"Boys suck."
Sarah turned to look at the girl who'd spoken.
While in her third-period class, she'd decided to sit with some kids she knew from the church choir rather than with Eddie and his group of friends. She knew something was up with the two younger boys after running into them earlier and didn't want them to feel embarrassed about whatever they wanted to tell Eddie.
Sarah sat there for a few minutes before another girl plopped in the chair across the table from her. She glared down at the lunch tray in front of her disgust And started giving her daily commentary on boys.
Sarah's eyebrows rose. "Why do boys suck."
"I swear to God, I don't know why I keep trying."
"Maybe you're trying to find love too soon." Sarah offered.
The other girl laughed.
"Well, according to the boys here, having a committed Relationship past high school is just too hard." She rose her head to stare at Sarah. "I still don't know how you can keep that Munson freak wrapped around your fingers so long."
Sarah glared. " first off, Anna, he's not a freak, and second he's not wrapped around my fingers."
Anna rolled her eyes. "Girl, that boy never asked any of the girls out on a date. He plays games for children, and rumor is that any boy trying to sniff around you ends up cursed by his merry band of cult followers."
"He's not hurting anyone," Sarah argued.
Anna chuckled. "Then why haven't you gone out with any of the boys at school? There's been plenty who's asked you in the last two years."
Sarah looked away not in embarrassment but to watch as Eddie crawled up on his lunch table and began walking down the long table. " But as long you into band," his voice raised, Making the lunch room grow quiet as he stared towards the band table.
"or science," he began walking and stepping over backpacks. "parties," he said, allowing the last letter to twist his face in a sneer dragging them out. "or a game where you toss balls into laundry baskets!" He shouted towards the jocks, who glared back at him.
Jason carver, The basketball captain, stood up and sneered. "You want to start something, freak."
Eddie smirked before throwing his hands up on either side of his head. Using his pointer fingers, he formed two horns and, with a loud gurgling Sound, stuck his tongue out, making the younger boy cringe from the display.
Sarah gaped at her friend; Eddie shot her a smile before he dropped from the table, scaring a teacher when he landed next to her.
"That's a prime example of why he hasn't dated anyone." Anna whispered as she leaned over the table towards Sarah. "some of the girls are afraid he's into very kinky stuff behind closed doors. While others want to know if it's okay if they can borrow him.."
Sarah shot Anna a look of horror before blushing. "How should I know what he's into, and he's not a pet you people can borrow. Plus, we're not like that."
Anna smirked, not believing her.
The bell rang, making Sarah sigh in relief. She had wanted to fall on the floor in a heap and bawl. Somedays sitting with Anna was a chore because the girl loved tormenting her about Eddie and her lack of experience with the opposite sex. But at least today, she could thank God the younger girl decided to go easy on her.
Not bothering to comment on the smirk, Sarah rose from her table and carried her tray to the trash bins.
Across the room, Eddie stood watching Sarah leave the lunch room in a hurry. Her table mates were laughing at something Anna had said. Anna had a large grin that made him shiver as she stared at him from her seat. Something about Anna made his skin crawl every time she was around. He knew that Sarah and Anna were in the church's choir, but something he couldn't quite put his finger on about her made him want to keep Sarah as far away from her as he could.
When Sarah turned down the hall leading to her locker, she was pushed out of her way by Chrissy, who was holding her hands over her mouth, heading to the lady's room. Sarah felt something telling her that she should follow and check on the girl. When she reached the door, she heard crying; she entered without a second thought.
"Chrissy, are you okay."
Chrissy peaked out through the bathroom stall that's when Sarah realized that the younger girl looked terrified. Afraid she'd faint, Sarah, stepped closer. "What's wrong?"
Chrissy looked around the room and took a deep breath. "Nothing… I'm fine.."
Before she could ask again, the bathroom lights started flickering, and Chrissy slammed the stall door shut. Sarah could hear as she began throwing up and mumbling. Something was happening to the girl, and it frightened Sarah.
The bathroom door opened just as Chrissy started crying harder. Turning, Sarah noticed the girl was the one who used to hang out with Dustin and Mike, the two young boys in Eddie's club. She was frozen in shock hearing the frightening sounds coming from the stall. But before they could say anything, Chrissy bolted from the toilet stall, ignoring the blood on her nose, and out the bathroom door.
A knock on the bathroom door startled them from their musings, and the younger girl pulled the door open. Standing on the other side was a hall monitor. "The bell rang a few minutes ago." He said, pulling his pad and pen out. "I'll have to write you and whoever else is in there a ticket."
Without a word, both girls stepped out into the hallway.
Sarah made a mental note to warn Eddie that something was happening with Chrissy, and it was bad enough to send her screaming from the girl's room.
After receiving their tickets, the younger girl turned and looked at Sarah. Her concern felt was fully displayed." what was that all about."
Sarah shrugged. " I don't know; she almost ran over me out in the hallway. That's when I noticed her crying." Sarah paused and sighed. Then she said, "I just arrived when she started freaking out. You know the rest."
Sharp, high-heel footsteps echoed through the hall as the school counselor turned the corner. Her face broke out in a small smile when she spotted Sarah and the younger girl. "Max, I've been looking all over for you. Did you know You are late for your session?" The girl, now identified as Max, let out a huff as she rolled her eyes. As she reached down and turned off her tape player, The counselor turned to Sarah and stared for a moment. "The principal notified me earlier that I need to schedule a meeting with you soon."
Sarah nodded; she remembered that her father had set up a meeting with Ms. Kelly. She hoped the older woman could help her choose the best course for the following stages of her life. Sarah knew that at some point along the way, Eddie would leave to follow his dreams, and once he was out in the world, he'd forget all about her. So she wanted a way to be able to move on without any regrets but still be able to hold her memory of their time together.
"I had you on my schedule for 3 o'clock this afternoon, but I'll have to pencil you in for Monday morning on the 31st."
Sarah nodded and glanced at Max, who looked bored out of her mind. Sarah had heard about the girl's older brother dying in the mall fire not too long ago. She had seen the boy around in the hall at school last year, but something was off, so she never tried to be in the same area as him; this was her first time being face to face with the girl. She could see that max wasn't handling his death too well.
The poor girl looked like she hadn't slept for a while as the dark circles around her eyes made her look sickly. She moved as if her bones ached, and her beautiful red hair was dull and lifeless. Sarah's heart went out to her.
"Well, ladies, if you'll follow me to my office, I can write you both passes for your teachers. And Max, I want you at my office right at 3:15 today. If I don't see you, I will make a phone call to your mother."
Max nodded.
They followed Ms. Kelly to her office and waited just inside the door as she wrote their passes. Neither girl wanted to break the heavy silence between them, but Sarah felt something move in her heart.
"Max, I know we don't know each other." She paused, then added, "but if you need anything, and I mean anything, don't hesitate to find me. I lost my mother a few years ago to cancer, and I'm not saying I know what it's like losing a brother, but I have lost someone very close to me. So, I'm willing to listen and even hang out. We don't even have to talk or do anything."
Sarah watched as Max stared down at her hands resting on her stomach, acting like she was ignoring the world. She wanted to hug the girl and tell her something, anything that would bring her comfort. But knowing it wasn't the right time for such actions, she prayed under her breath that the girl would see that she still had people who cared deeply about her.
Max finally looked up, and there were tears in her eyes. "Thanks."
Sarah nodded.
After a few moments, Ms. Kelly handed them their slips and sent them on their way with a smile. Both girls headed down the main hallway before breaking off from each other when they reached their classroom doors that were a few doors from each other. As Sarah was about to open her classroom door, something told her to look at max.
An image flashed across her mind: a dark red and black sky. She could hear a clock chiming in the distance. A voice spoke up behind her; it sent chills down her spine and was dark and full of rage.
"You can't save them."
Whoever spoke up behind her reached out, wrapped their long fingers around her throat, and squeezed.
"You will not stop me."
Sarah reached up and clawed the hand wrapped around her throat. She didn't know who was behind her, and she didn't know what they were talking about, but she felt something boiling deep within her.
Another voice spoke up, making the person holding her neck release her without warning. She fell to her knees, trying to listen and at the same time trying to breathe.
"By all that is Holy, you will not touch her," the voice snarled.
Looking up to see who owned the other voice, she realized she was no longer in the red and black world but in the hallway of her school. Her history teacher tried to help her off the floor while asking what was wrong.
Sarah couldn't understand what was happening, so she waved the teacher's questions away and walked into the class. She told herself to talk to her dad when he got home as she took her seat. Whatever was happening to her scared her, and the dark voice seemed too realistic to be her imagination. She prayed for the strength to make it through the rest of the day, and maybe Eddie would let her stay with him until her father got home.