Not sure how i feel about this one, i think it's kind of confusing, but i still hope you READ, REVIEW, & ENJOY! tell me what ya think!
Alek POV
The day had started out perfectly normal. I finally had my cast off, and i'd gotten through English quickly. Chloe and I seemed to have found some weird sort of common ground, and although we still had a long way to go, things seemed to be looking up.
I was in second period when it happened. One minute, Mr. Russell was going over the notes from yesterday-the next, a gunshot rang out through the school. Then another. Everything around me became somewhat a blur for a moment, as the other students were lined up against up the wall, hidden from whatever predator passed by the classroom, heads ducked down behind desks and chairs and bags.
Only one thing passed through my mind when the third gunshot chimed through the now silent school.
Chloe.
I instantly whipped out my phone, ignoring the whisper yells from Mr. Russell, and texted Jasmine.
'where's Chloe?'
The few seconds it took for her to reply, seemed like forever. When it finally did come, i knew something was wrong.
'i don't know. She went to the bathroom, but that was like 20 minutes ago'
I jumped up and ran towards the door. But, Mr. Russell already made it there.
"Alek, you need to sit down, now."
"I can't! She's out there." I listened intently, and found it. Chloe's heartbeat. It was a familiar, loud, pounding sound-she was obviously still alive. It was going too fast for my liking, like she was scared for her life (obviously), but something about it was... off.
"I don't care! You need to sit down, you're putting the lives of these students in danger!"
Things escalated from there, and soon enough we were both yelling at eachother. I couldn't believe he didn't care that Chloe was out there, with whoever it was that was shooting up the school.
It was when the fourth gunshot sounded through the air, that i no longer cared what Mr. Russell had to say. That's when i heard it-Chloe's heartbeat, two beats too slow. I pushed him away from the doorway, and ran towards the sound of her slowing heartbeat.
Chloe POV
When i woke up this morning, i didn't think it would be the day i died... again. When i went to the bathroom during second period, i didn't imagine to get shot on my way back to class.
Things happen when you least expect them, and there's nothing you can do about it. Even me, who can supposedly see the future, didn't see this one coming.
I don't know how i didn't hear the first gunshot. I could blame it on the automatic hand dryer in the bathroom, or even the sound of the toilet flushing. But really, it was more because i was so lost in my thoughts that i wasn't paying attention to my surroundings. Alek's always warned me about that, i guess i just didn't listen. So anyway, since i didn't hear the gun go off, i just walked out of the bathroom casually. I was trying to wipe my hands off on my pants, muttering something about the dryer never getting them completely dry.
When the second BANG reached my ears, i didn't duck down and hide. I don't know why i didn't, i probably should have, but no, not Chloe King. I just looked around the hallway to see what was going on. That was about the time that i realized that the halls were empty, except of course for whoever was shooting the gun. Even the random stragglers that were always there, seemed to be missing.
And when the third gunshot chimed? I realized about 3 things in that short moment.
1. Jonah Harper was standing straight down the hallway, with a gun-hand on the trigger, aimed at me.
2. No one was there to save me, i was on my own.
3. I was almost guaranteed to die today.
"Jonah." I said quietly, knowing he could hear me. I was not looking forward to this confrontation.
"It's all your fault, you know? If you would have just kept your stupid mouth shut, everything would have been fine. But, no. You and your wanna be scooby gang had to go and dig, dig, dig. Are you happy now?" I wasn't sure what to say. Not that he gave me time to say much anyway. "You screwed up everything! I had it all planned out! And now? Now everything's all... messed up! Viktor, he cut all ties with me, and the mai are after me. People are trying to kill me, Chloe! Don't you even care?!"
"Why should i care that people are after you, when i've been going through the same thing since my sixteenth birthday? And you, who i trusted to protect me and be my friend, you turned out to be just like everyone else. How could you do that to me?" Jonah wiped the blood from just above his eye, which i was just noticing was there.
"Haven't you heard? I'm a traitor. It's what i do. Or at least thats what everyone thinks. I was doing this for you too Chloe. This was what was best."
"Well it looks like you got what you wanted." i whispered, not really sure why i was bothering to respond any more.
"You think this is what i wanted? That i got up today, and wanted this? I just wanted it to stop."
"Then just stop it, you have the power here. You don't have to do this Jonah. Take it all back. No one has to know." Great, look at me now, trying to reason with the guy pointing a gun at my head.
"Yeah, i'll just call a do-over." he answered sarcastically, waving the gun around but still keeping his gaze locked on me. "You should know this by now, Chlo. The world doesn't work like that. It's not just black and white."
"Then was it?" He didn't answer that one. Just started pacing and muttering random words. I took that time to get a good look at him. He was sweating heavily, and looked as though he hadn't gotten a decent nights sleep in a long time. He was bleeding, in more places than above his eye. He looked like someone just jumped him, although, with as big as the bounty on his head is, they probably just did. He was still shaking, though i wasn't sure if that was from fear, or just the adrenaline from what it was he was currently doing.
I didn't mean to get an empathy hit off of him, i really didn't. But it was just another one of those things i couldn't control, and these days, there were a lot of those. Suddenly, i was feeling what he was feeling. And it couldn't exactly be explained in one word, or even one emotion. All at the same time, his emotions flew into my mind. Sad, Frightened, Confused, Hurt, Alone. I couldn't stop the sympathy that filled me for this boy either. "I'm so sorry, Jonah. I know how you feel-"
"You know how i feel?! Was that supposed to be funny? You are sick Chloe King. Look at me, you did this to me, so don't sit there and try to pretend you understand what i'm going through!" He yelled, waving his gun back and fourth, his hand much too tight on the trigger for my liking.
"I'm sorry, i didn't mean to-"
"SHUT UP! Just, just shut up!"
It wasn't until the fourth gunshot that it all made sense to me. As the bullet sped through the air towards me, everything clicked. I'm not sure if Jonah is a mentally or emotionally stable guy, or if he's a few feet past psychotic. And yeah, he's made a few bad decisions in his life, but haven't we all? I don't think he's necessarily a bad person, or a monster even. I think he's just lost. We've all been there at one time or another. And maybe the only way he can figure out what the hell is really going on, is to take out all this extra anger, on the one person he thinks deserves it.
As the bullet pierced my skin and spiraled into my abdomen, i realized that i was that person for him. I was the one he blamed for it all, because things were going fine before i came into the picture and ruined everything for him. Here i thought he was getting what he deserved, and maybe he was. But from his point of view, i was just screwing up the plans he's spent so much time working on, and sentenced him to death by turning him in for something he didn't do. Though, really, was what he did, actually any better?
Jonah was just a boy, who got mixed up in some pretty confusing stuff, and was a little lost because of it. That didn't make up for the mistakes that he's made, but it has to count for something... right?
I thought i was imagining Alek's voice yelling my name, and his form crouching over my body, but then i remembered my vision. When i was lying lifeless and bloody on the ground, Alek hovering over me, glaring off at an unknown figure. This was that vision, but i could understand what was going on just a little better (again, sue me, i'm dying here!).
"Chloe, don't die on me. Not again. You can't leave me here. I love you." Alek whispered down at me.
"Not really planning on it! But in case i do, I love you too, Alek."
"If you do, i'll be here when you wake up." I nodded at him, then glared over at where Jonah was standing.
"I didn't mean it. I just... I just wanted it to stop. I'm so sorry." he started to weep, and my eyes started fluttering. "I can't do it anymore! It hurts to much! I just want it to stop!" He was yelling now, but then his face softened, staring down at the weapon in his hand and he whispered out his next sentence. "I just want it to stop..."
Then the final gunshot rang clear through the silent hallways of Parker S. Shannon High School. The last thing i saw before i blacked out into death, was Jonah Harper, once-not long ago-my only friend and closest ally, turning the gun on himself, and pulling the trigger for the last time.
