It's the End of the World

Chapter 22

I didn't know if I was scared or happy to go back to school. I didn't know if my teachers knew if I was wanted by the federal prison and if they told everybody, but if they did, I didn't know how they would react to me coming back. I heard a voice call my name in the hallway. It was Abby. Of all the people to call my name in the hallway this morning, it had to be Abby. I didn't know if things would be weird because of the hug, or if she was going to ask where I've been.

All she said though was, "Hey Jeff. I think I owe you something from the other day. I didn't get to give it to you because you were gone." She gave me a hug. I tried as best as I could to hide my smile.

Turns out, everybody did know that I was wanted by the federal prison. Every one of my teachers asked me about it. I just told them that these bad guys took some of my family members hostage, and that they made me steal stuff for them. Kids in the hallway were still giving me weird looks though.

Sam cleared things up with his mom. He told her that he spent the night with one of his friends.

I saw someone in the hallway that made me stop and hide behind a trashcan. Jack. He saw me.

"Come here. I see you Jeff." I went over to him cautiously.

I reminded him that there was hundreds of witnesses in the hallway. "I thought you were dead anyways."

"Yeah, well you're not the only one that can survive falling off a mountain. I'll be watching you." With that, he left.

You're probably wondering how I'm still alive right now with two Vespers at my school. Well, we made a deal that if they didn't try to kill me, I wouldn't show the police my shoulder wound.

Turns out that the Bancroft headquarters in New Jersey was a bust. After a while, I realized something.

"Oh. You're going to be mad at me, but I just realized what Bancroft means. Vesper Four was Sandy Bancroft."

Every time I heard something about having a true friend and a false friend I thought of Sam and Jack.

"A true friend sticks up for you."

"Like Sam who helped me in the fight against the Vespers."

"And a false friend just wants to see you fail."

"And shoots you in the shoulder."