Shadow

Chapter 15

"It's due tomorrow," Mr Coles slurred slowly as we all walked out of class. 

"Let's g-" Vivian said, suddenly stopping in her tracks.

"What?" I asked, walking towards her. 

"Shiz!" She cursed, beginning to run away, "I forgot something in my locker, here are the keys, I'll be there in a few!"

She threw her car keys at me and sprinted away to her locker. I chuckled to myself and began walking towards the car. Mr Coles had kept us in for five extra minutes because he didn't 'hear' the siren and therefore we weren't allowed to go outside. We pointed out to him that there were clearly students leaving but he ignored us. Most of the students had dispersed, leaving the school eerily quiet. 

Suddenly, I heard shuffling around the corner. I stopped in my tracks and quietened my breathing. 

The shuffling stopped abruptly until a feminine voice gasped. I walked slowly around the corner, clenching my fists, ready to attack if necessary. 

My eyes widened at the sight in front of me. 

A couple kissing. 

The girl suddenly noticed my presence and pushed her boyfriend away, blushing profusely. The boy buttoned his shirt quickly and the tried to hide his girlfriend behind him. 

"Ugh," I said, scrunching up my face, "Get a room."

The guy glared at me but it was hard to take him seriously as his lips were red and swollen and his cheeks flushed. I rolled my eyes and walked away. 

We had parked the car in a quiet area of the school today, a place that probably no one knew about. Vivian always knew where all the secret places of the school were, and it was closer to our classes, so she decided to take a detour this morning. I walked out of the school premises and walked into a small alleyway that led to the secret place that we parked our car. Trees covered the walls and branched over the corridor, making it look like a green tunnel. 

I continued walking until the end of the alley and unlocked the car. I pushed my bag into the backseat and sat onto the passenger seat. 

My phone suddenly buzzed and I pulled it out of the pocket in my hoodie. 

Vivian: Going to be late, Science teacher stopped me and wants to update me on what I've missed out on so far :( 

Vivian: I just told her she has a spider in her hair and now she's screaming her ass off. I'll be there soon

I let out a laugh and put my phone away. The teachers had no idea that this was the last time that they would ever see us. 

I looked out of the window. The lake was visible from here. Deciding that Vivian would take a few minutes to get here, I climbed out of the car, unlocked it and headed down to the lake for the last time. I sat on the grass under a large tree, watching the serene view. I watched little ducklings glide across the water, causing ripples to follow. I watched as the grass danced along with the slow wind. I watched as the birds sung under the warm sun. It was peaceful.

As if on cue, a hooded man walked out onto the area, disrupting the peace. He checked his surroundings, to see if anyone was watching. I crouched beside the large tree, hiding. A few seconds passed and I peered around the tree. The man was talking to someone on the phone, whispering in a hushed but urgent tone. He checked his surroundings once more. He suddenly fixed his gaze on something and abruptly cut the call. 

I strained my neck to see what he was looking at. I caught a mop of blonde hair and my heart stopped. Riley freaking James. I moved back, cupping my hand over my mouth. Riley was here with a hooded man. I clutched my chest and peered around the tree again. Riley moved towards the man cautiously with a black backpack in his hand. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but he thrust the bag towards the man and held his hand out. The man unzipped the bag and peered inside. He smirked and shook his head.