High School Dream ~ Youtuber Fanfiction ~

Chapter 10

CORY KNEW HIS DAY WAS GOING TO SUCK THE MOMENT HE WALKED INTO SCHOOL. For starters, it was Monday. Mondays always sucked.

He never minded the silence and stares that followed him through the halls. Leave it to the teenagers to stereotype people. But when one of the school clubs, the Supernatural Club, started opening umbrellas over his head, and shoving cats crudely painted black in his face, the paranoid part of his mind took over.

Cory subconsciously started to think of unlucky scenarios, ranging from a bird dropping waste on his head, to a car hitting him on the sidewalk.

Then he laughed silently. C'mon, Cory. You really gonna fall for their tricks?

Cory still couldn't shake the cold feeling off his back when he went to first period.

The next period, one that he shared with both Shelby and Nick, the latter noticed something was wrong. Cory was staring at the wall behind the teacher, a trick he learned from the Internet.

He heard a small cough beside him. Too lazy, and too spaced out, to acknowledge him, Cory continued his blank stare at the wall.

Someone reached their hand in front of his face and snapped their fingers.

Cory flinched, his back hitting his chair. He turned his head to the side, glaring at Nick. "What? I was trying to pay attention."

Nick rolled his eyes. "No, you weren't. I can tell when you're spacing out, you know."

"Okay, fine, maybe I was spacing out," Cory said. "But why do you care? I space out all the time. Especially in this class." He motioned towards the teacher writing algebra equations on the whiteboard.

"Can you two be quiet?" Shelby hissed, raising her sharpened, No. 2 pencil threateningly. "I am trying to be a good student here!"

"Hey, Shelby, don't you think Cory's acting a little-"

"Sorry, Shelby, we'll try to be quieter," Cory interrupted quickly.

Shelby smiled at that, and turned back to the lesson.

Cory smirked at Nick's annoyed expression, and turned away.

Nick sighed. "Come on, Cory. I know something's up. Tell me."

Cory ignored him.

"Cory. Cory Crater."

There was a bang on the desk next to him as Nick leaned closer and whispered sharply, "Cory Crater you tell me what's wrong right now!"

"Is there a problem, Mr. Nahrebiab?"

Cory looked up. The teacher was standing between him and Nick. Shelby was sitting on Nick's right, an exasperated look on her face.

Nick's face turned bright red. "N-No, Miss."

"Good." The teacher walked back up to the front of the classroom. "Now, as I was saying..."

Nick glared daggers at Cory's smug face. "There. I got in trouble. Now are you going to listen to me?"

Cory looked over. "No."

He could feel Nick's glaring burning into his right cheek. "Okay, even though you aren't gonna listen, I'm still gonna talk. I know something's up, Cory. Ever since that football game, you know, the one where those people were spreading all those rumors about you? You've been off. Not being your usual, rude self, spacing out, ignoring all your friends." Nick put emphasis on the word "friends". "So, as one of those friends, I'm gonna figure out what's wrong. And I'm not going to stop until I do."

Cory didn't answer. He heard Nick sigh, and watched out of the corner of his eye as Nick turned his attention back to the whiteboard.

"I've just got this feeling."

Nick turned around so fast he almost fell out of his chair. Cory heard the creak and whispered expletive as he regained his balance.

Cory kept his eyes trained on the equations written in green, dry-erase marker. "Those rumors people were making? What happens if they become true?"

Silence. Cory continued. "This morning, the supernatural club shoved a bunch of things toward me. A cat painted black, an open umbrella over my head- all signs of misfortune."

"Well, come on, Cory, you can't just go and believe the supernatural club's crazy theories," Nick said. "Besides, you'll be fine. You're Cory. The kid who doesn't take B.S. from anybody."

Cory turned to look at Nick just as his friend gave him a wry smile.

"Not even his best friend."

***

"Hey, Cory, did you go to the grocery store this week?" his mother asked.

"No," Cory replied, not looking up from his phone.

"Oh, alright." There was a quiet jingle as Cory's mother picked up her keys. "I'll go get some right now. Your father's off taking Uni to his drawing class."

"'Kay."

The door closed, and Cory was alone in the house.

Later, as Cory was texting his friends on a group chat, there was a knock on the door.

Cory got up from his comfortable position on the couch and opened it.

Two men, dressed in worn beige- faded, but professional- stood before him.

"Cory Crater?" One of them, tall with a skinny frame, asked.

Cory eyed the two men suspiciously. "Yes?"

The second, short and stout, held up his badge.

Cory studied it closely. A combination of leather and metal that he recognized, but had only seen on T.V.

"Beutoy County Police," the shorter one said.

"Okay," Cory said flatly. "And why exactly are you here? Did someone from school tell you about me, because if so, I swear to God-"

"No, we aren't here on account of people from your school, Mr. Crater," the taller one said calmly, though Cory could've sworn he saw a flicker of surprise in the police officer's eyes. "We're here because there was a car accident on the corner of Septiplier Street and Sidepack Lane."

The shorter one delivered the killing blow. His words caused Cory's world to blur, his ears to ring, and everything in his life to come crashing down.

"We're very sorry for your loss."

[ sorry bout the late update >_< ]