Novocaine

CHAPTER ONE

"Yo Hunter! Get your butt over here and finish this algebra!" I hear in the distance. By distance, I mean 5 feet away. "Fineeee", I call back, knowing I'm dead if I don't. That was Flint, one of my best friends.
"Ok, if you want me to cooperate, you gotta work too, dude." I giggle, trying to finish a question as he dozes off into space. He probably didn't hear me. "Snap out of it!" I poke him and he comes back to reality. "What do ya want?" He asks, half annoyed and half giggling. "Let's finish this thing so we can go!" I shout a little too loud, as I heard a faint, almost silent, "QUIET DOWNNNNNNNNNN" from the next room over. "YEAH YEAH, WHATEVER YA SAY TEACH!" I shout back, smiling. I hear a 'hmph' and the building is once again almost silent.
"So...what do you wanna do after this?" He asks, closing up a reference book. "Pizza & games?" He suggests. We usually got pizza and went to his house to play video games after school. "I'm down", I say, finishing the last question.

🔻🔺🔻🔺

"Ready?" Flint asks, getting his backpack on. "Yep" I say back, heading for the door. We walk out of the humid classroom to a gust of fresh air.
"RELIEF!!" I shout, jumping around in the grass. "Whoa whoa whoa! Calm down, we haven't even gotten to the car yet!" Flint play punches me and lets out a big dorky laugh. I smile and punch him back a little harder.
"Okie, let's head to the car and order some pizza!" Flint says.
"I'll pay this time" I say, heading to Flint's car. I check my pocket for my phone and dial a number to order a large pepperoni pizza.
Suddenly, a black shadow sweeps through the forest by the school like a fox. I watch the dark figure as it moves gracefully through the old white pine trees, nonstop. It glances towards me for a quick second. My muscles freeze, and for a quick moment, I'm unable to move, paralyzed with fear. The shadow stares at me with its glowing eyes. I remain locked in it's grimacing glare.
"Hello? Are you gonna order or what?! I don't get paid much, you're just wasting my time!" I realize I'm still on the phone with the pizza guy.
"Yeah yeah, I'll get a large pepperoni with extra cheese." I remark loudly.
"Took you long enough. That'll be $10.50. Credit or pay when delivered?"
"I'll just pay when delivered." I say.
"Great. Cya then." He hangs up.
I quickly glance back to see if the figure was still there. But the forest was empty of shadows. I must have scared whatever it was off with my voice.
"What the hell was that...?" Flint asks, staring off into the pine trees. He must have seen it too.
"You saw it too?" I ask for reassurance.
"That shadow thing? Yeah." He stares into the forest silently, his eyes begging for it to come back.
The silence just gets tenser and tenser as he stares into the trees blankly. I look around, waiting for him to snap out of it. I realize he's probably not going to.
"Uh, let's go." I say, trying to break the silence. He jumps a little, surprised by my voice. "Yeah ok", he says, getting into the car. I get in on the other side and we start to drive to his house.
I take my hair out of the messy black nest of a braid it's been in all day. I look out the window and realize we aren't going the way we usually do.
"Flint, are we lost?" I ask, gazing out at a lake I'd never seen before.
"Nah, I'm just taking a longer way. It's a nicer route, too." He says, keeping his eyes on the road. I gaze out the window, mesmerized by the colors of the trees and blossoms of spring.
Without warning, a dark grey cloud forms above the road. It grows and grows, eating away the last bit of bright blue in the sky.
"Didn't the forecast say it was all clear skies today?" I ask, confused.
"Y-yeah. We're ok though. Just don't...don't worry about it." He's stuttering. He never stutters... unless he's scared.
"Dude... you look pale. Should we stop for a sec?" I say, nudging him.
"N-no, let's just keep going." He mutters, breaking out in a cold sweat.
"Are you ok?" I ask.
"I'm fine." He mutters.
"...you don't look ok."
"Really, I am." He says once again with a shaky voice.
"A-are you-"
"I SAID I'M FINE OKAY HUNTER? JUST GO WITH IT!" He shouts, with a mad expression on his face. I glance over to face him, startled.
He looks back at me as if he startled himself with his raise of voice.
I put on a fake smile. He half smiles back, still locked on his words from earlier.
I keep watching out the window, occasionally glancing back at Flint. He keeps driving with an uncomfortable look on his face.
"Flint" I risk talking again, "Don't lie to me."
He bites his lip. "I'm not." He says.
"Flint." I glare at him.
"What?" He tries to act clueless.
"Stop lying and tell me the damn truth!" I shout a little louder than normal.
"I AM!" He shouts back annoyed.
"No you aren't! I just-"
"I KNOW! You want to know if I'm okay right? You're not getting a different answer!"
"But you didn't answer TRUTHFULLY! I know you didn't!"
"HUNTER JUST GO WITH MY ANSWER OKAY? I'M FINE NOW SHUT UP AND LET ME DRIVE!"
I shut up and let him drive. I realize he's crying. I bite my lip to try and fight unwelcomed tears.
"H-hunt...I didn't mean to..."
"It's fine." I whisper.
"No, it's n-"
"I said it's FINE." I snap. He looks like he's gonna break down.
"B -but... i-it's not fine..." He spits out. "I hate yelling..."
"It's fine...I don't mind it, really." I mutter. He puts on a fake smile like I did earlier. I keep staring out the window.
I notice he's breathing really fast, but decide not to ask if he's okay. It'd just end up like what happened before.
My concentration is broken by a loud "NONONO!" & a gasp for air.
That's when he blacked out.