Pastel Punk [Phan] ♡ HIATUS

Chapter Two

â݀ Chapter Two â݀

This was so not good.

I thought there couldn't be a more nerve-wracking experience than the boisterous charade known as witnessing the library break-in (and only barely escaping away from their leader), but that seemed like child's play compared to this.

This could very well ruin my life, quite literally.

Let's take it back half an hour or so, shall we?

I was trapped in my typical seat in math class, second row, fourth column. I was mindlessly tapping my mechanical pencil against the flesh of my cheek and watching intently as my maths teacher explained a trigonometric concept. All seemed well in that moment- I was beginning to stop thinking about yesterday evening, I was fully grasping the lesson, and best of all, no word had been said yet about the break-in.

I don't know if it was me jinxing myself or just a really, really bad coincidence, because just then, my maths teacher's endless droning was cut off by the crackling of the PA system turning on and the secretary giving announcements for the morning. Except this morning, it was the principal himself. His voice was strained and professional, but I could tell he was pissed, and I had a pretty good guess why.

"Good morning, students," The principal greeted us politely. "Happy Thursday." After listening about the never-ending clubs that wanted people to show up at their meetings after school today, he got serious abruptly, and I knew what was about to come. I think I held my breath in fear.

"In regards to a dire situation, all students will report to the auditorium next period for a school-wide assembly," he explained firmly, tensely. "Attendance is mandatory."

There it was, I thought with disdain.

Murmurs of confusion and wonder bounced between the students around me, all focus lost on the teacher. She had to clap her hands together to regain their short attention spans, and the news about the assembly was forgotten for that moment. However, it wouldn't leave my mind.

I couldn't concentrate the rest of the lesson: my brain kept haunting me with endless scenarios and worries, so rough I felt sick to my stomach. They'd catch me, I know it. I don't know how they will, but they will, and then I'd be suspended. No wait, more likely expelled.

I squeezed my eyes shut and clenched my stomach, feeling utterly miserable and trapped in my own skin, like I couldn't escape from myself. I remained in my pathetic position for a bit longer until I felt something hit my head. It knocked me out of whatever worrisome trance I was in, and I searched around the floor to see what hit me. A crumpled-up paper ball rested by my pale blue canvas-shoe-clad toes, and after making sure the teacher wasn't looking my way, I stealthily picked up the paper.

I unfolded it quietly to see a scribbly handwriting mixed in between the creases. What's wrong? You look like shit, The note read.

I whirled around to look at my best, and unfortunately, my only friend, Aubrey, who sat to my left. She raised her eyebrows, peeking over her wide-frame 80's glasses. I shrugged half-heartedly, trying to play it off as cool. I silently thanked the world for allowing me to be in class right now, because if I was talking to her face-to-face, I wouldn't last three seconds without spilling the truth. She gave me a look of discouragement, and I mirrored the expression teasingly.

'Stomach ache,' I mouthed to her.

'Feel better,' She mouthed back worriedly. I appreciated it and all, but the whole "feel better" encouragement was really trivial and downright stupid. I mean, it's not like you can switch off a sickness, pain, or whatever like it's as easy as flipping a switch. No, please, let me just automatically stop hurting because you want me to. Ugh.