When August Ends

Learning

     Jon drives us madly across campus to the greenhouse that is far out on the campus, away from people quite a ways. He parks behind the glass building and takes a deep breath. He looks back at Grace and I sternly. "Were either of you injured by them back there?" he inquires.

"No." Grace replies shakily. He looks at me next.

"No, neither of us were." I answer.

"I'm gonna ask again. Did either of you recieve ANY injuries from them." he says icily.

"We said no," I say with an attitude.

"Did they touch you?" he persists.

"They didn't touch us we're fine." I snap.

"Not at all? You swear?" he continues to drill.

"Get it through your head that I just explained we are fine!" I say angrily.

"Stay in the car while I go check to make sure it's safe in the green house." he says coldly and gets out of the car with a metal pole in his hand. When he closes the door I look at Grace.

"I think he's just really scared too..." she mutters.

"I don't like his attitude..." I say watching him sneakily walking into the greenhouse. "He's good looking and all but honestly his personality isn't matching." I observe.

"He saved us what's so wrong with that?" Grace shoots back.

"I don't know but I don't want to be here when he gets back." I reply.

"Maya, if it weren't for him we'd be in pretty bad shape right now and you want to ditch?" Grace says unhappily.

"Grace I don't know about you but I want to find the others! What about Rachel and Chey? And Troy, Stevo, Mace, Adam, Cat, the list goes on! We need to find them." I argue.

"I want to find them too but we can't yet. We need to stick with Jon for now, he seems to know what he's doing." Grace says just as a gunshot goes off and she screams. I jump and hit my head on the roof. Just then Jon comes running out of the greenhouse madly. He is almost to the car when we see Troy come dashing out after him carrying a rifle. He takes aim and Grace and I scream. I leap out the car door and flail my arms.

"TROY DON'T!" I shout and he has just enough time to aim elsewhere as he pulls the trigger. Bullets bury themselves in Jons car close to where he's standing.

"What the heck Troy!" I shout as he walks towards us, brown hair in it's usual cow lick, dirt and blood smeared all over his ugly orange security shirt.

"MY CAR!" Jon shouts in fury.

"Who is this guy? He hit Stevo and might've given him a concussion!" Troy snaps when he reaches me. 

"Troy what's going on why were you trying to shoot him he's fine! Look at him! Does he look like a threat?" I shout.

"You don't have to look like a threat! You act like a threat and he hit Stevo so I reacted!" Troy argues.

"Shut up! Jon isn't the problem! What's going on here? Literally, I went to the kitchen this morning Troy and there was blood and Joel tried to attack us!" I say trying to be angry but my voice falters. His hard expression softens for a moment.

"That's what we're trying to figure out. Come on in, we'll tell you what we know. Is anyone else with you?" he says putting an arm around me in an awkward side hug. 

"Just Grace," I say hugging him and then pulling away. His face lights up at her name. I go the car where she is curled up crying in the seat. "Grace," I say gently. She looks at me bleary eyed and I pull her into a hug. "It's gonna be okay. Come on Troy is here and I think Stevo and some others are inside. Let's go." I say.