The Other Side - ON HOLD UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

Chapter Seven:

I raised my eyebrow again watching as they exchanged a handshake before Dylan smiled at him and walked off back to the table that was patiently awaiting him. He leaned into his table saying something before he grabbed a hand full of chips making each one fall before a brown haired boy said something making Dylan look up and narrow his eyes seeming to mumble something back. All the boys around him were in agreement and their hands went into the center of the table as if awaiting him to do his bit. Dylan took in each of their looks. Cautiously he put his hand in the middle as they all cheered and broke the circle shuffling Dylan left the café with one last handful of chips.

“He seems happy about his dare.” Holly mumbled as Leon mumbled counting the money.

“This guy sure is confident about the dare, 4,800 in here.” Leon whistled placing the money into his jeans and zipping up the pocket for safe keeping. I eyed the table laughing. Within the next 10 minutes I learnt that that whole table was 80% basketball players and the rest was footballers. Leon was on both teams for a random reason. He also told me that last time Dylan lost well over £5,000. The boys promised him his last money back if he went through with the dare but he never told him what it was. Dylan claimed it was ‘taking caution’ which was something odd for him.

The crying bell had us racing to class again. Once again Jade and I made our way to the revolting classroom of chemistry. It wasn’t exactly the classroom that was revolting; it was more the people in the classroom (Dylan and Melanie.). Surprisingly walking into the classroom the desk in front of us was taken by the same boy with brown hair that had said something to Dylan at the table. Melanie was sitting in the second row guarding the seat with her huge bag obviously for Dylan. If they weren’t a thing, then why were they so touchy? And if they WERE a thing, why was she sucking faces with Ben…and if she was a thing with either of them, why wouldn’t they confront each other? Dylan saw them sucking faces in the halls when he stood with me. I don’t understand people; maybe psychology was a bad option for me.

10 minutes into the lesson a knock on the door stopped the teacher from talking about atoms, not that we were really interested in the first place. In walked Dylan late as usual. The teacher just waved her hand telling him to hurry up. He smiled at Mel as she moved the bag for him but he walked back, his hands in his pocket and sitting down next to the boy in front of me smiling at us both making Jade shake her head at him.

Dylan took his seat leaning back and whispering something to the boy next to him, too low for me to hear and it was so unclear when he spoke a little louder. They boy next to him nodded a couple of times before turning to him wide eyes. I watched a small smile travel up Dylan’s eyes as he slipped into his hands some cash. The boy next to him looked Gold up and down before clearly saying, “I’m your best friend man, you don’t have to pay me Dyl.”

Dylan shrugged at what was ‘his best friend’ had said, “You need it Jack, you said it yourself. I want to help my mate out.” Dylan whispered softly pushing the money further into his body. “Take it, let me help you.” Jack looked around before nodding and stuffing the money in his back pocket as he patted the guy next to him who too looked dangerous and he whispered something to him making sure that the teachers back was turned. He nodded passing his a small key. Jack wrapped his hand around the small key before getting up and asking for a hall pass for the toilet. The teacher granted it to him as he slipped out the classroom looking at Dylan.

Jack was gone for a good amount of time, even the teacher started wondering where he was as she stared up at the clock above the door way. Before we knew it there was a sudden burst and the fire alarm took off alarming us all. All of us but Dylan who slipped out of his seat just as the guy that Jack had asked the key for. We all got up from our seats and walked out of the classroom following the crowd. Jade and I followed the crowd out into the parking lot as we watched huge flames take up the whole school slowly consuming it. The students started panicking. Fire trucks and the police cars were already lined up in the parking lot in the matter of seconds. Further down the road we could all hear ambulance sirens. The teachers tried to calm the shrieking down, but even I was worked up.