April's Justice

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SIX

April spent the rest of lunch jogging around the football field like she had all throughout first hour. No matter what she did, she could not dim or get rid of the panic she was feeling. What had happened back by the lake with Vince? she had no clue, but whatever it was, it freaked her out. One second she was facing him, the next she was seeing herself as if through his eyes. She didn't even want to think about what was going through her mind when that happened. It made no sense at all, but at the same time it did...But that's impossible, right?

A small voice in the back of her mind told her that reality wasn't real, it was a coverup.

But a coverup for what?

Again, the small voice spoke; for something bigger.

April shook her head, ignoring that thought and began full out sprinting. When she finished the lap she was on, she continued running to the nearest bathroom where she washed her face of sweat. She wished the water would go deeper and wash her panic and anxiety away as well. She was also angry, but she could deal with that. It was the sharp cutting edge of panic and the cold blows of anxiety that were impossible to deal with.

For the first time in her life, April wished she could skip class, but she had already missed on class that day. Her teammates would surely hater her for just that, missing another would only make that worse. She was embarrassed that she had even missed one class, she hadn't meant to leave. She just couldn't...deal. The stares, the whispers she had interrupted, her thoughts, it was all just too much. She had ran away from her problems, twice in one day and, hard as it was to resist, she wouldn't make it a third.

So April walked with her head up back into the cafeteria where everyone was starting to gather their bags and walk off to their fifth period classes. April made her way to her usual table where Mira, Daniel, Sean and (to her surprise) Ian were just starting to pack up. Upon seeing her, Mira smiled and handed April her bag. April took it and slung it over her shoulder, all the while watching Ian.

He talked animatedly with Daniel and Sean, laughing when one of them made a joke. She wanted to join the conversation, whatever it was about but at the same time she was scared. What would she say? And if she did decide on something to say, should she act like she doesn't know him since Mira doesn't know about last night? The whole situation scared April; if it was anyone else she would have been quick to introduce herself or at least join the conversation. What was it about him that made everything so difficult?!

Frustrated with herself, April turned around to head out of the dining hall but her sudden movement caught the attention of the twins.

"Hey April!" Sean said cheerily, waving to her when she turned back around.

"Hey," April forced herself to say. She smiled a tight smile, annoyed with Sean for drawing attention to her. Now there was no way to escape a conversation.

"How did it go with Vincent?" Sean asked, walking over to sit on the table in front of her. April opened her mouth to respond but quickly shut it when Ian turned around. Their eyes met and for a few seconds, April was unable to remember what she was going to say.

"It...Uh...Went fine," she said, looking away from Ian. The group was silent for a few moments, and Mira, not being one for awkward silences, decided to break it.

"April! Have you met my brother?" Mira exclaimed. April just looked at her best friend, not knowing what to say. Mira turned to her brother. "Ian! Introduce yourself!"

"We've already met," Ian said.

"Oh. When?" Mira asked, looking directly at April. April shifted uncomfortably under her best friend's stare. She didn't know what to say.