I sprinted past him. A mumbled “bitch” followed me. I didn’t care. I got out of line again and moved in the opposite direction. I should isolate myself. Maybe I’d be easier to spot? I stopped at a row of lockers outside of the bustling cafeteria. The hallway was less traveled at that point and a few of the bulbs flickered above me, creating an annoying ringing sensation in my ears.
The room tilted around me and my shoulder slammed into the wall. I pressed my hand against the cool surface to steady myself while taking in a few deep breaths. I hadn’t eaten anything since the night before but I’d gone longer without eating before and this never happened. I blinked a few times but the scene before me blurred as a fuzzy darkness outlined my vision. I’d had the same sensation every time I got my blood drawn at the doctor.
Don’t pass out. I repeated the mantra in my head a few times. A volcano rolled around my stomach as I fought to keep consciousness. Heat spread through me like wildfire, making beads of sweat form at my brow.
A blurry sign for the bathroom was up ahead and I lurched toward it. I barely made it through the doors before my legs gave out from under me. Sharp pain ripped through my legs as my knees connected with the tile floor. I grabbed the edge of the sink. I took a breath and the room stopped spinning. I waited a few seconds before lifting myself from the floor. I dropped my bag under the sink and pressed both hands against the cool porcelain.
One of the stall doors opened and I flinched, expecting another confrontation.
Instead, a girl with short black hair emerged from the stall, her mouth stretched in a satisfied smile. “I thought for sure you and Jake would be inseparable now.” She clicked her tongue and turned on the sink next to mine. Her eyes moved over my body from her mirror as she washed her hands. “Why are you wet?”
I swallowed once, giving myself a moment to compose myself. How did she know about Jake? I turned to the sink and tucked my hair behind my ears. “It’s raining.”
“I thought after this morning you would have avoided the rain. Unless—” She closed the tap and turned to face me, her hands dripping between us. “He kissed you!”
I choked. “What?”
She grinned broadly. “Jake hates PDA, so he took you outside to kiss you? I would have picked a sunnier day.” She went to the towel dispenser and grabbed a few sheets. “At least he finally took the next step!”
“Um,” I mumbled, my brain going blank. Why did Jake have this effect on me?
“Fancy!” The girl pulled my wrist to hers. She moved her finger over my watch. “Where did you get that?”
“My mom,” I said before I could stop myself.
She frowned, looking up at me before narrowing her eyes. “Bri, did you take your contact out?”
The name shocked me as it had the night before. I stared at the girl. A million questions fired in my mind. Who was this Bri girl and why did people keep calling me by her name?
The girl checked her phone. “I need to eat something before Mr. Henry’s class. Come on. We can talk more after your swim practice.”
She held the door for me.
“I’ll be right there.” I’d finally found my voice. I needed this girl to get the hell away from me.
“We have like ten minutes left.”
I snatched my bag and headed for the door. “I forgot something. I’ll see you later.”
The girl said something as the door closed. The line for the cafeteria was gone and no one remained in the hallway. My eyes started to burn. Was this some sort of cruel joke? I decided to retrace my steps and jogged in the direction of the entrance I had come in earlier. My shoe slipped, the soles still damp, and I nearly went down. I slammed my hand against a locker.
Someone grabbed my arm and I cried out.
“Sorry,” said the guy, holding his arms in front of him. “I thought you were going to fall.”
I ripped my arm away and glanced up at him. His leather jacket was covered with beads of rain. He towered over me. His forest green eyes widened with recognition. My eyes moved over his face; his sharp features were pulled even tighter as with each passing second he appeared to get angrier.
His jaw clenched. “You don’t belong here.”
My stomach twisted. My mind flashed to another time and place with a different guy. I quickly shoved the memory away. I lifted my chin. I wasn’t going anywhere without answers. Before I could open my mouth the bell rang again.
The guy reached for me but I ducked under his arm and bolted in the other direction.
“Hey!” he called out but I was already halfway down the hall. I looked back and saw him only a few feet behind, until kids poured out of the cafeteria, separating us more and more with each second. I turned down the next hallway in an attempt to lose the guy. Clearly something had gone wrong or maybe I’d misinterpreted the note. Either way I had to get to a quiet place to collect my thoughts. Like hell was I giving up that easy.
Bri
“Come on ladies, hustle!” Coach Kendra called across the natatorium.
Bri pulled herself from the pool and onto the slick tile floor, unable to hide the grin on her face. She’d kicked Chloe’s butt in that last relay and both of them knew it. The obvious anger on Chloe’s face when she surfaced and saw Bri already halfway out of the pool was perfect. Bri wished she had a camera.
“Yay, Bri!” Max called from the top of the bleachers. She had books and notebooks spread across her lap. Max didn’t like being home in the afternoon. Her parents worked third shift at the hospital so she had to be silent while they slept.
“I didn’t realize hustle meant walking like frickin’ zombies!” Coach Kendra clapped her hand against the clipboard permanently attached to her other hand.
The twelve girls who made up the swim team picked up their pace until they huddled around Coach. Her beady brown eyes captured each of them in her gaze before she spoke. She looked the part of a female high school gym teacher with her too long and unflattering shorts and shirt big enough to swallow any sense of her figure. Even with her tough-as-nails exterior she was a great coach. They’d won most meets since she became coach at the beginning of the year after her parents had passed away, leaving their home to her.
Her eyes touched each of the girls as she spoke. “All of your times were below last season. You need to treat every single second you’re here as if you’re in a race. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, Coach,” the girls chorused.
“Now do it again. Group together and I want two hundred and four hundred yard freestyle relays.”
Chloe snorted and Coach narrowed her gaze. “Another two hundred for you.”
Chloe rolled her eyes. They’d had this battle before and Chloe never won.
Coach lifted her whistle to her lips and blew. The shrill sound echoed off the walls and the girls partnered off.
Bri nudged Gina, a mousy freshman. She had the best backstroke on the team. As captain, Bri had taken Gina under her wing. “I’ll go first,” Bri