Encounter (PAUSED)

Chapter Two | Unexpected Meeting

"Take your seats, take your seats," our teacher droned a students started to poor into the class after the second bell went. I walked over slowly to my desk in a daze, sighing heavily when I finally sat down. 

What had happened yesterday didn't leave my mind for one second.

My mother of course was completley startled and out of the loop. I stumbled for words to tell her and even wondered why I couldn't in the first place. How had he even disappeared? He couldn't have gone far. He was in such a horrible condition.

I bit my lower lip uneasily and completley worried. Of course, I didn't know the guy, and it wasn't the fact that a cute guy like him might be dying, but just the fact that he needed desperate help and just ran off. What if he didn't make it? And why didn't he want me to call an ambulance? I groaned inwardly, not at all sure what to do.

Maybe the right thing to do was call the police. Maybe he was in a dangerous situation and he really needed attention from people higher in . . . well, command. Because I was extremely worried.

"Everlyn."

Maybe he'd made his way back to his own home and he wa safe and healing. But then again . . . maybe he never made it anywhere. Maybe he collapsed and was still bleeding intensely . . .

"Everlyn."

Maybe he really was dead. My stomach twisted.

The thought made me feel sick.

Was I doing the right thing keeping all this to myself?

"Everyln!" someone shouted. I immediatley snapped out my trans in suprise, looking up at Marylinn who had her hands on her hips. I pulled a smile as she huffed and glared. "God, I've been calling you for, like, ten minutes. What's with you?"

"Hi to you too best friend," I said with a hint of sarcasm. She rolled her eyes but smiled nevertheless.

"So, what crawled up your ass this morning?" she asked. I blinked and furrowed my brows.

"Umm . . . excuse me?"

"The only times you're ever in such a heavy amount of thought is when you're bothered by something - or you're upset. Or just both. So, what is it?" She sighed. "Cus' I really don't want to drag you around the whole school today while you mope around and I try to figure out what's going on up there." She said pointing to her head.

"I'm so not like that," I said with a soft laugh.

"Everlyn Annabell Rose. For the past five years I've been stuck with you, I think I can pretty much get around to figuring out how seriously complicated you are."

"Thanks so much," I said sarcastically and pulled a fake smile. She grinned.

"ANytime," she said with a little laugh and headed to her seat as everyone started settling in. "Just don't scare off the new kid."

I paused for a moment.

New Kid? Since when were we getting a new kid?

I shook my head lightly and shurgged it off. That was the least of my worries anyway - they'd just be another annoying student to add to the bunch we already had at Averly High School. And pretty much no one wanted that anyway. Besides, they'd blend in with the rest of us quicker than The Flash.

And The Flash was pretty fast to be fair.

Anyway, as I was saying, that was the least of my worries by far. And because of this, I had no intention on focusing in the lesson as Mr Johnson droned on about something to do with the Worl War.

Maybe he's been in a war?

Pfft. Don't be stupid Everlyn.

I was still trying to figure out exactly how I was supposed to break the news to the police, and my Mum, and Marylinn and how I was explain how-

The door swung open and all attention went over to it.

When he walked in my breathe LITERALLY caught in my throat.

The pencil I had been twisting in my fingers slipped from my grasp and clattered straight onto the table and onto the floor.

It was him.

I gasped. Everyone looked at me for a second in confusion, but wuickly back over to our new guest. As everyone stared he seemed to linger at the door for a moment. Then he caught my gaze. My heart raced.

There was a hint of recognition in hi glitening eye, but it had faded as fast as it had appeared. He immediatley looked away, shrugging pretty much my whole existance off, then walked straight over to Mr Johnoson, keeping a fair distance.

"Ah," Mr Johnson said, placing his pen down for a moment. "You must be the new student?" He scanned some sheets then looked back up at the boy.

Back up at the boy I thought was dying.

"Zeke Everstone?"

"Yes," he answered with the same nonchalant voice he had when He lay in my arms bleeidng to death.

So many questions raced in my mind. Why was he here? NEW STUDENT? What had happened to him when he left?

Why did he suddenly look alright?

"Would you like to introduce yourself to the class?" Mr Johnoson offered, but not quite enthusiatic as he was trying to pull off.

"No," 'Zeke' put lightly. But it felt like a very sharp rejection. Before Mr Johnson could say anything he walked off and went to the back to take the first empty seat he could find. My gaze didn't leave him for a second - even a everyone went back to work after becoming unamused at his grand entrance and Mr Johnson went back to teaching.

He caught my gaze. I stopped breathing.

Then, slyly, a small grin appeared. But disappeared fast.