Red-Blooded

Lockdown

Today is another day just like any other but this time my mom said I will avoid Chris. She thinks I will but in reality, I can't stay away from him.

I climb the school steps, Jason had already run off. I open the door and walk through the halls until I find my locker. There's no sign of Chris which I don't know is a good sign or a bad sign.

After I'm done with my locker, I go to my first class. Maths. The best thing in the world.

Note the sarcasm.

I clumsily stumble through the door making the students give me a look. The "Are you freakin' nuts?!" look. I ignore all the looks and plop down on my desk. Ellie is supposed to be in this class with me but there is no sign of her. My phone rings indicated I got a text. I pull it out and turn it on under the table.

Steph: Change of plans, I'm coming home today.

I text back,

Me: Hello to you too, can't wait to see you again though.

Steph: I'm arriving at 12 pm... Well, see ya. My plane is boarding.

Me: Bye.

Steph: Bye.

Ellie walks into the classroom just after turning my phone to vibrate and shoving it back into my pocket.

"Hey," She says, sitting down next to me.

"Hi," I reply, gleefully, like I always do. I do my best to keep a straight face and fit in, but I know that just makes me stick out more.

The class starts and before I know it, I zone out.

After Maths and a few other classes after lunch, I sit in History class.

"Today, we will learn about the reign of Queen Elizabeth," Says Mr. Phillp while pointing to the writing on the board. "I will divide you into groups of-" 

The door bursts open to reveal Chris. He's slightly panting and has a very light bruise where his jaw meets his neck.

"Chris, take a seat." Mr. Phillp says.

He nods and without glancing at me, sits down at the very back, Ellie and I sit in the second row. I turn my attention back to Mr. Phillp. "As I was saying, I will divide you into groups of three and you will all work on the reign of Queen Elizabeth." He says, eyeing Chris.

"Group number one is... Joseph, Shawn, and Dante. Group number two is Zane, Aaron, and Jessica. Group number three is Chris, Ellie and... Sam." I sigh while Ellie snickers. "Oh.. sorry group three is Chris Ellie and Selene. My bad."

I sigh a huff of relief and Ellie giggles at my reactions. 

After Mr. Phillp has done grouping us, we all sit together at one table. Chris, I notice, is avoiding eye contact and isn't sneering at me like he usually does. I flip through a history textbook while Chris reads a handout Mr. Phillp gave us.

"Chris?" I call him. He nods but doesn't look up from the paper he's reading. "Is that a bruise on your face?" I ask. He looks up and I point to where the bruise is. "Oh... I just... hit myself... while closing a...." He drags out the 'a' at the end of the sentence. I already know he's lying. "A cupboard... I was making breakfast and when I was opening the cupboard, I hit it on my face." He finishes after a series of stutters.

I shrug, showing him I believe his tall tale. He seems to buy it. Then there's an awkward silence that settles around us. Ellie senses the tension and changes the topic. "So... we can write the title in the middle of the poster in a very fancy cursive. I will gather the information, Selene, you will decorate and draw. And Chris, you'll be writing our flashcards. Got it?" She assigns us jobs and puts her hands on her hips with pride. My mom always told me pride was a very bad thing a human should have in them. I nod and continue to go through the textbook. Me and my friends back in Canada used to make fun of the ancient paintings and kings that were shown in the book. We didn't even know half these people that we made fun of but it was really fun to do.   

I see Chris move in my peripheral vision but I ignore it. I continue to flip through the textbook and occasionally read. I come to 'The Reign Of Queen Elizabeth.' And read two paragraphs until my phone vibrates against my thigh. I take it out and check the time first. Its way past 12 which means that Steph should be in Wyoming. 

I go into texts and see that it's a text from Numb-Skull.

Numb-Skull: Why are you so quiet today?

Me: Just a small headache. What really happened to your face though?

Numb-Skull: Nothing.

Me: K.

I turn off my phone and put it back into my pocket. I glance at him but he catches me, we stare at each other for what seems like two seconds before the whole building is sent into chaos.

The alarms in the school sound loudly and in the halls, I hear teachers yelling at students to get into the classroom. I'm guessing this is a lock down.

I break my gaze away from Chris and turn my attention to Mr. Phillp. He looks appears to be in an even worse state then the students. Beads of sweat run down his head while he mutters to himself, all while running a hand through his platinum blonde hair.

"I need everyone to stay calm, barricade the doors, close the shutters and sit down. If anyone hears anything outside their doors, do not panic. Hide." Mr. Phillp says. No, that's a bad idea and he knows it. If we hear something, we should take anything for defense and attack if a person comes through the door.

We all work together and barricade the door with the desks and teachers table. I watch as Mr. Phillp turns the lights off and hushes us. I sit in the farthest corner from the door, near a window. Chris is having an intense conversation with Mr. Phillp. 

I don't want to hear so I just wait and wait. At this point, there are whispers of conversations and Chris has come to sit beside me. 

"Are you scared?" He whispers in my ear. I shake my head though he sees through it. I occasionally shake and I'm internally screaming, It's like Chris can see my true state. Chris places his hand beside mine, his pinkie finger grazes my knuckle. I blush and move my hand closer to his. I turn my hand so my palm is facing up, Chris places his hand on mine and we intertwine fingers. I glance at him, he is in an even worse state than me. His cheeks are bright red and a nervous smile plays on his perfectly pinkish-peach lips.

I put my head on his shoulder and he plays with my hair. His touch calms me down and I close my eyes, enjoying his touch.

Then there's a loud thud and Mr. Phillp starts sobbing quietly. Then I hear a familiar yet ear-piercing scream. I squeeze Chris' hand and he squeezes back.

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