MONDAY AFTERNOON
a few hours later
_____

     AFTER several hours of sitting in their respective lectures, the four best friends sat. Under the monotonous drone of an instructor's voice, they were slouched over in their seats, except for Armani, who sat with perfect posture.

Their minds were elsewhere.

Tyler let out a sigh, feeling his chest deflate. His eyes darted across the room, blinking idly. His fingers tapped, his leg bounced, and goosebumps prickled his arms.

It would be an understatement to say he was restless.

As the clock ticked away, trepidation buried its teeth into his heart, causing his already thrashing heart to quicken and nearly burst from his chest.

His leg still bouncing, itching to run away, he thought, Something's coming.

However, from what?

He ought to feel comfortable and safe.

He'd been attending this school for the last three years, so why did he feel like he'd be dying soon?

I gotta get the hell outta here, he thought. Quickly looking around the room, eyes bounced from one unsuspecting student to his professor.

Tyler jumped from his seat and bolted out of the room, running to the nearest bathroom. He locked himself in by yanking open a stall door, placing his back against it, and sliding down till he landed on the floor.

I'm okay.

I'm okay.

I'm o-fucking-kay! He tried to convince himself, screaming into his skull as fear's claws gripped even tighter on his faint heart.

Tyler despised panic attacks, which always occurred when he was in an improper location, such as a school bathroom.

"Fuck this," he murmured, slipping his shaky hand into his pocket and retrieving his polka-dotted vape. He brought the vape to his lips and inhaled deeply, allowing the strawberry-mango vapor to fill his lungs and give his trembling body a buzz. "That's better."

He sat there for a moment, letting the effects of the sweetened nicotine fill his body in place of the fear that still lingered. His glossy, blue eyes shifted their attention to the walls of the stall, catching a random carving of someone's name and their significant other's next to it.

Rolling his eyes, he sighed as he brought the vape to his lips again before letting out a light cloud of smoke.

It's time to go back.

Sighing once more, he peeled himself from the bathroom floor, tucking his vape in his pocket before unlocking the stall and leaving the bathroom. Upon turning around the corner of the hall, he bumped into another body, stumbling. "Oh shit, I'm sorry. Oh, hey, Dre," he greeted, eyes wide as he looked at his best friend, who seemed just as shocked as he was.

"What are you doin' out of class?" Andre asked, his curiosity peaking as he took a look at Tyler's glazed eyes. "I thought you were done with the vape," he sighed, recalling just last week when the younger said he was quitting.

With a shrug, Tyler scoffed and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Potato, potato, maybe some other day."

With a sigh, Andre decided not to go near Tyler's head, which seemed like a complicated predicament. He shook his head, gave Tyler a pat on the shoulder, and left him to fend for himself.

Tyler let out a deep breath, his shoulders slumping as he lumbered back to class, anxiety licking at his heels with every step and his twitchy eyes darting over everything.

Retiring to the classroom, he plopped into his seat and began counting down the minutes till he could leave.

If only that could keep him safe.

_____

Armani sat in his lecture down the hall, drinking water at his desk. He wasn't sure why, but something was bothering him. He couldn't fathom what made his heart skip a beat, but it did. In the classroom, he felt chills go down the length of his spine, and the desire to walk out the door caused his legs to tremble beneath the desk.

What's goin' on? He wondered, rubbing the nape of his neck, hoping the goosebumps would go away.

"Alright, guys, that's all I have for you today! Have a great day," the professor said as he waved the students farewell.

Standing up from his seat, Armani grabbed his backpack off the ground, slinging the straps over his shoulders, and moved around the other students, exiting the class.

Tyler:
Come to the bathroom if you can.

Armani:
I'm on my way right now.

Weaving his way through the sea of passing students, he did his damnedest not to notice the awful beating of his heart.

Oh, he wanted nothing more than to be out of school.

He would rather be tucked away in his secure, cozy bed watching TV than be here.

He would rather be anywhere than here.

Walking to the bathroom he knew was closest to Tyler, he walked in, his eyes searching until they landed on the shorter boy.

"Hey, what's up, man? Where's Tyler?" He thought as he moved further into the bathroom, finding Darryn leaning against one of the sinks.

With a shrug, Darryn nodded to his phone. "Not sure, but Tyler said to be here, so here I am," he groaned, gesturing with his hands to his body.

With a groan, Armani ran his hands down his face, attempting to relieve the heavy, dark weight on his shoulders, but...

Nothing worked.

Where was Tyler?

He didn't even want to think about it, knowing how fragile Tyler's psyche was.

He didn't want to think about it too much, but the longer he stayed in that building, the more the dread in his belly intensified.

Darryn lifted a brow at Armani's fidgeting. "What's wrong? You're moving a lot," he inquired, ignoring his own anxiety as he too desired to be away from the school building.

Armani sighed, prepared to tell Darryn how much he'd rather throw himself out the window than stay in school any longer, when two bodies entered the bathroom.

"Good, you guys are here," Tyler muttered as he walked in, approaching Darryn by the sinks while Andre stood between him and Armani.

"So, are you gonna say something or...?" Armani trailed off, shifting his weight from foot to foot, preparing to head downstairs to the lunchroom.

And maybe out of school.

Tyler sucked in a sharp breath and ran his hand through his hair, removing the white beanie he was wearing. "I'm two seconds from flipping the hell out, and I can't stand being in this school for another second," he rubbed at his glossy eyes and muttered.

Playing with a loose string on his shirt sleeve, Darryn lost himself in thought as his gaze dropped to the ground.

Andre mulled over leaving. "I just wanna grab the salads and go," he suggested, ready to leave as soon as just one of them agreed.

Armani nodded, chewing the inside of his cheek as he looked at the mirror behind Darryn. He sighed, allowing his gaze to fall on his reflection, taking in his tousled hair and the tension in his eyes.

"Yeah," he murmured, "let's get those salads."

Leaving the bathroom, the four friends walked side by side through the less-busy halls.

With each step they took, it appeared as if the halls got thick with a smoldering trepidation fog.

It was as if something might jump out at them.

Tyler sped up, heading to the nearest staircase and damn near racing down.

"Wait, Tyler, hold up!" Andre shouted out, running after him.

Armani rolled his eyes and huffed, "Damnit," as he raced after the two, leaving Darryn in the dust.

Darryn didn't realize they'd left him until he heard Armani calling out to him, pulling him back into reality. Sighing, he jogged down the hall and down the stairs, watching Armani's running form pass the corner into the cafeteria.

As he approached the bustling cafeteria, he noticed the students' blurring voices.

The sound of idle conversation and frivolous giggles.

It sounded like they were carefree.

He wished.

Holy shit, he wanted to leave.

Soon, he noticed Tyler's white beanie and blond hair near the food, as well as Armani and Andre beside him, all looking around.

Darryn jogged over to them and waved his hands to get their attention. "Hey, are you okay?" he questioned, staring at Tyler, whose fingers were tightly clasped around a packed salad.

"I'm good, Dare," Tyler assured, despite his shaking voice and trembling body. "I already got you a salad. Can you grab some juice?" He asked, nodding at the refrigerator.

Darryn nodded, his gaze shifting between Tyler and the packages in his hands. "Yeah, okay. I'll be back," he replied, turning around and heading to the fridge.

Darryn picked up the juices that he knew the others would enjoy and closed the fridge, only to crash into someone. "Oh my God! I'm so sorry," he frenzied, eyes wide as he glanced at the person he'd run into.

The woman was perhaps a few inches shorter than Darryn. She smiled at him with dead, soulless eyes. The strange woman appeared to be a lunch lady based on her attire. She was wearing a university tee, a white apon over her dingy jeans, and white slip-on shoes.

One could say she appeared normal.

The longer he stood there, looking at the older woman, the more dread filled and twisted his gut. The hair on his nape rose. He stopped breathing.

He couldn't move.

He was stuck.

What do I do? He thought as an icy sweat broke out along his hairline. His heart practically begged to be freed from its confinement as it thrashed against his rib cage.

Her alabaster complexion was riddled with age spots and was as wrinkly as a prune from her advanced years. Her eyes were beady, and mascara and eyeliner were caked. Despite Darryn's desire to avoid it, a grim smile spread across her thin, pinched lips.

"I hope you enjoy those salads," she said with a knowingly malicious smile that bordered on teasing.

The frightening stupor that had fallen upon Darryn appeared to have lifted. He could finally move and breathe again.

Gulping, he exhaled a shaky breath. "Uh...thanks," he muttered, attempting to move away from her until her brittle hand caught his elbow, stopping him in his tracks.

"We'll be seeing each other soon, yeah?" She goaded, quirking her brow and smirking with her tight lips.

Darryn could swear her eyes were entirely black when she blinked. Her eyes were replete with a cold, abysmal gloom.

Darryn felt a shiver run down his spine, making him shift his weight from foot to foot. "S-Sure," he whispered, yanking his arm from her grip and heading over to the register where the others were.

Andre waited for Darryn, observing warily as his hunched, horrified form approached. The lunch lady continued to stand at the beverage fridge, unmoving. "Are you okay, Ryn?" he asked, prepared to leave. His stomach churned upon seeing that horrified expression in Darryn's eyes.

He despised seeing one of his friends in pain. Usually, he'd start a fight about this, but not now.

Looking at Darryn, he realized that he was more than upset; something else was going on.

Darryn went over to Andre and huffed, "Let's just go."

Armani jogged up to them and explained, "We can't go out right now." Armani sighed as he noted Darryn's reaction. "There's a severe storm warning; the whole city was advised to find shelter." He tried to reassure Darryn, yet his own anxiety spiked through the roof.

Darryn's eyes widened, and his heart sank to the pit of his belly at the news.

As if on cue, thunder roared and pounding rain fell. Charcoal, congested clouds loomed over them as they stormed.

"Everything's gonna be okay, hopefully."

_____

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