His hand was cold on my knee. I swear…the one day I decide to dress like a girl and wear a cute dress, it comes back to bite me in the ass. Normally I would be self-conscious with a guy this cute, this close to my body. I'm awkward and I hate my skinny legs. I usually don't have guys look at me so when this one…especially this one is okay with being so close to me, it makes me feel a little better. Like maybe the past three years have been an absolute lie. Maybe I am pretty and worthy of someone to love me. Then again…the circumstance is the only reason the star football player is holding around me, clutching onto me for dear life. If it was any other day, he wouldn't even glance my way. I'm not saying I am grateful for our circumstance of being so close because I'm not. I wish this wasn't happening. I wish I wasn't crying, and feeling any kind of pain. I wish I had come to the first day of school without it being ruined by something so…horrific. I wish I had decided to go eat lunch with my friends instead of going to the library to check out my books. I was a nerd like that and I liked to be ahead of everyone so I didn't feel lost, or stupid. Unfortunately my urgency for knowledge and getting my senior year over with was my ultimate downfall.
I looked around us, at the empty library hoping, praying and wishing someone would come in and make everything better. The whole place was darkened by the librarian who shut off the lights ordered some students to close the blinds and get down, right before she walked out telling us to stay put. I didn't think anyone knew I had been hit. Everyone heard the gun shots and everyone started screaming but my scream was silenced by the horrible pain I felt in my hip. I fell against a book case and grabbed onto my bloody side, but I could do nothing else. I couldn't yell out for help because I heard someone yelling. A kid, it sounded like and all he kept saying was for everyone to shut up and stay down or he would kill them. I started crying then, I think. When I heard the voice of the person who shot me. That's when it hit me I guess. Or maybe the whole situation hit me when someone else came around the corner of the bookcase and spotted me. We locked eyes for a whole minute before he hurried to me, fell to his knees beside my bloody side and replaced my hand with his. The first thing he said to me was that I was going to be okay and he would get me help. I believed him, mostly because it was the first time I had ever had the ultimate pleasure of hearing him talk. Directly to me. I've had a crush on this guy since 7th grade and never had the courage to talk to him because like I said. He's the star quarterback for our football team, with gorgeous blonde hair, and he drives a Benz. I'm a nerdy short girl who wears glasses and drives her dads old beat up Ford Pickup truck. We never had any reason to talk. But today, was changing that.
I shamelessly let my body curl into his as he pressed onto my wound and held around me with his other arm. I clutched onto the black hoodie hanging on his body. He didn't mind that I laid my head in the crook of his neck or that I was getting my blood and tears all over him. He just held onto me as I silently cried and tried to keep myself awake. That's the one thing I ever took form scary movies or action movies. Keep pressure on the wound so the person doesn't lose too much blood. And to make sure the person stays awake. I wanted to ask him to make sure I did stay awake but my voice was lost by the slamming of a door. I jumped probably ten feet in the air pushing harder into his body. The hand that was resting on my knee moved up to my head and he pulled me closer to his body resting his chin on my head. I heard running by maybe two or three people but closed my eyes, not getting my hopes up that it was someone to come help us. "Did he come up to you?" I opened my eyes slowly hearing his voice and raised my head turning to look at him. His hand not holding my wound softly wiped at my face, getting the tears off. "The kid who has the gun. Did he do it close up?" I bowed my head down and shook it softly. He again pulled me into him, neither of us saying anything about me now sitting directly on his lap. I was feeling more and more drowsy and knew if I didn't get any help anytime soon, I could possibly die. "I need to get you outside. I need to get you to some paramedics." His voice was low and sounded so hurt. "I'm going to try to stand and pick you up alright, but I don't want to be seen so just…tell me if I'm hurting you okay?" I could only nod, and tense up as he started to move around and push off the bookcase. Except we barely moved because we heard movement form a row down. He sat back against the bookcase and held onto me tight trying to shield me as best as he could. But it wasn't needed. At least that's how he reacted. When someone, a guy with short brown hair appeared crawling on hands and knees towards us he loosened his grip on me, but still held onto my wound. "Logan…are you alright?" The kid with short brown hair, Logan, I knew and even talked to on occasion even though he was a running back for the football team and Kendall's best friend. Logan was a freaking genius and he was in a lot of my advanced classes.
"Yeah…I wasn't hit. Is she alright? Are you alright Kendall?" I glanced up at Logan who was now kneeling in front of us gently pushing Kendall's hand off my side. I groaned quietly digging deeper into Kendall who pet through my curly brown hair.
"No she's not. She's bleeding bad and I need to get her out of here. I'm fine but I need to help her."
"Anna? How are you doing?" I was crying bad again and both boys took it as I wasn't doing good at all. "Okay…let's get her up. We need to find James and Carlos…they are in here somewhere. I heard more than one gunshot come in here." I'm not a very big person, weight or height wise, so I wasn't surprised that Kendall could stand while still holding me, without any struggle at all. Logan held onto my back for support but Kendall did all the work.
"Text James…he always has his phone on vibrate." As soon as he stood up straight I threw my arms around his neck and held onto him for dear life. Kendall slowly and quietly followed behind Logan who peered around a bookcase stopping at the corner. I raised my head slowly and glanced round the dark library seeing books and paper thrown around everywhere. When we turned the corner I guess Kendall hadn't noticed Logan had stopped because we ran right into him. "Logan…what?" Logan turned to us quick, the color drained form his face. He looked at Kendall and then at me before turning back around and blocking everything from me. "Oh my God…" I tried desperately to peer around Logan but Kendall quickly pushed my face into his neck and while holding around me with one hand, under my legs, his other hand kept my face pushed into his warm soft neck. "Go Logan…" We were walking again and a lot faster than before.
"I'm…I feel cold." It was the first time I had spoken since telling my friends I'd meet up with them at lunch after I got my books. It made Kendall stop walking and let my head go. I raised it and looked around seeing we were at the entrance of the library. Logan moved first and pulled out his phone reading fast. He looked up and around Kendall who was facing the doors, inches away from our freedom. "I'm…I'm weak."
"Logan…"
"Hold onto her side Kendall and keep your eyes open Anna. James and Carlos say they have a group of freshman that are scared so their coming with them." I held my head up and tightened around Kendall's neck looking out the doors.
"How…how many guys were shooting?" It was the first time we had even brought up the shooters. Logan glanced towards me and Kendall before sighing out and glancing out the doors. The hallway was bright as the day but I could see bags and books and food from kids who panicked hearing the multiple gun shots and dropped everything they had, just to get away. This wasn't the same school anymore. It never would be.
"I saw Will and Ben." Logan swallowed hard as he looked down and shook his head. "They each had like…four guns on them. Will saw me man…he looked me dead in the eyes. Right before he pulled the trigger. I mean he didn't even care where he was shooting. He just shot." Logan slowly raised his head and looked down at my side. I felt weaker by the second. "What would possess them to do something like this? Why…" He stopped quick hearing footsteps, making Kendall turn us. I clutched around him harder seeing five people walking towards us kind of crouching. James Diamond, who was also a running back for the football team, walked right up to us and stared down at my side, bleeding out still. "We need to get those guys and her out of here right now."
"We're not supposed to leave yet Logan. The police could think were the ones doing it and we have hostages or something." I heard a small gasp leave a frightened looking girls mouth as she clutched onto Carlos Garcia, who was also on the football team. All four guys, I had heard, have been friends forever. It was part of the reason the team did so well. These four were unstoppable. I don't know Carlos's position…actually I do. But my blood loss is making thinking harder. "Look…why don't we call someone…like…maybe one of our parents. They had to have heard about the shooting already and are probably here. Maybe we could get them to come in here and get us." The plan sounded solid, and neither Kendall or Logan disagreed. Except no one had time to pull out a phone and call for help. There was a loud echo of laughter from three different people, along with something get banged into the lockers as they ran down the hall. Everyone, in a split second ducked down and hid into the shadows. Logan pushed both Kendall and I to the bookcases and Kendall dived down behind one, holding the back of my head. I clutched tight around him squeezing my eyes shut feeling my side get smashed into by Kendall's body.
"Where is everyone?! Shouldn't you all be hurrying about your life going to class, and being the pretty and popular?!" I dug deeper into the warm body of my new protector who was petting through the back of my hair while holding me tight still. "Hey…let's check in here. I saw some football players." Now it was Kendall's turn to tense up and gasp quietly. When I heard the library door open I raised my head looked towards the end of the row of bookcases to where I was going to be seeing the same kids, at least one of them, that shot me.
"No man…stop trying to find victims. Whoever gets in our way we kill." Kendall pulled my head back down on his shoulder and I accidently let out a small cry. The whole library went dead quiet. Kendall quickly set me on the ground beside him and sat protectively in front of me putting one hand on my bare leg. I went to grab my side just as three, tall scary looking kids stood in front of us. I knew each one of them. Will Cartwright, Ben Kings, and Daniel Shoemaucker. They were kids I actually knew. I drove to school with them sometimes. They all lived on my street. They were all smart, and had already been accepted into major universities. They were always trying to ask me and my friends out, but we liked them as friends. To everyone else, they were probably odd, or outcast because they liked to talk about Star Wars and Star Trek. To me they were the fun guys to hang out with on Friday night. Ben, who is my next door neighbor was always going out with me, to school dances, taking me to lunch sometimes. But this Ben, the one standing in front of us with a shot gun was not the same Ben I knew. "Well, well, well…Kendall Knight. What an odd pleasure seeing you here." I clutched onto Kendall's sweater pulling myself closer to him locking eyes with Ben who had a stupid smile on his face. He looked so angry and yet so happy. "Looks like you got a little bit of blood on you…did we get ya?" Kendall lowered his head probably looking at his sweater and shirt covered in my blood.
"It's not mine…"
"What?! Speak up Knight!" Will, who had been talking this whole time stepped forward raising his gun. I gasped out making Kendall look up. When Will saw me, he lowered the gun fast and stepped just a little closer looking over Kendall at me. "Oh…oh I see. We missed calculated our aim boys. It looks like we hit the queen of the nerds." I let silent tears fall as Will turned around and laughed. "Sorry Benny…looks like we got your little girlfriend." I could tell Kendall didn't like hearing that. He tensed up and held onto my leg tighter. Ben stepped up and laughed down at me shaking his head.
"It's alright…she doesn't put out anyway." I let my head fall forward and rest on Kendall's shoulder crying out a little louder.
"Guys what are we doing? We going to kill this piece of shit or what? He's the fucking quarterback of the football team! Out of everyone hear, he deserves this bullet more than anyone!" I watched all three of them raise their guns, Ben pointing his right at me, smiling small. Kendall tensed up even more, and pushed me back, right behind him.
"Fucking do it already! I don't care. But don't you fucking hurt her again!" I cried out even more if that is possible and three gun shots rang through the library. I heard screams and I felt someone, hopefully Kendall. crash into me, making me fall back and lay flat on my back. And then I heard three bodies hit the floor, almost simultaneously. There were more yells and I ever heard movement but when I heard glass breaking and doors being slammed opened, the body over top of me stayed still, making em open my eyes, which I hadn't realized I closed.
"Every body stay down!" I saw two men walk over top of me both holding up big guns. They had on SWAT gear from their helmets to their boots, and it made me feel safe. "Clear…shooters are down, I repeat shooters are down. Someone bring in an EMT!" One of the men who walked over us bent down and helped Kendall off me. "Where is Carlos?"
"Dad?" I turned my head slowly seeing Carlos standing up from his corner where he was hiding and run towards the man who was now standing back up. When they collided into each other I smiled small but it fell fast. My head was turned by two hands that were wet. Kendall's perfect, beautiful face was over top of mine and he looked really scared.
"Anna? How are you doing?" I managed to get a smile out, but it faded fast when he was pushed out of my view. I started to hear a lot of talking and there a flash light clicked on over my face blinding me instantly.
"Kendall?" I felt a panic attack starting. In the past…20 maybe 30 minutes or so, he became my ultimate protector. He sat with me, holding my wound while we silently cried and listened to the gun shots and the screams and the sirens outside and around our school. I don't want to assume were soul mates now, but I was always going to have a place in my heart, and my head and my soul for Kendall Knight.
"Anna? Is she going to be okay? Can you help her, please?!" It was the last clear thing I heard. Kendall's panicked voice entered my head just as my eyes closed completely and my whole body went completely numb.
So this is a new idea for me. I was hesitant about even writing it in the beginning. The idea of a school shooting scared the hell out of me when I was in high school and even now the thought scares me. But I'm a writer and I was inspired by a song by Kelly Rowland called Stole. This happened and if you like it, don't like it, want me to continue it, let me know! I'm not saying if someone doesn't want me to continue you, I won't continue but I like to hear from all my beautiful readers. I know it might be hard to read something like this and I will try not to make it fully about the shooting because it's going to focus on the recovery and the after effect so…yeah.