The 9th Hour

Jess

3:41 to 4:00

Teachers and students were piled up in the corner. Some appeared dead while others tended to the ones that weren't dead just yet. My old boyfriend, Kyle stood in the middle looking around the room waving some type of pistol around. He had just shot Nathan. One of the kids that are friends with Evan. They took AP Calculus together two years ago. They were partners and best friends since then. I turned my eyes back to Jack and saw he was clinging to his back pack. His circular glasses slid down his nose from his tears. He pulled out his black leather case and put them in. He replaced the case back in the spot hey are kept in. He looked back up at Kyle as he shot out another round of bullets. 

That is what I saw before I had buried my face into Evan's shirt.

When I finally peeped out I saw him looking into the window. His face was scrunched up and he had a scowl that would make a anyone run for the hills. His posture was stiff and firm from his shoulders up. Now from the beginning of his arms down, he was comforting. So to make a safe bet of how he felt, I would go with he is pissed, but still is trying to keep me comforted. 

He looked down to look at me, and the scowl disappeared. The stiffness in his shoulders lightened up and I felt like I could see a little smile, even in a time like this, "Everything is going to be okay." He tightened his grip around me and looked back through the window. We slowly sank down onto the ground, him sitting with his legs crossed and me on his lap. After two slow minutes of watching I stood up and went to open the door. The thing was, it was locked shut. 

He heard me try to open it. He turned to the door and I slid and hid against the wall. I heard the shot and closed my eyes. I didn't notice I was holding Evan's hand before I got the courage to get up from the wall and look at the door. 

There was blood. Lots of blood, but not on the outside. Inside. I look through the corner of the door and see the body of some kid. His forehead was shot right in the middle and his blood was splattered on the window. I backed away shaking my head with my hands over my mouth. Tears welling in my eyes. Evan caught me before I tripped and I cried. Hard. He hugged me and looked into the gym once more. He gave a nod and looked down at me. He lifted my face holding it under my chin with both hands. My hands dropped to my side. "Let's go get help." 

And so that is what we did. I didn't question the nod he gave when we were in front the gym before we left. I think it was just to himself We began our journey to the police station. My phone was dead from my previous anxiety attack. His was on the brink of shutting off from power lose. It was being so stupid that apparently the battery was so low that he couldn't make any phone calls, texts, or take and pictures.  

I was now shocked I haven't panicked yet. The rain was just a slight drizzle now and we kept to under the trees. I hope we can reach the NCPD (North Chancy Police Department) before anything else happens. I felt like I could still hear gun shots from far away. I looked down trying to drown out the noise from ringing through my ears. Evan didn't seem to hear this so I just tried to ignored it. Emphasize on the tried to. I slowly moved one finger and then the other to hold onto Evan's hand. I knew once my hand intertwined with his hand, his eyes would drill into me, all the way through my head to my eyes and I would have to look up. But the exact opposite happened. 

Evan fastened his large hand around my small one. I looked up my eyes. He looked down and smiled. My jaw nearly dropped but I gulped and started to pull my hand away. He let go and my head dropped. "Jess?"

"Yes?"

"I have been trying to find a way to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"I don't think this is the time to say." He turned back forward with no expression.

"I think this is a great time. I am not freaking out. We are almost to the station to get help. And we are." I take a break. "alone." I quickly add, "If you wanted to tell me with us alone." He lets out a low chuckle.

"See, that is exactly it." He looks back to me. "I love how even in a bad situation like this you stay calm. I can tell you are fighting from freaking out because I think you even know that we don't have the time to calm you down." We stopped and now faced each other. "I look at you every day and feel lucky to be you friend. I have been trying to find a way to tell you. I didn't want to seem needy but I also wanted to get my point across. I love you with all my heart and I imagine what my life would be with you and how long we would date. I even imagined how I would propose to you and how many kids we would have and what their names would be. If you were to ever die I would sink into a deep depression of not having you in my life. I don't know if you feel the same way but." Tears were starting to form in my face and he wiped them away as he continued. "And if you don't like me, I don't want to move on. I'm thankful for you in my life and I wouldn't want any other girl because there is none of them like you. Your are so smart, courageous, generous, and so many other things, I can't list all of them. If I were to hear you say you like me back I would scream, maybe even cry. Jessica, I would take a bullet for you if we were in that gym." I was full on crying and now was the time to truly know. To confess. 

"Yes. I do." And like he said he did exactly what he said he would do if I told him I liked him back.