tuesday

Part 6

Ethan and I were sitting in a diner nearby the school, silently waiting for our food. "I've never skipped school before," I said with a small smile.

"Really, never, Arlea?" Ethan's eyebrows raised.

"No," I shook my head, laughing. "I mean, I've been sick before, but that doesn't count."
Ethan had a smile on his face. "Well, it's not like it'll matter tomorrow."

I raised my eyebrows in agreement, then paused. "Have you ever told anyone, Ethan?"

His hardened eyes made me know he knew what I was talking about. "I tried telling my dad." I held my breath, waiting for the ending of his story. "He sent me to the hospital." Ethan's voice cracked and he cleared his throat as the waitress brought our food and set it down in front of us. He waited for her to leave before he looked at me and continued. "Arlea, you cannot tell anyone that isn't in the loop themselves. They won't believe you."

"But—"

"No." He said firmly. "You'd be sent somewhere and that would only delay us."

"Delay what, Ethan?" I whispered, leaning closer to him. "We're not doing anything. All we've done is learn a little more about Carl Anderson."

"He also didn't shoot up the school today." He whispered back. "And a change in the day can only mean one thing: there's someone else in the loop."
"There are hundreds, thousands of people that could be in the loop and we could easily not know."

"Maybe, but now the whole day—the main event of the day—has changed. Carl stayed home. Why?" His eyes lit up as he asked me, as if I could answer him. Even Carl didn't know. I picked at my food, eating slow bites, my mind filled with thousands of thoughts.

I flinched when my phone started to buzz and Rylee's face lit up the screen. Ethan and I shared a look and I picked it up, accepting her call.

"Arlea! You've missed first period, where are you?" Her voice demanded.

"I'm home sick." I faked a cough and Ethan stifled a laugh.

"Who was that?" Rylee asked loudly. "Oh my god, Arlea, are you with a boy?" Ethan smirked and leaned back in his seat, obviously hearing the conversation.

"What? No." I lied.

"Yes you are, you liar. Since when do you ditch school to hang out with a guy?" She scolded over the phone. I turned down the volume, trying to keep Ethan from hearing even more.

"Look, Rylee..." A shot rang out over the phone and my heart was in my throat. People screamed. Rylee seemed to drop her phone. "Rylee?" I said, my heart pounding. "Rylee?" I gripped the table, trying to breathe, trying to force myself to breathe in air. Ethan was sitting tense and rigid, trying to listen over the phone.

It was a while before she picked it up again. She was crying. "Arlea! There's someone here, they have a gun." She sobbed. I covered my mouth in shock, fumbling with the phone to put it on speaker. Ethan sat up, holding his breath.

"Rylee, where are you? Are you safe?" I shouted.

"I'm in the bathroom." She cried. "I came here to call you."

I ran a hand over my face. "Stay there, Rylee. Lock yourself inside."

I heard her fumbling for something and her next words tripped over each other. "The lock is broken."

I felt something clutch my hand. Was it Ethan? I didn't acknowledge it. "Rylee, hide. Try to be quiet." More shots and she seemed to muffle her sobs. I heard the bathroom stall close.