Shadows

5. Everything's fine

"Yeah, here." Says Xander nonchalantly, taking a piece of paper out of his pocket and handing it to the teacher.

I blink. Where did he get that.

Mr.Halk scans the paper. Looking extremely disappointed, he tells us to sit down. Xander helps me to my seat, gives me a nod, and goes to his.

Tom beside me gives me a concerned look, I wave my hand dismissively and give him a small reassuring smile.

I check my watch, I don't really see the point, we pretty much skipped the lesson- checking that off my bucket list- we have six minutes left.

Our schedule is pretty messed up.
First, we have three lessons, each thirty minutes then a fifteen minute break, then two more thirty minute lessons, then - probably to make for their previous cruelty -we have lunch of an hour and a half, then a last lesson of fifty minutes.

With that aside, six minutes is enough to regain my thoughts-

Where did he get that?

Maybe he got it when Lance and I were in the library, that's probable- but how did he get time to write it- maybe he did when I wasn't looking- but how did he even know we were going to need it- I don't know maybe he gets into trouble a lot- wait.
My mind wanders back to the paper Lance and Spencer were writing on. Could that be it? But I didn't see him giving it to Xander, wait maybe Spencer gave it to him when they were down- but Spencer was with me- but Spencer might have given the paper back to Lance when I wasn't looking-
Oh

In the hallway, when Lance was talking to Spencer before we left, 'go and get '- the bandages in Spencer's pocket- and bandages mean nurse- nurse means note- and then to Xander 'if you're' -if you're late-

I put my hand on my mouth to cover a smile,
Lance you little genius.

But wait wait wait-

How am I going to keep this up? I mean the bruises and stuff, they take at least a week to heal. Can I miss a week of school?

Hell yeah.

But what if someone asks why, hell everyone will be asking why, being absent for one or two days is understandable, but for a week? And  not only will the questions be a pain in the neck, but I'll miss out on a lot- and I care about my studies, maybe not that much, I mean holiday for a week hell yeah, but if only I studied ahead or something- oh I can just study ahead- but this is going to be in my reports and they're- they're going to call my parents.

A cold dread prickles my insides.

No. I have to come to school.

But what about the bruises? Can I fake them for the next week? Hell I wasn't even the one who fake painted them- how am I supposed to know how. This means one thing- I need help- from the guys.

ugh. I feel stupid.

Anyway, I didn't hear anymore odd noises today, in the morning, mark drove me to school, the rumbling of engines and the usual traffic bustle was all I heard- I told him to take the shortcut, it was empty and quite but noo it just had to be closed down- cars honking everywhere, traffic, people cursing out of their windows, traffic- right back to my original thought, I didn't hear anything else today, nothing unusual-