Click on the image below for the audio book.

https://youtu.be/8xlo94yygo8

Zach took his high school's steps three at a time thinking:

shit

            I'm

                       late

                                    AGAIN!

He just heard the first bell let out its shrill call as he crested the last step, and if he didn't get his ass in his seat before the second went off, he'd be visiting Principal Tuma for sure.

In fact, Mr. Knight, his homeroom teacher, was nice enough to remind him yesterday that one more late and he could forget about detention.

HE (emphasis on the HE) would be riding the bench for the big game this weekend.

The Haven High Saints, his school's basketball team, were going head to head with their arch-rivals the Lowell High Cardinals and there was no way in hell he was missing the game.

With that thought, he put on a burst of speed and threw the entryway doors open in a wide arc. In doing so he had a sudden flash of Jack Nicholson doing the same thing in The Shining, which of course left him wondering if he looked half as crazed right now.

Ever since he joined the team in seventh grade, it had been a struggle for them to be taken seriously. It seemed like every time anyone on the team started getting even remotely good they'd drop out, and the team would find themselves back to square one. This led to their notorious "Cellar Dweller" reputation in their local High School division, but this year he thought they had a real chance of making it to the playoffs.

Especially since their forward was just starting to get good . . . I mean really good.

Zach hardly ever tripped over his own two feet any more. He was finally growing into his 6 foot 5 inch frame with no signs of stopping his upward trend.

Coincidentally, that was why he was late this morning. Every time he had a new growth spurt it zombified him, left him exhausted. Twenty hours of sleep a night wouldn't be enough. His dads were constantly joking that they thought he just might be their family cat.

And of course, what fifteen year old guy doesn't want to be compared to a lazy kitten.

The thought brought a smile to his face as he raced to his locker, weaving through the already thinning crowd of kids - which was frankly not a good sign. He was cutting it way too close. Thank God his locker was right next to home room. He was just about to whiz past the doorway when a tiny hand shot out of nowhere and pulled him through the door.

His best friend, Lauren, had him by the scruff of his shirt as she hissed," Forget about your books there's no time." And just as the second bell let out a shrill peel, she tossed him into his designated seat.

While he careened across the floor on his lab stool he caught a glimpse of Mr. Knight from the corner of his eye. Haven High's second most feared teacher sat poised on the corner of his desk looking disappointed.

Zach couldn't help but smirk when he zoomed by, thinking . . . sucks to be you . . . and incidentally . . . ouch!

The spot where Lauren had grabbed him felt like it had been hit with a brick wall, reflexively he started rubbing his aching chest as he threw Lauren a disbelieving look.

"Wow someone's been eating their Wheaties!" he muttered under his breath.

Upon hearing Zach's nearly inaudible musings the teacher fixed Lauren with a menacing stare.

Under Knight's scrutiny, Lauren seemed to come to the sudden realization that she was still standing and gulped audibly before scurrying like a mouse into the vacant seat beside him.

He watched as she paled visibly, and became immediately protective of her when she shuddered under the evil glare of the teacher from hell.

Call him what you like he couldn't help feeling protective of girls, especially ones that are five foot nothing and weigh maybe eighty or ninety pounds soaking wet. Which by the way made him think: How in the heck does someone who is five foot nothing throw a six foot guy around like he's a bag of marshmallows?

He was about to ask her what kind of steroids she was taking when Mr. Knight derailed his train of thought.

"That was a very close call Mr. Reis. You may thank Miss Nash after class for her very quick reflexes, "he intoned as he leered down his nose at Zach's now sheepish looking friend.

"Yes Sir, sorry Sir." Zach stammered as he straightened his chair to face the front of the class.

Knight was old school. He insisted that his students call him Sir and he never (like never ever) referred to any of the students by their first name.

Even though he looked no older than thirty, he seemed much older, like he came from an entirely different era or something. He was not only by the book he acted like he wrote the damn thing.

His mantra was "no leniency". He couldn't care less, and better think again, if you thought you could get away with handing an assignment in late because: your dog died, or your dad walked out over the weekend think again.

Knight would succinctly point out with his prim little British accent that a) you had X number of days to complete the task assigned to you, and b) those aforementioned days, however traumatic, only accounted for a small number of that allotted time; therefore, c) he could not excuse your lapse of judgment in not completing the task prior to your 'very sad event'.

Cue sad face.

Most kids walk away from those encounters looking shell-shocked, and quickly come to the conclusion that Mr. Timothy Knight is the Chemistry teacher from hell.

Zach cringed when he realized his teacher was suddenly staring at him with mind boggling intensity, giving Zach the impression that he was boring a hole in him searching for the soft chewy nougat inside. The quizzical look made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, and sent shivers down his spine.

It wasn't that the Chem teacher was an unattractive guy. Not that he was any judge. Even Lauren had thought he was good looking when they first met him, but she soon learned that his outer appearance did not reflect his obnoxious personality.

He was tall and lean with the kind of build most guys Zach's age envied. He had a dark swarthy look about him. His face was lean boasting a strong firm jaw with a short cropped beard, chiseled cheek bones, and a Grecian nose. But his eyes, his eyes were what got you. They were the palest of green with flecks of soft brown around the iris, and they were downright eerie. He'd never seen eyes like it before --put it this way --if it's true that the eyes are the window to the soul, then he clearly had none.

Thankfully the third bell rang, signaling the start of first period, and seemed to break the spell.

Knight turned to grab a stack of papers off his desk handing a stack to the first occupants of each lab table in the front row, who handed them back to the students behind them like good little automatons.

Zach's home room class was a small one by American standards. His class only had seventeen, well eighteen if you counted Ollie who rarely showed up for class, but strangely seemed to never get in trouble for it. He was MIA again today.

Zach snorted out loud in derision at the thought that he couldn't even be five minutes late yet somehow Ollie got a pass for not even showing up, which earned him an elbow jab from Lauren. Who at the moment was giving him a look that screamed, 'I've had enough attention from the teacher today thank you very much'.

Zach shrugged his shoulders in response and made a silent 'who me' gesture?

Mr. Knight started writing instructions for their class assignment on the board, but every time the chalk scraped across the board it sent a jolt to his brain.

Zach rubbed his forehead and went to write down the instructions, but suddenly realized he didn't have his books and turned to his partner to ask for a sheet of paper, of course Lauren already had him covered. Her book was open between them and she held a piece of loose leaf in her hands.

But seeming to change her mind, she withdrew the paper, and said, "Never mind, I'll take the notes today you can copy them off me later. Did you get any sleep last night; you look like shit?"

"Thanks," he muttered sarcastically, but had to agree she wasn't wrong. He was wiped. He could use the extra time to wake up.

Zach tried to concentrate on the experiment, but it felt like he was trying to operate in a fog. What was wrong with him today? It felt more than being tired. Maybe he was coming down with something.

When he looked up Lauren was waving her delicate hand in front of his face saying, "Earth to Zach. Hellloooo can you pass me the beaker please?"

"Hey are you okay?" Lauren stared at him, searching his face with concern in her eyes.

He shook his head and said, "I don't know, I might be coming down with something,"

Her hand shot out to feel his head for a temperature and failed miserably.

He had to laugh when the tips of her fingers barely made it to his chin. "Hey you need to work on your jump shot, shortie," he snickered.

This enlisted a sardonic laugh from her and a right hook to his upper arm. Which again surprisingly hurt like hell, Zach mouthed an exaggerated "ow", "Okay, okay Tyson lay off the violence for a sec. Wow you need to explore MMA or something," he said with an injured tone as he rubbed his upper arm.

Most guys would have tried to look tough and unaffected, but shit that had hurt.

"Just bend forward smart ass," she chortled.

Saying, "Yes mein fuhrer" he threw up his hands defensively, and said in his best German accent, "I will comply," which turned out to be in poor taste given that he's Jewish.

Lauren just continued to look at him funny like she was searching for something hidden deep inside him. He bent forward obediently, and while she placed her impossibly small hand on his forehead, he thought about his diminutive friend.

She was so slight. Everything about her seemed to come in a smaller than average human package. Except her large upturned hazel eyes; they seemed to take up most of her tiny chocolate brown face. He once had asked her if she could be part Asian as well as African American, but she had just scoffed and said his guess would be as good as hers.

She had no idea who her father was and her mother wasn't talking. He had joked that maybe the fairies had left her at her mother's doorstep; she kinda looked like one. She had replied more defensively than usual, "are you calling me a midget!"

He had laughed and responded, I think the politically correct term is "Little Person." And she was a little person for sure. She argued that she was a perfectly acceptable five feet tall, but he doubted it. What he couldn't doubt was that she was pretty. Her features however elfin suited her, and she was one of the most attractive girls in school, but he was soooo not going there.

She was his best friend and he was not going to risk that for love or money.

In the meantime, Lauren had finished her inspection of his forehead and had grabbed his jaw with forefinger and thumb to pull him closer searching his face and eyes for signs of something. She was staring at him intently seeming to look for lord knew what.

"What?" He asked jokingly, "Have I sprouted a third eye or something?"

Lauren laughed nervously and said sardonically as she let go of his face, "If you did it would be an improvement," and stuck out her tongue.

He snorted just as a sharp pain pierced his temples -- A really sharp pain: painful enough to make him grab his temples with both hands.

Suddenly, he heard a ringing in his head or more accurately it sounded like the noise the school's ancient PA system makes before an announcement. That shrill screech that makes everyone jump before Mr Tuma's voice comes through.

The sound bloomed in his skull and made him cry out, when suddenly the floor did the weirdest thing, it started to rush toward his face.

Author's Note:

The trailer above was created by the incomparable ChristinaAnnRiley check out her trailer book. I guarantee you'll love her work. I know I do. She's made over 80 amazing trailers. If you're lucky she'll make a trailer for you too. Thanks again Christina. You've honored my story with your talent.