Sanity By Jo Lockett

Chapter 2: Hidden

As I stare at the guy, my heart starts pounding in my ears. My mouth runs dry, and suddenly, my hand doesn't throb anymore. My vision starts going.
Carab's voice is sounding out, but all I hear is a mumble.
All that matters is him.
The guy gapes at me, and blinks.
I stare back at him, and we start a staring contest.
Even from here, I can see his big brown eyes open wide, mirroring my own.
His lips purse, and I immediately feel heat coming into my cheeks.
His smirk doesn't make it any better.
My eyes start watering from not blinking, but I can't lose. I can't.
Maybe it was Carab's sudden hand, or maybe it was the fact that I was so focused on him. Either way, I still felt like burying myself under a grave.

"Holy shit!" Carab exclaims. She puts her hand to her mouth, a look of shock on her face. She looks around, panics, then calms down as she realizes that no one else but me heard.

I tear my gaze away from The Guy In The Running Away Cap, and bury my head in my arms.
Argh. Why did I just scream?
As everyone around me looks around for the source of the scream, I feel my cheeks burning, and I glance up to see Carab laughing.

"What're you laughing at?" I grumble.

Carab wipes a tear from her eye. "You," she says simply, smiling.

I moan mournfully, looking away from her, and set my head on the table, banging it over and over.
Carab giggles, and puts a leg over the bench.

"You done pouting major baby drama llama?" she asks playfully, leaning on the table, putting herself in my eye's view.

I glare at her silently from my secure ArmFort thing.
Carab smiles her half smile, and turns around.
Just when I think she's going to leave, she slides back towards me, bumping me, and leans her back on me, making sure she's as comfortable as possible in trying to make me laugh as much as possible.

"Ah," she sighs, stretching, 'accidentally' knocking me on the head in the process.

I feel my mouth itching to turn up at the corners, but remembering my humiliating meltdown, I force myself to continue to pout, refusing to give in to Carab's mercilessly endless tactics to make me smile.
Carab purposely arches her back to make her dig into me.

"You're very comfortable, Grace," she says, trying her best to be seductive.

Just the thought of Carab being seductive to anyone else besides Danny was enough to make me crack up. I move away from Carab, purposely making it so sudden that she couldn't catch herself.
Her head bangs on the metal bench, and there's an awkward silence as I await her response.
A few minutes pass.
Oh no. I've finally blown my limit.
As I look at Carab, my face draining of every blood drop that was collected when I was having the major stare-down with The Guy In The Running Away Cap, I suddenly notice that she's shaking.
Oh god. I think I've hurt her. Really bad.

"SOMEONE CALL THE DOCTORATES!" I scream. My voice sounds like it belongs to someone else; it's so high pitched and nervous sounding that I have a hard time believing that no, it's not a little girl who just got punched in the lady balls. It's me who's screaming like that.

I grab Carab into a hug, and squeeze her tight.

"I'm so sorry Carab," I mutter, feeling my throat tighten with emotion. I blink back tears as I rub my best friend's back. "It's going to be okay. I swear. I may not have been a good BFF lately, with all the drama happening right now, but I swear that I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you're not seriously-"

Carab looks up at me, her cheeks all pufed up into a smile, and shakes herself out of my grasp.
O. My. God.
I didn't crack her. I made her laugh.
I self-slap myself in the face mentally. How much of an absolute idiot can you be for mistaking your best friend's laughter for a seizure?

"Omigod, G-Grace," Carab manages to get out, fighting back laughter. "Y-you t-thought I was... I was..."

I crinkle my nose, helping her stand up.

"Yes, I thought you were having a seizure. Anyone would have! It wasn't my fault I freaked out at your noiseless laughter!" I say quickly, my face starting to burn.

Carab explodes into a fit of laughter.
My face must be turning into a tomatoes ketchup by now.

"Very funny," I mutter, looking away from Carab.
Carab exhales in perspiration, and grabs my shoulder for
support.

"That," she says, wiping away tears, "was the most I've ever laughed in a long time."

I roll my eyes and turn away, not before making sure Carab is not going to fall over in another laughing fit.

"It wasn't that funny," I mumble, glaring at the table.
Carab laughs again, and pulls me into a hug.

"You're a good kid Grace," she says, smiling as she spoke.

After a minute's consideration, I decide to hug her back just as fiercely.

"So are you, Carab McDougal," I whisper.

After a minute, I shove her away gently, and laugh at her face.

"What, you didn't think we were going to have a sentimental moment forever did you?" I giggle, poking her in the stomach.

Carab lets out an 'oof', and giggles at my worried face.

"What, you didn't think I couldn't handle a poke in the stomach, didn't you?" she mocks me, imitating my tone.

I growl at her playfully. "Why you little wait 'till I get my hands on you! You're going to regret-"

"What?" she taunts, poking me back (harder) in the stomach.

"Am I going to regret making you pee your pants in front of everyone? No. Am I going to regret the fact that I know your weakness? No. Am I going to regret the fact-"

I laugh, and slap her arm lightly.

"Oh stop it," I say playfully, my cheeks widening into a smile. "I get your point."

Carab laughs back, and grabs me into a headlock.

"You better," she says fake-menacingly.

This sentence alone is enough to make me crack up, because Carab is as tough as a puppy in biker gear.
Carab laughs along, and we both can't stop until the announcement speaker thing crackles to life in a burst of static, making everyone, (including us), jump.
Costavile's sickly sounding voice comes on.

"Would Grace Illusion Adams please report..." A coughing fit follows, then goes back to announcing the report. "Would Grace Illusion Adams please report to the Headmistress's office
building thank you."

My body goes cold, and Carab looks at me at the same time I look at her. Her face is a ghostly white, as is everyone's faces around us.
No one gets called into the Headmistress's office building. At least, not alone.
No one gets called in the Headmistress's office building without being accused of a major crime.
My legs feel like cement bricks as one thought runs through my head:
I didn't do anything wrong. Did I?