The Haven High Book Series (Wattys2017)

Chapter 2

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Zach looked up in surprise to find he'd fallen into a crouch behind the large lab table, and had to blink repeatedly to clear his vision. From his crumpled state on the cold linoleum, he could see Lauren frantically exchanging an anxious look from him to the front of the class in the direction of the teacher.

Zach wasn't surprised to see Knight careen around the table given the looks Lauren had been sending his way, but he was surprised to see a concerned look on his teacher's face before he blurted out, "You're okay son. I have you now!"

His teacher, seeming to address the class, announced  in his most authoritative tone, "There's absolutely nothing to worry about," as he held his hand palm out in the universal gesture to stay back.

When Knight turned his piercing gaze back to Zach and asked urgently, "What are your symptoms? Do we need to remove you from the classroom?" Zach didn't know what to think.

He just stared at him in confusion. It was just a headache; he wasn't an atomic bomb about to go off. He looked around in that moment to see every kid in the class, instead of coming forward in curiosity or concern, had backed off to the far corners of the room.

Zach examined the lab table to see if he had knocked over something that would cause a violent chemical reaction, but there was nothing that would elicit the kind of fearful response he could now see on his classmates faces.

Hell, Cameron was even standing with his girlfriend Megan behind him, like Zach was intending on going on a murderous rampage, and he fully intended to become a human shield.

Zach took a shuddering breath before straightening up, and said,"Sheesh lighten up guys. It's just a friggin headache." Lauren grabbed his elbow and helped him get to his feet.

Mr. Knight asked with concern, once again, as he locked him in his eerie stare, "You sure you're feeling okay young man, do you need to go to the nurse's office?"

Zach replied, "No Sir. I think I just need to stretch my legs and splash some cold water on my face, maybe grab an advil," he had some stashed in his locker, "Can I be excused to go to the bathroom?"

The dull ache was still there and even though the hum seemed to have abated, he felt fine. No lasting effects. God he hoped it was just a phantom headache not an aneurism or something. The way the class was acting you'd think his head was about to explode.

"Well all right then, but if you start experiencing any other symptoms don't hesitate to swing back or head straight for the nurse's office. "

"I'm fine", he assured, but no one looked like they believed that for a second.

Lauren asked, "Do you need me to come with you?"

"To the guy's washroom?" Zach asked incredulously.

A feeling of guilt washed over him as he watched her face turn a bright shade of red.

He reached out his hand and gave her arm a squeeze to reassure her he was all right, and said again, "I'm fine okay. It's just a headache. I'll be back in a minute."

She repeated what the teacher said and urged him to come back to the class right away if he felt weird.

Wow everyone was acting strangely today. What the hell was going on? He couldn't wait until end of class to ask Lauren what the heck this was all about. There was no doubt in his mind that she knew something; she was broadcasting her concern even now from across the room.