sets the bottle on the desk.
I laugh, my tense muscles loosening. “You hit the nail on the head.” I hold out my fist and he bumps it, an easy smile on his face.
“I read a brief article about what happened in one of the newspapers…” His voice cut off as I shoot him a glare. He holds up a hand in mock surrender. “I only brought it up cause it sounds like you endured a bunch of crazy shit.” He swallows hard. “Glad you and Mackenzie made it out.”
My breath leaves me in a rush. I nod, a rush of admiration rolling through me. He’s handling this more tactfully and mature than most. “Yeah. Me too.”
“Are the two of you holding up okay? Or at least, as well as can be, considering all that happened?”
I shrug. “I guess. It haunts us. We saw and endured shit most adults never experience. Thankfully.”
“Makes sense. I’ve always admired you for having a good head on your shoulders, Chase. But that… The news article I read… I just can’t fathom it.” He shakes his head, his head moving to the front of the room as the teacher gets up from the desk, signaling he’s about to start class. “If you ever wanna go for a run, you know, to get out of your head for a bit, I’ll give you my number so you can text or call. I can always use the mileage, plus anything to get away from my annoying stepmom and screaming baby stepsister." He rolls his eyes, his hand running through his hair. “I have to sleep with music blaring and earbuds in or I don’t get any rest. That little girl is like a siren, blaring nearly all night long.”
I laugh, feeling lighter than I have in days. “Think Kenz could join us on some runs? Get her out of the house, too.”
“Sure, man. Has she met my girlfriend, Melody? She likes to run, but not competitively like we do. I’m good with me, you, and Kenz going for a run, but if she ever wants a female to join along, I’m sure Melody would be happy to tag along. She’s a sweet girl.”
“Thanks, man. I’ll check with her and let you know. I’m not sure if she knows Melody or not. If not, it may be good to introduce them,” I whisper, my eyes on Mr. Black. If he catches us talking, he’ll chew us out. “Mackenzie’s friends haven’t been overly understanding since her return.”
“That fucking sucks,” Jeff whispers back. “She doesn’t need that shit on top of everything else. Sometimes people suck.”
I nod. “Yeah, they sure do.”
Hopefully, Melody and Mackenzie hit it off. She could use a true friend, besides me, in her life.
Second period doesn’t go as well as the first. Jeff is not in my history class so I sit by myself in the back corner of the room, the other students leaving an empty chair in front of and beside me.
On top of it all, Mrs. Metcalf talks in a monotone voice, sucking any joy or excitement from the subject.
Slouching in my chair, I’m mindlessly doodling to try and ignore the way my classmates treat me. They act as though I have a communicable disease.
I’m snapped from my reverie when Mrs. Metcalf calls on the student in front of me to answer a question. I’m glad it isn’t me because I have no idea what she’s been lecturing about.
Looking down at my notebook, I’m startled by what I see. I blink a few times, but the awful symbol remains on the page.What the fuck? Why did I draw the cult symbol?
The symbol rests on the page, a reminder of all the horrific things Mackenzie and I endured. I close my eyes, count to ten, and then open them. But the pentagram with the circle around it, the crow resting on the skull’s head inside the star, remains. The only thing missing is the cult name.
Fuck. What’s wrong with me? Why would I doodle that fucking symbol?
I suck in a breath, then blow it out, but it’s too late. Anxiety courses through me as my thoughts careen back to my nightmare. I was naked and bound on all fours as Orpheus lowered himself behind me, lining up his cock with?—
My breathing is shallow, heaving in and out of me too quickly. Spots fill my vision as I look around the room as the room changes. One minute, it’s the classroom and the next, I’m in the cold exam room inside Orpheus’s home, naked and on all fours.
I can’t breathe.White spots float in my vision. Sweat beads on my temples and the back of the my neck before trickling down my skin.
I’ve gotta get out of here.
Leaping to my feet so fast I push the desk forward, the legs emitting a loud screech on the floor, drawing everyone’s attention to me. “Bathroom.” I jerk my thumb toward the door of the classroom before practically running from the room. Once in the hallway, I sprint to the restroom, alternating between feeling like I'm going to throw up or pass out.
Breath, Chase. You’ve suffered from panic attacks before. You know what to do.
Even as I tell myself that, my limbs tingle. My body is overheating while my heart palpitates inside my chest.
