The 9th Hour

Jess

3:15 to 3:40 

I sit in the office as it happens again. An anxiety attack. They buzzed my best friend, Evan, to the office. He was the only one who can calm me down. My long brown hair was getting on my nerves. I would push back my shorter layers and try to tuck them behind the longer layers to hold them in place with no luck. I played on my phone until it went dead. I forgot to charge it that night. 

The main door opens and Evan walks in. He sees me sitting in one of the chair by the principal's desk in a room that leads from the office. This wasn't the first time. We went straight to the conference room were I always go when he needs to calm me down. I try to hid the tears for it was the last hour and kids were leaving their rooms already. The bell had rang recently. I sit in the small conference room. "OK, what was it this time?"

"I don't know I just. Freaked out. OK?" I look up at him. I sat in the chair I normally do and he kneeled in front of me. "It is OK. Just breathe. Everything is fine." I breathe, like he instructed and began to calm down. "Better?" 

I nod, wiping away the tears. "A little." But then it hit me like a wall. Or an eighteen wheeler. I could hardly breathe again. Evan helped me out of the chair to kneel by him on the ground. He hugged me with both arms and rocked me back and forth. I cried on his shoulders again as I gasped for breath. My arms tingled from where his arm touched me and calmed me down.

This has been happening ever since middle school. And lasted to my senior year. I had always got anxiety when ever I felt stressed or something was different. Which sucked because I read a lot of books and authors like to kill of character, sink a ship, or do something dramatic in the book. And it is North Chancy High School. So about once a week. Today was Friday, October 28. One second I was towards the end of The Mark of Athena and when I finished I couldn't breath. So I think that puts down the dramatic ship thing to happen. I guess that counts as mega-fangirling. I was rushed to the office were they got Evan to help me. Well I guess not like that. I slowly raised my hand and my english teacher didn't even look up from the tests she was grading before she pointed for me to go. I would go to the office first to meet up with Evan then we would both head to the conference room. There have been times that the attack would last hours and they would give us the key to lock up. I guess they trust us. 

The teachers gave up calling my step-mother and the hospital. It was pointless. I don't need my step mom crying from me having a attack or some doctor giving me orders like, don't do anything big or don't do things that will make you nervous, when I could just talk and stay close to Evan. And plus I don't want listen to those doctors. Their advise would remove reading out of my life and that can't happen. 

Oh. Evan Zimmer. He is the hottest guy, in my opinion, in the entire school. He has thick black hair and dark mud eyes, like mine, and his face was shaped perfect like Chris Pratt. The only imperfection is a scar from the right most part of his mouth, a little white line that moves like a really short river on his face. How he got it? Well, that was from his own stupid fault. As a kid, he was leaning against a window and fell out. The screen was mesh and so he broke though. The was a little stepping stone with his baby hand and foot and he landed on it, scrapping his lip. Causing the one imperfection. 

He could hang out with the poplars but decided to hang with me. We have been best friends since the whole falling out the window incident. He watched out for me, one of the reasons were friends. 

My breathing begins to steady but I still stay in his arms. Unable to move. I didn't know if I liked him or not, but I do know that he is a great friend. I look out the nearest window and see it is raining. Great. Most likely what started my anxiety. Most likely going to start it up again. Evan knows about the little predicament and pulled me closer. 

He fell out a window, but as a child, I was left on the doorstep of some lady's apartment from my mom. Sadly, the lady was having a party and didn't hear my screams and cries of terror from the thunder storm raging around me. Giving me a horrible anxiety around lightning and the sound of thunder. Evan would stay with me on those nights, or I would go to his house. But that lady soon became my step mother, but I call her Evangeline. Eve for short.

We stare out the window at the raging storm. The trees swayed back and forth as the wind picked up and stopped in a rhythmical motion. The sheets of rain pelting the window making the roof look like it was crying.  

That was when I first heard the loud sound, breaking of the walls. Not thunder. Not a tree branch. Gunshot. In the far East part of the campus. Normally when it rains, they gather all of the students into the gym, at the east side of the school, and have the carpool done with the buses. The riders have to sign out, for some stupid reason. The shot came from the gym. Who fired it? Who would even what to shoot the school up? Who did they shoot? If it had to have been shot, in all of my books, they find a time when everyone is together then take out the people. The bell must have gone off, even if I couldn't hear it.

The first thing I think of is my step brother, Evangeline's son with her, now divorced, husband. One of the most important people in my life.

Jack.

He was like my actual brother. I have known him since he was a kid. He has to be in the gym. If that gunshot came from the gym. Another shot rings through out the halls. Not like how the bell rings signaling the end and beginning of class. Worst. Much more, nerve wracking.

I run to the door and jiggle the nob and throw the door open. I run down the hall to the two main doors of the hall. As I yank at the rusted door frames. Another arm reaches to help. We push through and head straight to the next hallway.  

Evan and I don't stop running until we reached the main door and look in.  We watch at the horrifying events that had unfolded before we arrived.