The Suicide Pact

Part 19: (Carter's POV)

I was surrounded by an unfathomable darkness. Suddenly, a light brighter than the sun flooded my surroundings. I shielded my eyes from this intense light, while still trying to see in front of me. Once I could open my eyes enough, I could just barely make out 5 shadowy figures all surrounding me. I wanted to interact with them, but I couldn't move. They suddenly faded away, and I found myself screaming in terror.

I bolted upright in bed, breaking out in a complete cold sweat. I was gasping for air, and it brought me back to the drowning incident. I reached over to my nightstand and grabbed my phone. The time read 7:30, and I knew that there was no use in going back to sleep. I pulled myself out of bed and groggily stumbled to the bathroom. I decided to take a hot shower to rinse off the feelings from the dream. After I got out, I wiped the mirror free of condensation and took a good long look at myself. I was still me, but something seemed different. I still looked the same, but I felt different. The bridge encounter had happened last night, and we all trudged to our houses together. The Suicide Pact. Memories were flooding back to me, suddenly making me feel sick. I heaved, but nothing came up. I tried my best to shrug off the feeling and carried on with getting ready.

I pulled on a Star Wars T-shirt and a pair of beige skinny jeans. I also slipped on a Lokai bracelet, and put on some Nike's. After making sure that I had all of my stuff, I slipped on my backpack and walked to the bus stop. Normally I sat alone on the bus unless if somebody desperately needed a seat. When I arrived at school, the atmosphere somehow seemed different. I made my way to my locker and began putting my things away. Just like yesterday, Jackson came strolling along like he was on top of the world. I already knew what was coming. 

"Hey nerd, two wrongs don't make a right...like your parents!" I ignored him and just continued to put my things away. He grabbed me by the shoulder and yanked me closer to him. 

"Didn't you hear me?" At that moment, I could make just make out Emily storming towards Jackson from the corner of my eye. This time, Emily was the one to yank Jackson away from me. She faced him and looked into his eyes with burning hatred. 

"Hey Jackson, is your ass jealous of the amount of shit that just came out of your mouth?"

Jackson was so surprised, he let go of me completely. I could tell that Emily wasn't afraid, but I don't think that she fully understood Jackson. This time, Jackson decided to throw an insult at her. 

"Why do you wear a bra if you have nothing to fill it?" Jackson asked, with a mean smirk on his face. Emily held a firm stance, her eyes challenging. 

"Then why do you wear pants?" She fired back, with burning hostility. Jackson was clearly surprised, and his expression filled with anger. He grabbed her and pinned her against the lockers. Emily pushed back on him, and kicked him right in the stomach. He was clearly winded, but he hadn't given up yet. He swung at her, hitting her right in the nose. By then, a crowd had gathered and was watching them in awe. Nobody had ever dared to face Jackson. Emily stopped for a moment, and swiped her finger under her nose. When she saw the blood, she looked up at Jackson with fire in her eyes. 

"You're gonna pay for that." Without a second thought, she charged at him totally bowling him over. They both landed on the floor, gasping for breath.

Jackson saw this as an opportunity to pin her to the ground, his face only inches from hers. She quickly headbutted him and rolled away as he drew back in pain. She rose to her feet, preparing to fight more. I scanned the crowd and found Mark, Tabitha, Liam and Charlotte all watching the fight in horror. Nobody dared to intervene, especially when Jackson was involved. Jackson stumbled up and tried to look tough and brave. Emily punched him twice in the face, and kicked him in a not so desirable area. While he was on the ground, Emily proudly placed her foot on him in a heroic stance and began to speak. 

"That outta teach you not to mess with me, my loved ones or any of these other kids that you've caused pain...you understand?" Jackson nodded his head, looking quite defeated. "Now get out of my sight!" She yelled, causing Jackson to flee down the hallway.

My mind couldn't even fathom what just happened. Did Emily just do all of this for me? I snapped back when I realized that she was pulling me into the middle of the crowd-circle. She looked at me with those beautiful eyes and kissed me, right in front of everybody. It was by far one of the best things that I had ever experienced. The crowd of people started cheering, and storming up to Emily. After most of the crowd had cleared, we were greeted by the rest of the gang. Tabitha was the first one to run up and hug her. 

"That was the most courage that I've ever seen from anybody!" She exclaimed. After Emily was done being stormed with questions, I strayed behind the group to talk to her alone.

 "I can't believe that you would do something like that for me," I stammered, because my mind still couldn't process what just happened. "But why would you do that for me?" I asked her. She looked straight into my eyes.

"Because I love you."