Disturbing the Peace

Chapter 16

OMG THIS IS AMAZING! OVER 200 READS! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! IS IT PATHETIC HOW HAPPY I AM ABOUT THIS? I don't care, because truth be told, i iz so excited cuz dis iz amazeballs.

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She searches high and low for me but 15 minutes go by and I'm still hidden. "Willow Anderson, please come down from the tree!" I crane my neck to see who just spoke.

Kevin. I climb down and Maple's eye widen as Kevin grabs my wrist.

She tugs at my sleeve. "W-what's wrong?" she asks on the verge of tears.

I smile at her and Kevin allows me to talk for a second. I crouch down to speak to her. "It's okay, Maple." I give her a smile, holding back my own tears. Seeing her all teary-eyed reminds me of myself when I was around that age. When I last looked at her chubby face and held her moldable little finger before saying goodbye. When I thought it was goodbye forever. This time it probably is forever. "Do you know what bird call it was that I used?" I ask to lighten the mood.

"No?" She furrows her barely visible eyebrows quizzically.

"It was a Blue Jay. Remember that." I stand up and walk towards Kevin.

"Why is that important?" she cries out.

"Just..." I sigh, "remember it." I nod at Kevin and walk with him. Don't look back at her. Don't look back.

But of course, I have to, so I turn around to see her red stained-cheeks, watered down eyes, and mixed up expression. I don't know where Kevin's going to take me but I have some ideas. Maybe, I'm going to be arrested! Is Leo okay? Are my friends looking for me?

Why, oh, why, Kevin? Why are you taking me away from my sister when it might be my last chance to see her?

"Kevin," I finally say when we're in his car, "what's going on?"

"You've done nothing. Did you have any intentions of telling your friends? Or we're you just gonna see how this played out?" he scolds. "You know, they're smoking weed, right now. They have no idea that there's a problem with it either, which is the worst part." I cringe at his harsh tone.

"Where are they? I need to go protect them. They could run into the street. I could have 4 friends in the hospital." I throw my head into my hands and sob.

He pats my back. "Willow, it's okay. You're a good friend you just need to tell them." All harshness has descended from his tone.

I take a deep breath in attempt to speak. "I-I can't," I stutter. "Kevin, I can't...I can't do this. This is t-too much str-str-stress."

"Willow, I know you can. I've watched you for years growing up. You've lead them to follow the beliefs all of you truly felt were right; you've never cared about being teased by other kids about it. You guys are basically bullied at school, but you've lead your friends to turn the other cheek. Why can't you lead them away from drugs?" he asks.

"What if they don't agree with me? What if they laugh or...or ignore me? Then what?" I respond. "You seem to think I don't care what others think, but to an extent, I do. I'm only a kid. One girl. And you're expecting so much. I'm not invincible!" And with my final screams, I run out of the car and back to my bike.

I hop onto the old, red seat and pedal. I don't know why, but I pedal in faster increments than I've ever rode before. I just pedal. I guess, all I'm trying to do in the end is pedal my problems away. Obviously, it doesn't work.

I pedal back to the woods, but I don't see my friends there. Where are they? my head screams. But I have no response.

I pedal down the street until I see the local crossing guard. I take a deep breath and hold back my tears before approaching. "Excuse me, Miss Fritz, have you seen Ferris, Rain, and Marc?"

She looks at my disheveled state, and for a moment, it seems like she's about to comment on it, but using better judgment, she disregards it and answers my question, "When I last saw them, they crossed the street. They seemed a little...under the weather. I had to help them across. Are they okay?"

"Uh...I'm sure they're fine. Could I get across?"

"Oh, sure," she coos as I mount my bike. She walks out and holds up her little stop sign; I begin pedaling across.

Why would they cross this street? We never go on this side of town. I mean, the only time we're over here is...

Oh no.

I begin pedaling faster up a hill and back down, across a street, and into the parking lot. The parking lot of a place I really didn't want to be right now.

I run in and down a couple halls before reaching a white door. I slowly push it open. My three high friends are touching equipment and machines that I'm positive they shouldn't be touching. But it's not until I look further down, within the bundle of white sheets, that I get worried.

"Leo, Leo are you okay?" His limp body lies motionlessly. "What did you guys do?" I scream at the other three.

"I tooched uh wire en Leo wen bay-bay," Ferris mumbles incoherently before breaking out into a fit of laughter.

"You touched a wire and Leo went bye-bye?" I clarify.

"Dat what I said," Ferris responds.

Cue my hyperventilation. I grab all three of my friends and practically throw them outside of the building. I run back to Leo's room before screaming, "Nurse! Nurse! We need a nurse!" Soon enough, one comes shuffling in.

"What happened?" she asks calmly. I almost slap her; this is no time to be calm.

"I...well...friends...wire...Leo...HELP!" is all I can manage in my state of panic.

Her eyes widen as she looks at Leo for the first time since she walked in. "Oh my!"

"A few of my friends were in here earlier and obviously needed supervision because one of 'em touched a wire and now Leo seems to be unconscious."

She immediately leans down to check his pulse and breathing pattern. She pulls out her pager. "We need Doctor Shrine in room 47 on the east wing. I repeat, Doctor Shrine in east 47."

And let me tell you, that doctor cannot seem to reach the room fast enough, but when he does walk in, I feel more grateful than I could've imagined.

"Breathing is erratic; I don't know what machine was messed with, but one of this young lady's friends touched a wire apparently."

In that moment, I feel extremely guilty. 'One of this young lady's friends.'

It's you're fault, Willow! You could've just grown some balls and made them stop smoking crack, but no, you were a wuss and you chickened out. Now, you've either killed Leo, or almost killed him a second time. How do you feel?

Awful.