Schooled [Laughing JackxReader]

6

You gave yourself one last check in the mirror. You couldn't help but frown at the dark circles under your eyes that no amount of concealer seemed capable of disguising.

You'd been a hot mess for the past few weeks. Nightmares about the carnival came to you every time you closed your eyes. Each time you found yourself in a different part of the carnival. You'd been in the bleachers of the big top, in a car on a rickety ferris wheel, even in an empty lion's cage. You'd learned from the sleepwalking incident, though. No matter where you would 'wake up', you planted yourself an the ground and refused to budge an inch. So far this tactic had proven to keep you safely in bed the entire night. There was only one flaw in this strategy though; you were never alone in the carnival.

Most of the time there were these bizarre, gore-covered children that wandered about the grounds. They're eyes, if they had any, were lifeless and glassy. Some of them simply had dark, festering holes where eyeballs had once been. Whenever ome got close enough for you to see them in detail, all you could do was try not to hurl. Each one looked like they had been savagely ripped apart in a completely unique way. Mindlessly they hobbled along,with tear tracks forever staining their cheeks and organs spilling out of their small, rotting bodies.

Whether or not the zombie children were around, there was always something else with you. It was sort of a...presence. One you had never seen directly, but always knew it was there. As you sat, determined not to move, it would somehow make itself known. You would feel breath on the back of your neck, or a pull on your clothes or hair, or hear someone chuckling from somewhere just out of sight. Every morning you'd wake up feeling more exhausted than when you had gone to sleep.

But tonight you were determined to forget all about that. About a week ago you recieved an invitation to your highschool reunion. Since your highschool was right here in town, you went ahead and R.S.V.P'd. Some human interaction would be good for you, you thought.

When you got to the party, the gymnasium was already bustling with activity. Swarms of alumni were dancing, drinking, and chatting up old buddies from years past. As you scanned the crown for familiar faces, one stood out to you. It was your old friend Brian. He was hanging back from the crowd, making the perfect opportunity for you to walk over and socialize. Brian had been a good friend of yours for most of highschool. He was actually your date for senior prom. You two had a purely platonic relationship, though. It's just neither of you had wanted to go to Prom alone. That night was always a fond memory you could look back on.

"Brian!" You called to get his attention as you made your way over to him. He smiled and waved at you.

"Hey, (y/n)! It's been a while." Brian was a shortish man with sandy hair and a bright smile. You two shared a small, friendly hug.

"It sure has." You replied. "What have you been up to lately? It's like you dropped off the face of the earth."

Brian chuckled. "Nothing much, really. I've been between jobs. Speaking of which, I heard you're teaching now."

And so the friendly adult babble ensued. It was refreshing to talk to someone who didn't look at you with pity, or in some cases, suspicion. You two exchanged phone numbers and agreed that you needed to get together sometime for coffee. The pleasant, friendly talk was starting to make you feel really, genuinely happy for the first time in what felt like forever. All good things must come to an end, though. Pretty soon the conversation took the turn you'd been dreading.

"So I saw something on the national news about a kid getting murdered here in town. Know anything about that?" Brian asked. You should'vd known he would ask you that eventually. The story had been everywhere in the media for a while. You sighed.

"Yeah, actually....the girl's name was Laurel....she was.....she was part of my class..."

Brian's eyebrows raises in shock. "Oh. Oh my gosh, (y/n). That's horrible....That must've been hard on you..."

You forced a small smile to your lips. "No, no. I'm alright." You really weren't, but Brian didn't need to worry about you. "I'm lucky. Those poor girl's parents lost their child. All I've have to deal with are a few nightmares."

"Nightmares?" Brian asked, his brow knitting in concern. You instantly regretted bringing it up. But it was too late now, so you reluctantly regaled him with the tale of your recurring monochromatic carnival dreams.

"Pretty crazy, right? ......Brian?" As you finished your story you noticed that Brian was visibly tense. He seemed to glare down at the ground like he was holding himself back. Or thinking deeply. Finally he looked back up at you, and you were taken aback by his intense stare. It was almost frightening. Then he spoke in a low voice, "You know what I think, (y/n)? I think you should take a trip out of town for a while. A long while. Or just leave town for good. That'd be best." He shoved his hands in his pockets and started walking past you, towards the door. As his shoulder brushed yours, he added, "And forget about that clown." And just like that, he was gone.

For a moment you just stood there, too stunned to think. What had just happened? Did Brian...know something about all this? By the time you had come back to your senses the man had already made it out the door. You turned and sprinted to the exit and out into the parking lot.

"BRIAN!" You cried into the dark night. "BRIIIIIIAAAAAN!!"

You tried several times but recieved no reply. He was gone.