Fragmented Dreams

Chapter 38: Plan of Action

"I was this close to losing it!" Zola whispered harshly as she was packing her bags to go home.

"Which point?" I lamented. "Because there were a few for me."

Azar chuckled dryly as he joined us, glancing over at Zachary as he did. "Same."

"Ms. Massey, can I speak with you for a moment?"

I looked up to see my History teacher Mrs. Wilson waving at me. I glanced nervously at my friends who all hesitated in their packing. The last time I talked to a teacher alone it hadn't ended well, but I knew my bodyguards would be right outside the door this time. I waved back to Mrs. Wilson, letting her know I saw her. After I gathered up my meager belongings I walked up to the teacher's desk, clutching my borrowed pen and paper in my hand. There was already a student waiting to talk to the teacher so I hung back, watching my group of friends slowly filter out of the front door of the classroom. I tried my best not to listen to the conversation in front of me, instead overhearing Zachary and his cronies as they passed by.

"So are you still having your Halloween party at the Crescent Club?" Scott asked.

"Yeah, I'm going to check it out later today, before they open," Zachary replied smugly.

"Best Halloween ever," Will declared with obvious excitement in his voice.

Zachary laughed loudly, causing me to look over at him as they walked by. "Only if we can sneak in some booze."

I glared at him, astonished at his nerve to talk about underage drinking so close to the teacher, but that was classic Zachary. I was still glowering in his direction when the teacher called me over.

"Ms. Massey," she began, glancing around before continuing. "I just wanted to see how you were doing."

I was shocked, as Mrs. Wilson had never really shown interest in me before. "I'm doing... as well as can be expected." Which is pretty terrible, I thought.

"You're a bright girl and a good student," she said earnestly. "I know it seems bad now but you can get through this."

I smiled at her because I could tell she meant well. Although she was only aware of some of my problems, it was still nice that she wanted to reach out.

"Thanks," I replied finally. "I appreciate that."

Mrs. Wilson proceeded to update me on my grades, letting me know I could do some extra credit to catch up on anything I missed. She made one last push to get me to see a counselor before letting me go. I ran out into the hall to find just Casimir waiting, leaning against the lockers across from the door.

"Sorry for the wait."

"It's no problem."

I glanced around as I asked, "Where is everyone else?"

"Zola and Sunita had to get back to their dorm so Azar and Maya went with them to make sure they stayed safe," Casimir reported. There weren't many people left in the hallway as it was Friday and most of the students had left as quickly as possible to enjoy the weekend.

"That's nice of them," I said, folding up my few sheets of notes to stick in my skirt pocket.

"Unfortunately since they are your friends, they might become targets for the Dark King," Casimir reasoned. His words caused me to stop short, gripping the edge of the railing near the staircase. Casimir's face fell when he realized how I had reacted. He stopped next to me, waiting for a pair of girls to walk by before speaking again. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. I'm just adding to your worries."