Insanity Bites |z.m| |h.s|

Chapter 59: Strike One

I speed walked down the busy hallways, bumping into students rushing to their respective classes. I had Chemistry right now and Miss Granger was probably already sitting in class waiting to torture us with her ruthless equations. I wondered what she would do when she realized I had skipped her class.

Not being able to solve a question was one thing, not showing up to class was a whole other story and Miss Granger was extremely passionate when it came to her students. 

There was no way I could lie about being absent. She was the type of teacher who would check her students attendance in other lessons just to make sure they hadn't only skipped hers.

But Harry had said he needed to meet me now and it was urgent. He's never messaged me like that before. 

There was a sense of urgency in that text that was so un-Harry like it not only made me curious, it made me worried. 

Why wasn't he at lunch today?

Why did he ask me to meet him during class? And that too in the boys locker room.

We've never met there before. In fact I don't think I've ever been in the boys locker rooms before. An image of sweaty gym clothes and shirtless boys briefly flitted through my mind making my cheeks turn red. It was definitely a weird choice of venue.

I stared at the message on my phone again just to reconfirm the location and then I texted back.

"I'm on my way. Why the boys locker room?"

I clicked send and continued walking as I waited for a reply. The hallways were less crowded now, most students were getting seated in the classes I walked by. I stared at my phone again, and then after a few seconds another time. This went on until I reached the door to the gym.

I checked my phone again only to see a blank screen. Harry never replied which was highly unusual for him. Something was wrong, I could feel it in my bones and it made me anxious.

Did something happen to him? Did Zayn do something?

The thought of Harry hurt made a lump form in my throat and I felt like I was about to choke in fear. I couldn't even bear the thought of it.

I picked up the pace, almost jogging across the vast gymnasium floor across the basketball court and past the bleachers. The gym was empty today. Basketball practice had been cancelled for a week as punishment to all the players for the fight that occurred a few days ago.

Somehow because of that cheer leading practices were cancelled for three days and because there was no gym class in the afternoons this place was as barren as the desert today. I assumed the locker rooms would be empty as well, maybe that was why Harry wanted to meet me there.

Once I reached the door I paused for a moment suddenly having second thoughts. The dark gym room did little to calm my nerves and as I looked through the glass panels on the door I could see the lights inside were switched off as well. It didn't look very inviting. 

I looked at my phone once more and a wave of anxiety washed through me when I saw no reply from Harry. I decided to call him first.

It rang a few times before I heard his voice saying he couldn't get to the phone and to call him back later. I tried again and placed my ear against the door this time, maybe I would hear his ring tone inside but instead I heard nothing. 

What was going on?

My whole body was screaming for me to walk in the opposite direction as I begrudgingly took a step through those doors. With the way things had gone for me since the day I stepped into that God forsaken bar, it was no wonder I hated dark desolated places.