Rayne

Chapter 4

School continued on as if nothing had happened. I convinced father to let me go back the next day, the deal being that I was to attend after recess so I could sleep in. All eyes seemed to be on me as I entered the school. I heard the sounds of whispers as I hurriedly walked down the seemingly long corridor.

I kept my head down and felt my cheeks heating up, water threatening to gush from my eyes as I rushed into my English room, taking my seat as fast as the last person left. I felt the heavy stares of the students behind me, drilling holes in my back. My head began to overheat, and I could hear this faint ringing start in the base of my head. My breaths came out in short, sharp bursts and contractions started deep within my chest, causing pain to shoot through my ribcage.

"Rayne?" I didn't hear her at first, it wasn't until Ashlee put her hand on my arm and startle me did I realise she had spoken. Ashleigh looked like she'd had a rough night. Purple bags sat heavily under her eyes and she looked like she didn't care about how terrible she looked.

She winced, as if she'd stepped on something sharp. "Are you ok?"

I shrugged, aware of a small line of coldness dripping down my cheek. The classroom was eerily silent and I could hear my heart beating deep within my ears. I opened my mouth, but found it blocked by something deep within my throat.

"Sweaty, you're not ok," her bluntness caught me off guard. "Why are you at school?"

Because I am an idiot, I thought meekly. Ashlee frowned and took the empty seat next to me, placing her water bottle in front of my hand. I smiled at the small gesture of kindness and took a sip. As the rest of the students poured into the classroom, Ashlee told me what had happened yesterday. I was the only one who had to be taken away by an ambulance, however many students were injured. The doctors said I must have been hit in the head by something heavy such as a swinging light or a flying chair.

The English teacher walked in after roughly ten students sat down in their seats. The classroom seemed a lot gloomier than yesterday, it seemed. Ashlee didn't seem right as the lesson continued, I noticed. She kept her head down, barely answering the teacher and giving sharp comments. Often she'd grip her hair in her hands and hiss into the table, her whole body shaking.

Soon, I couldn't take it any longer. "Ashlee," I whispered, placing my hand on her shoulder. "What is going on?" Ashlee didn't even seem to hear me, continuing to groan into the table. I leaned closer, only now realising that Ashlee was whispering words as she rocked in her chair.

"Please stop. Stop, stop, stop."

Ashlee seemed to be acting like someone who wasn't mentally stable. That brief though flickered through my head and like a machine, Ashlee stopped. She looked at me through the strands of her hair, her eyes red and almost bloodshot.

"I'm not crazy," her voice was flat and monotone, scaring me. I must have flinched or looked hurt because Ashlee's eyes softened after she spoke. "Please Rayne, I'm not crazy. I just keep thinking these things and I can't get them to stop. I swear I'm not crazy."

Her eyes flickered around the room, and I watched as she'd catch each person's eye as they looked over with perhaps curiosity. But what creeped me out was shed look at each person, as if she knew the exact time they'd peek up or look to the side at her.

"Will you just stop?!" Her explosion hushed the class, catching the teacher off guard. The teacher, a woman in her late forties gave Ashlee this disapproving glare, shutting the text book in her hands. Ashlee slammed her hands on the table, the chair screeching across the floor as she stood up. "And for the love of god I am not crazy!"