"Please . . . don't cry. You had to have known I'd do this at some point."
***
Parker Sims is the class clown but that doesn't mean he's easy to fool. And that's just what Nola B. is good at - fooling people. She's got the whole school believing th...
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***
Chapter Forty-Seven:
It was normal upon parking in the school's lot for Nola to feel her nerves loosen and her worries dwindle. For so long she would feel this way because her school was the one place that Mitch rarely showed up too, so she could always relax knowing that he wasn't watching and judging her every move - it was her safe haven.
However, when she arrived at her school Monday morning, she felt a different sense of calmness wash over her. This feeling was not because Mitch wasn't there, but instead, Nola was glad to finally be back at the place that had no clue about her problems and she could pretend like she had none.
School had always been that way for her, a place where she could pretend to not be in as much pain as she really was. But, this time compared to the past, she was happy they didn't know or care what was going on in her life.
And, admittedly, there was a part of Nola that enjoyed fooling people into thinking she was just a shy girl that lived a simple life. Surprisingly, no one questioned it.
Leaning back, Nola wondered how people could be so blind. Did they not really take note in how she went from being a loudmouth to the most silent girl in the whole school?
Inhaling rather slowly, Nola was oddly satisfied that she managed to pull it all off. There was not a bone in her body that wanted anyone at Marshell Winders High School to know what she was or had gone through. If they knew, there would only be pity and Nola despised pity. Plus, she liked pretending everything was okay, even if it was just for several hours.
Finally getting out of her car, Nola began to walk to the library. She entered the main building and saw Hannah Nicolas directing two boys, who were on ladders, hanging up a banner. Nola read the sign that said:
Prom Countdown:
3 Weeks
"Oh hey, Nola, how does it look?" Hannah asked before taking a sip from her traveler's mug. "I stayed up all night doing it." Her eyes glanced down at the mug before back at Nola with a small smile, "Coffee is what is keeping me alive today."
Nola watched the two guys begin to tape the banner up in front of the main entrance. "You made it alone?" Nola asked Hannah, amazed that she had composed the banner all by herself.
"Yes," Hannah turned on her heel to face the banner, admiring her sign. "Larry, your side is about three inches too high." Without seeing if whoever she was speaking to would correct what she said, Hannah spun around so that she could go back to facing Nola. "I asked some of the other student government members to help me but they all were 'busy'."
"How are you going to change the number?" Nola inquired, seeing a problem in the sign.
"Oh, the three weeks part of the sign is velcroed on the banner and I have interchangeable signs to change what it says as we countdown." Hannah's smiled widely, "I think it will help us keep track of time. 'Cause you know with the school year ending here in the next couple of months, people are walking around with their heads are chopped off. I don't want no one to show up to prom and it be lame."
Nola tried not to roll her eyes at Hannah's worries, "I doubt people will miss out on going to prom."
Hannah sighed, "I hope so ... Marshell Winders High has a record of holding some of the worst proms, every year. Talk is, people are not even wanting to go this year thinking tradition will stay the same." A small frown came across Hannah's face, "I'm trying to make it better."
"People have been positively talking about it for a while, I think they know it won't suck this year."
"I really hope you're right, Nola."
"Uhhh ... keep it up, people will come." Nola didn't say anything else as she began to head towards the library.
"What about you?!" Hannah called out as Nola walked away.
Nola stopped and looked over her shoulder at Hannah, "What about me?"
"Are you coming to prom?" Hannah asked with hopefulness in her voice.
Seeing the hope swirling around in Hannah's eyes, Nola didn't want to let her down. "I really hope so," honestly said Nola.
***
Nola jolted up, she looked around wildly in confusion. She instantly noticed that she was in the school library. Her eyes glanced down and she found that she must have passed out while studying. She pulled out her cell phone from her backpack and saw that she still had ten minutes before classes. Sighing, she placed her phone back in her bag and closed her Calculus book before rubbing her tired eyes. It was obvious to herself that the nightmare last night had drained her, as nightmares normally did.
Lazily, Nola slid her book off the table and into her opened bookbag. It landed in her bag with a loud thud, making her quickly look around to see if she had disturbed anyone, only to notice that no one was around.
After zipping up her backpack, Nola scooted her chair out and got up. She collected her book bag and made her way out of the library.
She had only just exited the library when Nola decided that she had more than enough time to go to the restroom before class. So, she made a straight beeline to the bathrooms that were near the library.
***
Nola was flushing the toilet in her stall when she heard the bathroom door open and slam close. Something inside her made Nola hesitate to open her stall door. It was after a silent second, Nola heard a low whistle. The tune made her feel dizzy.
Her vision blurred and she was transported back into Parker's kitchen apartment, or so it felt to her because that is all she could see. Nola glanced down at her hands to see she was holding Mitch's note: "Let the games begin". Only after a second did the note change to Parker's grocery list.
"Let the games begin, remember that Nola ... That's what the note says." A female voice spoke softly in her ear.
Nola blinked and she found herself back in the stall of her school's bathroom. The hallucination and whistling had stopped.
Her heart was beating erratically and Nola was unsure as to what was going on. She tried to get her heart to go back to its normal rate as she did what Parker taught her and took slow inhales and exhales.
"Can't hide in there forever, Noles. Sooner or later you're going to have to come out."
