I Don't Really Know...

Chapter 17: Who Can You Trust?

The first thought that enters my head:

She better not be doing what I think.

I’m still sitting in that stupid hallway I’ll probably never be able to forget.  

I feel a mix of emotions all at once.  First, I’m sad, tears starting to commence.  Then, terrified.  The tears in my eyes become overwhelming.  Then, I’m angry.  The tears fight back, leaking back into my eyes and no longer going onto my eyelashes and cheeks.  Why would she do that? Doesn’t she realize?!  

My face droops and the defected feeling crawls back into my mind with each second.   Sometimes you just can’t control it.  I know this.  

I grabbed my backpack that I had previously thrown beside me and threw the straps over my shoulders.  What time was it?

About gym time.  Luckily, I’m right next to it and it’s about to start.  I nudge the door open with my fists and peak in, seeing everyone rushing in circles.  I silently close it and walk near the water fountain, holding down the handle.  Water came gushing out of the curved mouthpiece, and I held my hands under it, a cold rush starting to tingle in my fingertips.  

I splash my face with the cool water to feel less like I have since the time I woke up.  I go back to the bathroom, change into my gym clothes that I had brought that day, and stuffed my regular clothes back in my backpack.  I slowly opened the door to the gym, seeing Mrs. Tigar almost pouncing on the poor kids who were having trouble keeping up.  I see my chance when her back is turned and sneak into the locker room, and throwing my backpack next to my gym locker, veering back outside to go join the mass of students.  

“LINDA!  Where have you been?”  She directed at me.  I smiled, waving, like I was actually glad to have her in my life.

“I went to the bathroom!  Don’t you remember?”  I look at her innocently.  She hates it when she thinks she forgot something.  

“Of course I do.  I’m not that old you know!” She gives me a hard glare.  “Go back to running, NOW.”  I nodded and continued sprinting circles around the gym.  I saw the shirt that Preston wears and catch up with him, panting beside him.  

“Hey, haven’t seen you in a while.”  I whisper beside him, as we’re jogging.  We aren’t allowed to talk during warm-ups, but most just do it secretly anyway.  He doesn’t face me but I still hear him.

“Hey, same.  Where’ve you been?”  I see him think about it for a second, and I look at him with an eyebrow raised.  He mouths an “o” to me.

“Now I remember.”  We started to come near the gym teacher.  I quickly turned my neck back to looking ahead, and saw Preston do the same.  Mrs. Tigar eyed us, but rolled her eyes and kept watching everyone.

“KEEP MOVING, EVERYONE!! This is-”

“-Military training?”  I whisper.  Preston bursts and laughs out loud, clamping his hand on his mouth.  Ms. Tigar’s head whips toward him, you can almost hear her seething.  

She opened her mouth and-  

“Mrs. Tigar, assistant gym teacher, please report to the nurse’s office.  Mrs. Tigar, please report to the nurse’s office.”  The bell rings, and and we all look at the dawning of Mrs. Tigar’s face.  Her mouth droops and she closes her eyes, taking a deep breath.

“Class over.”  She spins on the heel of her foot and walks out of the gymnasium, throwing her clipboard and whistle on a floor mat.  Everyone splits apart-boys to the left, and girls to the right-everyone scrambling and tripping over each other to leave before Mrs. Tigar came back.