I was late again.
I hurried through the empty hallway, taking two steps at a time.
Mr. Ken would kill me.
Images of different ways he would do so flooded my mind.
The two heavy textbooks pressed upon my arm. Another reddened skin incoming courtesy of Mr Ken.
He prefers everyone use hard copies in his class rather than soft copies. A typical traditional kind of teacher.
He believes that students get distracted by electronic devices; thus, the tormenting punishment.
My steps faltered as I heard the conversation of the group just in front of me.
They were from my class, yet they walked as though they had all the time in the world.
"...don't tell me you have no idea? It's tweeted all over his page," one of the girls said, pausing to shoot the blonde-haired girl a sharp look.
"Oh my God," the other squealed, "Girls, Dirk is coming to Guix City."
'Dirk, the famous musician?' I paused mid-stride, heart racing.
Was he really the one?
I shook my head.
I would know if he was coming. I'm supposed to be a top fan!
As if on cue, the purple-haired girl looked behind.
I knew what would come next.
"Look who's eavesdropping?"
It was too late to pretend I wasn't eavesdropping yet too early not to escape.
I looked down at the heavy books resting in my hands. Lowering my left hand, which supported them, a thud was heard shortly after.
The other girls turned to see me. The blonde-haired girl stood in front of me, blocking my escape. She knew me well.
"Who knew that our good girl is a fan of Dirk, a bad boy?" She looked back at the others as they opened their mouths in mock gasp.
"Girls, how about we do this next time? We're running late for Mr. Ken's class," I emphasized the last part in hope they'd let go.
"Tell us, what do you like most about him? Have you fantasized about having him?" My cheeks reddened at their vulgar words. I knew what they were trying to do. It worked.
"Have you thought about what will happen if Mr. Ken tells your dad that you have missed class again?" I shoot back at the blonde-haired girl, Aria.
Panic flashed through her eyes, replaced by a look I knew too well.
"Nope, because I'd be going, but you won't."
Before I could react, I was shoved into a nearby room. The bolt snapped shut, echoing through the emptiness.
It was dark, very dark.
I felt the hairs on my spine rise and my heart race. I am scotophobic.
"Come on, we can talk this out, girls." My fist banged urgently on the door.
Laughter followed by muffled whispers echoed back.
Sweat rolled down my back to my waist. Seconds dragged on like hours, and then, 'CLICK'.
The door opened.
When I burst out into the hallway, there was no one in sight.
My textbooks lay just a few feet from where I stood. It was my clue. I hurried to pick them up and headed for the class.
Mr. Ken will surely explode in anger.
🌟🌟🌟
When I entered, they all turned to look.
My classmates.
Mr. Ken had a hard smile on when he saw me. Still, it didn't hide the small knotted lines on his face.
"Miss Gray, please take a seat," he said, going back to reading aloud from the textbook.
It wasn't luck—it was privilege.
"Just like that?" The purple-haired girl from earlier, Isabella, said. I shot her a glare. She ducked under my eyes.
"She is the Gray precious family's daughter. What did you expect?" Another voice called out from the back. Cynthia. My living nemesis.
That's not entirely true; I worked for it.
"Enough, everyone! It's her first time being late to my class." He scooped his large glasses closer to his face, as if afraid they would fall.
Standing straight from leaning on the desk, he turned to me. "Do you prefer to be walked out?" Shaking my head, I walked to my seat while he continued his lecture.
"Are you okay?" A familiar voice cut through my thoughts. Bryce, my best friend. "You took a long time getting the textbooks." He pointed to my desk.
"Nothing serious, just Aria being Aria," I nodded, turning the pages of the book.
"She still bullies you? It seems she's not happy that we keep our lips sealed," He said, concerned raw on his face.
"It's nothing, really."
Throughout the class, my mind lingered elsewhere. Dirk.
I have always had a crush on him. Ever since I first saw him perform. I was fifteen. Since then, I have been dreaming of the day I would see him—not from a screen, but in the same space as him.
Class ended 40 minutes later. I stood up to leave, but Bryce stopped me.
"Remember the plan?"
I stared back at him, my mind racing to find an answer. We had a plan?
"Come on, Autumn, the racing starts at 5:00 p.m. You can't be late."
Right, we're supposed to go to the racing game, but...
"I'm not feeling too good, a headache." Lies.
I wanted to find out more about Dirk's arrival. This was my one-in-a-billion chance to meet him.
He helped me sit and fussed about my health, asking if I had eaten or not.
"You can't even hear me. Can you walk on your own? I'm taking you to the hospital," he said, literally facepalming.
"What, no. It's not serious. I'll just grab lunch on my way home," I hurriedly said, afraid he would actually take me. I hated hospitals—the smell, the blood. Besides, I lied.
"Can I take you home then?"
"Yeah, sure."
Together we walked out of the classroom.
Finn had already arrived at the parking lot. He was very dedicated to his work, being my driver.
I bid Bryce goodbye and entered the car. He was right on me the next seconds, reminding
me to eat and take my medication.
As the car pulled away, he lowered his eyes. For a split moment, I felt bad. He didn't deserve the lie.