Seven Minutes in Heaven

Chapter 1

    I walked down the school hallway Friday morning. My locker is right at the first set of lockers, because my last name is Brenna.

    "Kylie!" I heard my best friend, Thalia, call.

    Next thing I knew, I was being dragged into the bathroom by her. Probably to talk in private. No one ever used the second floor bathrooms.

    "What? I haven't even had a chance to put my bag away." I complained.

    "Party, my house, tonight. You in?" she asked.

    "What time?"

    "Around four. And until ten, but you can stay till ten thirty."

    "Okay," I answered.

    "Yea, she's cool."

    "So, can I go to my locker now? You know, before the first bell? So I don't get a detention and be late for your party?" I said.

    "Yeah."

    I rushed out the bathroom and to my locker.

    Great... It was jammed.

    "Want some help?" I heard a shy voice from behind me.

    I turned around to find Preston, an emo from my school. He had hair that covered most of his face with. His eyes were dark blue. He was tall, about six feet tall. Preston was very muscular. He was cute, I had to admit.

    "Um... S-sure." Oh perfect, I stuttered! I could feel my cheeks get warm.

    He fumbled with the dial, slammed it a couple times, and kicked it once. He was abusing my poor locker. But, suddenly it sprang open.

    "Thanks," I said.

    "All the lockers do that, " he said in his quiet voice. He slinked away, weaving in between the wandering students.

    I put my stuff in my locker and slammed it shut. The first bell rang.

    Dammit.

    Hurry, hurry, hurry. I almost run to homeroom.

    The teacher gives me a dirty look. I took a seat closest to the door, since we didn't have assigned seats in homeroom. I stare at the board, thinking.

    The second bell rang, and dismissed us to first period. Biology. We were extracting DNA from peas.

    The teacher assigned us partners. I got Preston, just my luck. Thalia got Jason. A know-it-all dork who had a stupid obsession with me.

    Preston got the materials. I just waited. He came back a few minutes later.

    The teacher was telling us what to do and how to do it.

    We did as instructed, but it didn't come out right.

    "This looks so wrong, it's not even funny," I said.

    He laughs "Yeah. It looks like green slime. Maybe we could get Jason to drink it!"

    "Yes!" I agree. "Jason, come over here!"

    "Yes?" he said.

    I handed him the beaker. "Drink it. We did it wrong."

    "Okay!" he said. He picked up the beaker and sipped from it. He drank it all.

I walked away, trying not to gag.

    Preston followed me, because Jason looked like he was going to puke.

    And he did. All over the the lab table.

    The teacher made someone escort him to the nurse.

    "Preston, Kylie, principals office, now!" yelled the teacher.

    I was kind of glad. I hated seeing puke.

    We walked out of the room, quickly.

    "Are you okay?" Preston asked me.

    "Yeah. I've never gotten sent to the office before," I said.

    "It's not big deal. Maybe a detention or two," he said.

    "Oh. So, are you going to Thalia's party tonight?" I asked.

    "Yeah. I'm guessing you are?"

    "Yep."

    We were outside the office now. As we entered, he whispered to me, "Just play along."

    What was he doing? Was he going to lie?

    The principal told us to take a seat. We did as he instructed.

    "What happened?" he asked.

    "Mr. Standerson, we didn't do it," he said.

    "Ms. Brenna, leave for a minute to talk to Mr. Cappello, you stay." He basically pushed me out of the room.

    I waited outside for ten minutes. I could slightly hear what Preston was saying. I think that was the point.

    Something about Jason drinking it on his own because he wanted to impress me.

    Preston exited the room and winked at me. Yep, he knew I could hear him.

    I walked in and started telling the principal what happened.

    "Jason walked up to me and Preston after he saw that it went wrong. He wanted to impress me, because he likes me a lot, so he drank it. He didn't plan on throwing up, though." I said.

    "Very well. You are free to go," Mr. Stanerson.

    Preston was waiting for me on the other side of the door.

    "You're a genius."

    "I know."