The Fix

05

  12:43 AM

 Fuck.

    I squint at my screen intently. This must have been the text that the others received, but how did I get it? Yearning to open my phone to look more into it, I swiftly shut it off instead, knowing that I probably don't want to be left alone in an abandoned building. The echoed, muffled calls of my name continue, becoming increasingly more frantic with each yell. I hurriedly gather myself, and sprint outside.

Upon nearing the others, I lock eyes with a pissed Jay. "About time!"

"I was only in there for like, ten seconds longer than you guys!" I argue.

Jay furrows her brows. "Exactly."

It takes a great deal of strength in me to not rip my own hair out at the comment.

     With a moan, I follow the others as they rush to Isaac's car. It takes only seconds for me to realize that I won't fit inside. Isaac shoots me a sympathetic look, shrugging. After a moment, he signals me to come his way. The others are already lodged inside, the five of them barely fitting in themselves. They seem frantic. Slightly afraid, even. In an obvious rush, Isaac attempts to lead me inside, the others rushing me as well.

     "Sit on someone's lap!" Amira yelps. In a flash, I'm hurled about the backseat. My surroundings being pitch black doesn't assist me much, either. I finally contain myself, and rest on someone's lap, letting out a relieving sigh once I do so. I hear a voice groan obnoxiously behind me, and recognizing the voice, I immediately roll my eyes.

"You chose wisely." Jay says in a blatantly sarcastic tone. It's as if every time she speaks to me, she feels the need to display to me how irritated she is with me through her tone. I begin to feel myself fuming with every word she says at this point.

     I turn myself around to face her. "Look, I can move, alright-" Jay interrupts me by holding up her hand. She breaks her gaze with me and looks down, shaking her head. 

"Don't worry about it, Sinclair."

     The car is dead silent. The worry hasn't left the faces of the others, and the curiosity begins to eat at me. I decide to break the silence. "Can someone tell me what's going on?" I plead. For a moment, I'm brought to no answer. Everyone has their eyes locked to the window, and Isaac's eyes are locked onto the road. As for Isaac, I'm actually pretty damn thankful for his focus on driving. It must take a lot of concentration to seamlessly drive like an absolute maniac. 

     Romeo speaks up. "You're kinda going to have to get used to this." I nod at him with a smile, but only feel more frustrated. Thanks for explaining absolutely nothing. Feeling pain from slouching so much, I almost throw myself back to lay, but then remember how I have Jay under me. Not only will I leave this car frustrated, but I'll also leave with scoliosis. Spectacular! I laugh lightly under my breath. I'm hilarious.

     We finally are nearing the destination. I'm able to realize that due to the fact that Isaac actually isn't pressing the gas so hard that he's likely denting the floor of his car. I let out a breath of relief, not realizing before how anxiety inducing the car ride truly has been. The area is far too dim for me to know where we're at, only being lit by a minuscule number of post lights. But if I've learned a thing or two from today, it's that questioning it would only make matters worse.

     Isaac exits the car, signaling us to all stay inside. The others nod, probably being used to whatever the hell is happening. The silence is still present, and it bores me a bit, actually.

     "So, are y'all usually always this quiet when this kinda thing happens?" I awkwardly ask. In response, I'm met with harsh stares from the others.

Christ, it's like a need a rulebook on how not to offend these people.

"So, are we just not gonna tell her?" Amira inquires, causing Jay to loudly groan.

"Tell me what?" I blurt.

"Damn it, now that you said that, we have to tell her, dickass!" Jay grumbles.

Romeo lets out a choked laugh from the passenger seat. "Oh, shiiiiiiit." He quietly sings.

Jay lightly taps my shoulder. "Sinclair, could you be ever so kind to not ask?" 

     I scoff. How could I not question the shit storm of events that all unfolded in the time period of a day? Defeated, I agree. "Fine. I won't question anything." Jay's mouth curls into a pleased grin. "For now." I say. Thomas snorts. Jay whips her hair back in an overdramatic form of distress, but makes it clear that she's joking through her mannerisms. For a bit, she seems to have her guard down, acting naturally. She seems.. happy.

     She begins a conversation with Amira, but the words drown out as I take a moment to closely study her face. Having only seen her in dark lighting, I never have truly took her face into account. While being stuffed into a backseat in the dead of night isn't much of a change, a distant post light shines on her, almost perfectly.

     I observe further into her delicate features, unable to find a flaw in any of them. A feeling of discomfort comes over me, but I ignore it. I can't seem to stop myself from looking at her face. I seem to forget the annoyance I have for her, because undeniably, she's beautiful...

"Hey!" A woman bangs on the car window. My heart basically shits its pants at the sight of her right in front of my face.

     She gestures to us to roll down the window, and Jay does so without hesitation. Is she insane? Once I catch a better glimpse of her, I realize that it's Principal Sweeney. She's almost unrecognizable when she isn't in her normal school attire, where she looks like a rejected flight attendant for Spirit Airlines.

     She stretches out her frail arm to point her finger to me. "You. I need to ask you some questions." I only now realize that Isaac stands behind her, giving me a goofy grin and a thumbs up.

     "Sure, what is it?" I inquire. It's obvious that she has something to do with this shady ass group, but what? Her light and airy tone alters into a deep and serious one in seconds.

"Do you know what you've just joined, Aubrey?"

"Nah, not really." I retort.

"I wouldn't have expected these guys to tell you everything right away. I'll just ask you of one thing, then."

     I raise an eyebrow at her, wishing to know what she wants, but then remembering that I probably shouldn't be trusting a crackhead.

     "Just keep quiet. If you, or anyone, says a word, Chamberlain will be in deep, deep trouble. Got it?" Despite her words almost sounding like a threat, she oddly puts it in a way that seems friendly. I simply nod in agreement, not sure of what to say.

   Sweeney continues. "And as for transportation. You'll need a pretty flexible schedule. Is your mother lenient on those things?"

My mother.

     All color flushes from my face at the mention of my mother. I've allowed her to completely slip my mind. In seconds, I power on my phone, praying not to have 35,000 missed calls from her. To my luck, I've only received one notification. Not a favorable one, though. My heart sinks as I read the small font.

mom | 1:14 AM
Come home tonight before I call the police. We wouldn't want to forget what happened last time, would we?