The HOE Code

Chapter Thirteen

"Uh, Marley?" Gus looked at me questioningly before he reached for the door.

"Get going, this one's a real piece of work!" He whispered stepping in, and I turned around to see Gus, standing freeze in his spot as a middle aged lady stands in his way.

Her hair was tied into a brown, neat bun, and her blouse was a spotless white. The pencil skirt she wore reached her thighs, and through her bespectacled gaze she eyed Gus peculiarly.

"Ah! If it isn't the troublemaker!" She chuckled as I tried walking past her to my seat.

"Not so fast. Stop right there, the girl in all black!" She said and I had no choice but to face her.

"What do you have to say for showing up late?" She asked, and I shifted uncomfortably in my shoes. Should I just tell her the truth? She is a real piece of work. I recalled, and my mind went blank.

"I, had a problem finding the lecture hall. I nearly got lost when he found me. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be here!" I said, eyeing Gus, who looked like a slightly younger version of Robinson Crusoe finding his way back home. I prayed in my head that he played along. Please do. Or we'd be fucked.

"Yeah. That's right. I found her on her knees. Crying. Hard. So damn hard." He said, shooting me a weird smirk. Note to self- an asshole's always going to be an asshole.

"This...is the last time I allow any student to get in late. Don't you dare think I have softened up." She said turning to the class.

"This semester is going to be an important one, and I won't tolerate any sort of shady business in my class. Am I clear?" She said with a thunder in her voice.

"Yes, Mrs. Murthy." The class unison.

"As for you two, partner up and get to your damn seats!" She scowled and I took the cue to run for the hills.

"Move fast!" Gus whispered, and I fought the urge to kick him back.

"Please open up the module on 'Chemical Bonding', and get ready with your pairs." Mrs. Murthy said.

I hurried to the furthest bench, watching my head as the glass apparatus nearly got knocked off. Phew. Gus sat closer to me, sliding his bag under the table.

"Hey watch out for the..." Before I could say the word, the flask slides off the edge and the glass shattered on the ground.

"What the fuck!" He screamed, and next I saw Mrs. Murthy glaring. Like dragon blowing up an entire village, fire breathing glaring at Gus.

"I will take care of it. Nothing serious happened." Gus said, bending down when his arms hit the bottle of sodium, and the floor caught fire. Oh. No.

"Here we go again!" Mrs. Murthy screamed.

"Everyone, run for your lives. This is an emergency, not a drill!" She said on top of her voice as I saw the flames spreading across the furniture. "Everybody, Code Red is activated."

"Fire extinguisher!" Gus muttered.

"Marley, hand me the fire extinguisher!" He repeated, and I slapped myself out of the trance. Fuck. The place was burning. It didn't hit me that this was a damned chemistry lab, and a little fire spreading across could only mean a total burn down.

"The fire extinguisher! Are you even listening?" He screamed, and I saw the wall of fire growing between us, and the exit.

"Oh Gosh. I-I-" I stuttered, moving around to spot the red cylinder.

I walked to the corner, the fire was yet to catch up to it, and crack...
The glass flask burst, flying pieces charging towards me and before I could think of dunking, or covering myself, I closed my eyes.

"What the fuck!" I heard. My cheeks not bleeding, the pain not making it to my skin, and I found myself in a warm embrace, sprawled against the floor.

"Oh my God! You're bleeding!" I cried, hot tears trickling down my cheek as I see blood flowing from Gus's forehead.

"Get the cylinder before the lab blows and we die. Where's fucking Mrs. Murthy when we are dying!" He cursed in pain.

"I am sorry. I am so sorry..."

I got on my feet as fast as I could, reaching for the fire extinguisher.

"Open the noose, Marley. Damn it!" He withered and I pressed the nozzle as hard as I could. White foam erupted from the pipe, swallowing the flames as I subject it to the burning misery.

"Gus! Gus!" I screamed his name when I couldn't hear him move.

Blood trickled down his forehead as the glass pieces laid buried in his skin.

"Oh God! No!" I dashed to him, as the flames died out, and I felt my face wet, partly from sweat and partly from tears.

His eyes opened slightly; his lips parted to say something when I placed his head on my lap. Blood cascaded out of the wound, and I found myself crying hard.

"Okay. Okay. Stay with me." I said, rubbing his palm frantically.

"This is going to hurt a little." I said, pulling the glass out of his skin as he cried in pain.

"I am sorry." I brushed my fingers against his forehead and his hands held onto my palm. My hands turned red from his blood, and Gus's tears flowed seamlessly.

"Don't give up on me, Augustus." I breathed closer to his mouth as my eyes stinged from the pain.

"Everything fucking hurts." He grinned.

"Do you smile all the time?" I sobbed.

"Only when I am dying..."

He closed his eyes, and I find myself burying his face within me. Why did this had to happen? Why me? Everything was going down. Gus's muffled breath, his blood drying on my hands, and my helplessness...

"I promise I won't call you a jerk anymore. Please stay with me, Gus. Please!" I sobbed, pulling out as I saw his blood covered face.

"I was enjoying the boobs..." He whispered.

"Jerk."

"You promised..." He said, opening his eyes, and I smiled. In the worst scene I had imagined with the two of us in it, I smiled.

"I am sorry!" I said, wiping the tears, not realizing my face was getting colored with his blood.

"Beautiful..." He gasped before closing his eyes again.

"There they are!"

I turned to see Mrs. Murthy coughing in the smoke, and a crowd of fireman walking in through the door. We will be saved.

"A little longer, Gus. Just a little longer!" I said, before everything turned dark.