Belahrin [ON HOLD]

Chapter Four

                                                             Chapter Four

I was on my way to detention, eagerly hurrying toward the assembly hall, when I saw him. The guy from yesterday. The one who’s hand I’d hurt.

    He was coming out from the basement door of all places, and as I noticed his eyes traveling toward me, I practically shoved my own body to the side, slamming into a wall of an adjoining hallway. I could hear his footsteps as he closed in on me, and I looked around me frantically for a way of escape. But there wasn’t anything but classroom-doors, and it wasn’t like I could just rush in on teacher grading papers after class.

    “It’ll be okay.” He was talking to someone as he walked. “We’ll find this Caddie and sort this whole thing out, you’ll see.”

    That did it. He was talking to someone about me! About finding me! What for? Did he plan on beating me up, confronting me about what a total inconsiderate, selfish bitch I’d been?

    Not caring about making a fool out of myself, I moved along the wall, opened the closest door, and slid in. I’d just managed to close it behind me when I felt it. The Longing.

    “Oh, not now!” I muttered.                                      

    Thankfully, no tears came this time, but I still sniffled a little as I crouched down in front of the door, not wanting them to see me through the small window.

    I tried listening to what they were talking about as they passed outside the door, but my mind had to focus on something else entirely when someone cleared their throat. Slowly, still sniffling a little, I turned around.

    “Can I help you?”                                                                          

    It was the teacher that’d spoken, but that didn’t mean that everyone else in the classroom wasn’t staring right at me. Yes, everyone else seated at the desks. What the heck were they all still doing in school? It’d ended over ten minutes ago.

    I rose from the crouch, a little too fast maybe, since I almost lost my balance. I reached out toward the door, steadying myself.

    “Uh …” I said, looking from the class, to the teacher. “I was just … Looking for detention?” It came out as a question, and I don’t think I’d ever felt as stupid as I did right then.

    The teacher raised one eyebrow. “It’s in the assembly hall,” she said. “Like it always is.”

    “Right,” I said, letting out a nervous laugh. “I’ll just go there then.”

    I turned around and slowly opened the door. My whole body tensed as I listened for voices in the hall, and when I didn’t hear any, I let out a sigh of relief.

    “Miss?”

    I looked behind me at the teacher. “Right. I’m off,” I hurried to say, and slid out of the classroom. My heart pounded as I looked from one side to the other, thinking I’d see the guy coming running toward me with a murderous look on his face. But as the door closed behind me, I was still alone, and then hurried over to the assembly hall.

                                                                      ~

It was just like in the movies when I entered the large room. You know, the sound of the creaking door echoing against the walls as I stepped into the hall. I started walking down the narrow aisle, watching the small group of students scattered along the first row of folding chairs. This was something that surprised me, since normally the students would spread out between the different rows, preferably the ones furthest back since the teacher wouldn’t hear if they chatted with each other. But as I got closer to the first row, I realized why this was.