One Boy, One Chance, One Shot

Chapter 8

I needed answers. Only standing in that green classroom full of teens made me want to get home.

I've been dodging Jess for the past 3 days, even if he's been trying to catch me. Once, he almost got me to talk to him, but luckily Lesley came in and got him away. Perfect timing.

"So today in Ethics we-" the teacher started. Thank go this was my last class of the day. I couldn't hold it off any longer. "And also murders."

My ears lit up at those words. For some reason my brain started to get interested. Murders? That didn't really sound like me. What's it got to do with me? A part of me was pulled in, even intrigued by the subject.

"In the last year, America has had over 150000 homocide crimes, meaning 150000 people have been killed. As the years pass, the rate increases substantially. As you can see on this chart-" as he turned around to the messy white board, his marker ready in hand, my hand shot up.

"And what are the most common murders caused by?" I said, not even waiting for him to pick me.

"That's a good question, but well get to that in a bit." He said.

"I need to know." I said, not even controlling myself.

The teacher touched the frame collision of his glasses on his nose bridge, then put a taned hand to his hip. "Very well." He advanced towards his desk, and put the cap back on his blue marker.

"The most murders were committed by bullet." He said, in what seemed an awfully sharp tone. Though Mr Burgan was a very warm teacher who always wore a nice pink shirt with his tie, now he almost seemed, angry. I never saw him so stressed. It's as if he was taking the matter- personally.

"Now, back to the rate of the kills." He said, and moved back to the board. As he started tracing a chart and enumerating data, I got back into my bubble of thought. What happened to Mr Burgan? If he had a problem with murders, why would he talk about it in class?

I could almost see his hand shake on the marker. He went to his pocket and blew out a handkerchief, then wiped away something from his face. Was he crying?

I got out if the class without having listened to anything he said. I didn't pay attention at all. There was a part of me that rang with the words "murder by bullet." They kept going on in my head, and I almost looked like a zombie as I walked through the corridors. My head spun as images came in my head:

I saw fragments and little pieces of films. I saw a man crash to the ground, dead. Then a pair of hands, as if they were my own, holding a gun.

I closed my eyes and put a finger to my template. This was nothing. Those images were probably from a film I have watched. I opened my locker, and dumped all my things in, and took my weekend notes. I had to study for a test, which I was in no mood of.

Trailed in thought and fatigue, I closed my locker door slowly, my hands shaking with the two books in them. I held myself up on the lock, and felt a if I was going to crash. My vision got blurry, and my breath got caught in my throat. I couldn't breathe. I was petrified.

"Ashley! Ashley!" I felt shaken. My head felt high and my lungs ached for air. I couldn't draw a breath. I couldn't.

"Ashley!" I heard a scream. I felt a push on my chest. I drew a breath. Then I started to cough out. I held my hands on my knees, and bent over, panting. It was as if I was in a trance. I felt it 3 days ago. When- when I was trying to remember what happened. I shook my head a bit.

"Ashley? Ashley? Are you ok?" I heard a voice. His hand was on my back, patting me slowly. I looked up. It was Dan. I didn't see he was there. His voice woke me up. What happened to me?!

"I'm fine now, thanks to you." I said with a warm smile. He blushed in response, then put a hand to his neck.

"You looked like you couldn't breathe. I didn't know what to do. I checked your lungs-" he put a hand to my chest again, then looked up at me. His warm blue eyes were reflecting the light above, and for a moment, time stopped. I felt the trance again, though this time I was breathing. I looked around, and even Dan stopped moving. For a second, I swore I could hear his thoughts.

"Please don't run away from me. I love you. Don't think I'm a creep." I could hear, blurred in my mind.

As I took a breath in, everything went back to normal. I took his hand in mine, and took it away from between my breasts.

"Thanks for helping me Dan." I said, then let his hand go. "I have to go, I'm not feeling too well."

"Oh, are you sure you can get off alone? I can help you." He said, scratching his ginger hair.

"I'm fine, don't worry. You have helped me a lot already! I have tests and-" I looked down. I dropped my books too? Oh god, what happened to me?!

I picked them up, leaving Dan standing up in front of me. Yeah, he couldn't even move.

"Well, I got to get going. Bye!" And with that, I stormed out of the school.

A/N: Thats Dan In the pic section :D (rupert grint)