The End

Chapter 15

ROSS P.O.V.

"If you need anything, just let me know." My math teacher says as she gently places her hand on my shoulder.

I nod and then walk out of class.

It's been a week since Shayna died, and for some reason I'm getting a lot of attention. I'll admit, I knew coming back as the kid who got shot would draw some attention, but everyone wants to know how I'm dealing with the death of 'that poor girl.' What infuriates me the most is that no one cared about her before she died and now everyone is using it as an excuse to get out of doing schoolwork.

I can't take this kind of pity anymore. I can't take another question about how I'm doing or how I'm holding up, I just can't take it. I can't take lying to everyone, I can't take faking a smile and saying I'm okay any longer. I'm going to snap if I have to do this any longer.

The halls are filled with people that I hate. I don't want to be around any of them. Except for one. And she's standing in front of me.

I see Shayna standing on the other side of the hallway, smiling and waving at me. She gestures for me to come over to her, but someone walks directly through her, making her disappear.

I've been seeing her everywhere. I can't shake her from my memory, and I'm not sure I want to. I know that we barely knew each other and didn't spend much time together, but she stuck out to me. She opened up to me about Casey, granted, I already knew about that, but she still trusted me enough to tell me. She helped me and stayed with me when I got shot, and that's what sticks with me the most about her. She barely knew me, but didn't run away from me when everyone else did. I just wanted to get to know her better. And now I'll never have the chance.

"Ross, you're needed at the front office." My physics teacher says the moment I walk into class.

I walk right back out, not saying a word.

When I get to the office, I see Calvin and Maria waiting for me on the other side of the door. I think they're starting to see that I don't really trust them anymore because I've been acting cold towards them, not intentionally necessarily. Forcing me to leave the hospital, and their strange behavior at the hospital just rubbed me the wrong way. That's not something they would usually do. Usually they would stay with me and support me in anything I wanted to do, not force me to leave.

"What are you guys doing here?" I ask when I enter the room.

"We just figured that you wouldn't want to be here." Maria says quietly.

"And we got your text about your wound hurting. We didn't want you to push it too hard." Calvin says as he winks at me.

"Oh, right." I say as I look down at the ground and hold my stomach where I was shot, putting on a small show for the receptionist.

"Let's get going." Maria says.

Maria takes my backpack and Calvin wraps one of my arms around his shoulders as he wraps his arm around my waist, supporting me as we walk out. When we get out of the school, I try to get out of that position by taking my arm off of Calvin, but he keeps a strong grip on me.

"Dude, what are you doing? What's going on? Let me go." I say as I throw his arm off of me.

"We need to tell you something." Maria says seriously.

"Okay, why so serious all of the sudden?" I ask.

"We've been in contact with Kelly." Calvin says. Just the mention of his name makes my blood boil.

"You what?" I ask.

"Not like that. He wants to meet with you." Maria says.

"He wants to what? Why would you guys ever even talk to him?" I ask.