Hide (Sequel to RUN)

Chapter 5

“What do you want?” I growled as my vision started to clear. Then I sank to my knees, suddenly light-headed. 

“You freak!” someone yelled above me. I placed a hand on the wall, steadying myself. Why hadn’t they grabbed me? 

I looked up. 

“Susan?” I asked, placing a hand on my head and pulling myself up. “What…what happened?”

“Don’t play dumb, you psycho! You just attacked me!”

“Attacked…? Oh my goodness…Susan, I’m so sorry. I thought…I thought you were…I’m sorry.” 

“Save it,” she spat, pushing past me and stalking down the hall. “You’ll regret this, freak.” She walked out of earshot, her heels clicking as she went. 

“Out of all people…” I mutter furiously. My fist flies a second later, connecting with the wall. I don’t flinch at the pain it brings. 

Or at the crunching sound the bones make when it connects. 

My breath is shaky and short, keeping my heart rate up. I bring my hands up in front of my face. They’re shaking. 

I clench them quickly, bringing them back down to my sides. Calm down. Calm down.

My heart rate comes down, slowly but surely. Helmet. Where’s my helmet?

I look around, spotting it in the middle of the hall. Still ignoring the pain in my hand, I go and pick it up. 

With one last breath, I calm myself and continue on to find the classroom. 

Out of all the people that could have walked up on you. Why did it have to be Susan? Huh? Why can’t you just have PTSD like a normal person?

I reach door 455. Some kind of AP math class is being taught behind it. This wasn’t even my idea… I enter the classroom, closing the door silently behind me. Thankfully, no one notices me as I press my back against the wall. It’s the first bit of good luck I’ve had all day. 

The teacher is talking on a lesson that I recognize from the textbook. He looks up and notices me standing there. 

“Can I help you?” he asks. And of course, the entire class is now focused on me. I shift the helmet under my arm nervously. 

“I’m…I’m Lekia Born. I’m just here for the next class,” I say louder than I want to. He nods, “You can take a seat.” I find an empty seat in the back row. 

Throughout the rest of the class, all of the seniors keep sending looks back at me. I finally just take out the textbook and notepad and start doing the problems that are written on the board. 

Ten, very long, minutes later, the dismissal bell rings. All the seniors in the class file out, sending looks my way the whole time.

“Ms. Born,” the teacher calls, motioning me to the front of the classroom. I leave my stuff on the table and head up to his desk. 

Why are both my teachers male? Why can’t they be female? Sometimes that doesn’t even make a difference and you know it. Still…men are a little worse…why both men why both men why both men…hmmm?

“Sir?” I asked, placing my hands behind my back. 

“I thought you had graduated, Ms. Born,” he stated, working on his computer.

“I did, sir. Just last week.” 

“If you don’t mind my asking, why are you waiting for my next class to begin?”