Chapter thirteen

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When the bell finally rings, signaling the end of first period, I get up from my desk and walk towards the door.

Sometimes I wonder what things would have been like if I never knew Carly. If she lived somewhere far far away.
It's to late to change things now but things wouldn't be the same.

When I reach my locker, I put in the combination and pull the door open.
As I'm grabbing a binder, a folded up piece of paper falls to the floor.

I pick up the note and unfold it. I read the neat cursive handwriting:

Meet me in the courtyard today after school.
~Nick

I wonder what Nick wants to talk about.

I fold the note back up and put it in my pocket as I head to second period.

By the time lunch rolls around, I already have so much on my mind.
I have 4 tests tomorrow, pages and pages of homework, an essay that I have to type, and of course the reason Nick wants to meet me. And how could I forget "the messenger".

I sit down for lunch and get out the book I have to read for English.
I flip through the pages of A Midsummer's Night Dream.

"Rachel!?!?! Oh my gosh! I haven't seen you in forever!"

I turn to see Vanessa, Carly's older sister.
Vanessa has been away at college for the past year and I haven't seen or heard from her in forever.

"What are you doing here?" I ask.
"I have a week off from college so I came home. It stinks though because I'm substituting for a science teacher on my week off."
"Why?"
"I need the extra money." Vanessa admits.
"Oh. Well I'm glad to see you." I say.
"Me too. But sadly I can't stay. I have to get back to the classroom."
"Okay."
"But we definitely need to check up soon. Let me give you my number. That way you can reach me." Vanessa says as she grabs a piece of paper out of her notebook and starts to write.
"There you go." She says as she hands me the slip of paper.
"Thanks."
"Yea sure thing. I gotta go. I'll see you later."
"Bye."
"See ya." Vanessa says as she walks away.

I definitely wasn't expecting that. I think as I tuck the paper in my backpack when the end of lunch bell rings and I head to six period.

Eight period ends and I breath a sigh of relief as the day is finally over....well almost anyways.

I head towards the courtyard.

When I reach the courtyard, I sit down on one of the stone benches that as been here since the school was built in 1997.

I check my phone and see that it's 2:25.
Nick should be here any minute.

As I wait for Nick, I take out A Midsummer's Night Dream and continue reading.

5 minutes later

Still reading

15 minutes later

Still reading

30 minutes later

Still reading....but about to get up and leave

I feel a vibration in my back pocket.
I realize the buzzing is my phone and I pull it out.

It's a message from Nick:

Rachel I'm so sorry I'm late. My boss needed me to stop by the station right after school. I just got out of the meeting. Please meet me in the woods outside your house.

Ummm okay.......well I guess I'm walking home since the bus already left the school.

I pick up my things and start walking towards the road.

30 minutes later when I reach my driveway, the sky is already turning a dark blue.

I head to the woods and sit on a tree branch.

Before I know it, a figure dressed in a police uniform walks my way. I assume it's Nick so I get up and step towards him.

"Hey Nick." I say.

Nick continues to walk to towards me.
He doesn't respond.

Instead he grabs me by my neck and slams me up against a tree trunk.

"What is wrong with you? Your a murderer." The voice says. I can't recognize the voice because it is disguised with a voice machine.

The person I thought was Nick, but now I think it's someone else, squeezes my throat tighter, crushing my air way.
I try and a grasp for air but it feels like I'm under water and I'm running out of oxygen.

I try to scream but the person has a hand over my mouth.
Wait?
I know what to do.
I learned this in the class I took with Carly, the one that showed us what to do when we are in danger.

I bite down on the hand covering my mouth.

"Owwww!!! What the heck was that for?" The person says as they remove their hand from my mouth and I use this opportunity to punch them in the gut.

The person topples over onto the ground and I run.
I run for my life.
As I'm running, I look back and see the person trying to get up but failing every time.
I turn back around and run.
One leg in front of the other. That's all I'm focusing on.
Left,right,left,right,left.

Who was that? That definitely wasn't Nick.
Oh my gosh.........its the messenger

I'm 99.9% sure
How could I let this happen?
Why wasn't I more cautious?

As I think this I forget that I'm running and I loose my balance.
My feet slip out from under me and I start to fall down but I don't hit the ground.
I hit something much harder.
Probably a tree or a rock.

The person is going to get me. I need to get up.

I try to get up but things start to spin.
I can only focus on one thing before I black out.

The person standing right over me....with a gun pointed down at me.

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