I Did(n't Do) It

Chapter 24: Mushrooms (3/3)

Violet looked at the concrete bench jutting from the wall, sitting down before looking over to see the toilet; which turned out to be a grate on the floor in the corner.

The sun was blistering, thankfully the heat waves were combatted with a fresh breeze from the North. Violet closed her eyes, opening her arms and leaning her head back so her face was aimed towards the sun, letting the warmth break through her skin, and course through her veins.

"Come on, silly!" Alex laughed, grabbing her arm and pulling her as they rushed off down the dirt road, away from her house. The dirt was soft and hard at the same time, compressing under their weight, but only an inch down before the ground became solid again.

Violet's white dress blew in the wind as she darted down the hill after Alex, the grass hugged her feet, each individual blade conforming around her body as she rolled down the hill.

Earth,

Then sky,

Then Earth,

Then sky

It was a pattern of blurs; one-second it was blue and white, the next green, then black, then green, then back to blue and white. Violet laughed as she landed next to Alex, they both struggled to stand with the world spinning and spinning. Violet was afraid she might fall off the edge of this planet if she took a wrong step, so they both took a moment to collect themselves. Breathing slowly before they heard it — ribbit.

Violet and Alex looked at each other, both grinning from ear to ear, a cheesy grin complimented by a few missing teeth from both girls. They raced to the small pond ahead, quieting their steps as they got closer. Ribbit, they crouched down, lightly gripping the grass with their fingers to steady themselves on the deep decline into the murky water.

"Violet" Alex whispered, lightly tapping her arm and pointing down and to the right, "Look!" Violet squinted to see it, the noise making blob; it was a frog, its body bulging and dark green, the eyes were darting around as it lazily sat by the water. Alex put a finger to her lips, inching closer and getting lower to the ground. Violet held her breath as she watched her friend get closer, her hands getting ready to cup the monster, then Violet saw something out of the corner of her eye, it was long. She looked over to see a snake, its body slithered through the grass, creeping towards Violet. Her surprise overtook her senses as she let out a scream, the frog leaped from its rocky pedestal and into the water, followed by Alex's bellyflop after it.

Alex swam to the edge, laughing, "Help me!" She said, reaching her hand out to Violet. Violet covered her mouth, giggling and grabbing Alex's hand, only to be yanked in the algae-infested water with her.

"Alex!" Violet screamed, howling with laughter and coughing up water, smiling at her best friend.

Alex stared at the frog on the table, it's small arms and long legs strapped down to the metal tray beneath it, Brian was holding the scalpel out to her.

"Alex?" He asked, snapping her out of her memory.

"Huh?" She asked, evidently off somewhere else.

"Are you ready to do this?" He asked, delicately placing the blade on the chest, aiming it to slice vertically down the stomach.

Alex slowly shook her head as she watched the blade slice through the soft skin on the underside of the poor animal, they pulled open the flaps, exposing the insides of the creatures. Alex covered her mouth, closing her eyes and getting up.

"What are you doing? Alex?"

"Miss Blackburn? Where are you going?" The teacher called out to her as she raced out of the room.

"I'm sorry" She said as she was exiting, "I just can't handle this right now."

"Miss Blackburn?" Mr. Bachelor looked at her, his clipboard in one hand, a concerned look covered his face.

"Hi Mr. Bachelor," Alex whispered, wiping her puffy eyes and her runny nose on her sleeve.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I was just excused from class."

Mr. Bachelor smiled at her, "I have prep class right now, come. I need help getting ready for next lesson and grading papers." He helped Alex up, walking with her to his classroom. Once in there, he shut the door securely, looking back at her as he set his clipboard on the table. "Now, what's going on?"

Alex grabbed a stack of papers and a red pen, sitting down on a chair next to the teachers desk and setting the papers on a binder on her lap, "It's a long story."

"I've got time." He grinned as he wiped off the whiteboard, "You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

Alex laughed, marking off one of her peers' answers, "That was a very cliche saying, Mr. Bachelor. Even for you."

He laughed, "I'm full of them." He turned back to one of his students, setting down the dirty rag and sitting in his chair, staring at her. "Now spill."

Alex couldn't stop her breathing from cutting off as tears pricked her eyes. "It just..." She took a deep breath, trying to shallow her ragged breathing and the crying that was surely going to follow.

"Take your time. It's okay to cry." She pursed her lips, breathing deeply and slowly before continuing.

"She isn't like that."

"Who?"

Alex looked at him, disbelief clear on her face.

"Violet" Mr. Bachelor said, a tight-lip smile forming on his face.

"Yes, she didn't do that... She didn't. And it sucks that people think that, and it sucks that Eric died, and it sucks that Emily got in that crash, and it sucks that we are dissecting poor animals, and everything just sucks right now." Mr. Bachelor sat patiently, eyes never leaving Alex's as she sniffled and faltered through her rant. "I hate that she got herself into this mess, but I also feel like it is partially my fault. But it is also not just my fault, it is Jason's, and Joe's, and Emily's, and even Eric's and I know it is disrespectful to speak like that of the dead but it's true!"

She almost screamed the last part, her face reddening. "Now Violet is sitting in prison, wearing a color that doesn't go with her hair... or her eyes... and I can't think of anything else. I haven't been eating or sleeping because just the thought of something — anything — happening to that girl is the equivalent of someone laying me gently on the curb outside this school, and stomping on the back of my head. Everyone says time heals, but let me tell you time is not on my side right now, with every passing second I'm out here becoming unhinged in my own mind." Her stare hollowed Mr. Bachelor's soul, "It's mushrooming my thoughts and there is nothing I can do to stop it."