EVERLASTING✔

The Calm Before An Unforgiving Storm*

I gulp and slowly place my pen in my pocket, I've got to get out of here. My vision is blurring as a sick feeling twirls in my stomach, I turn around to face Jason, his brows knit together in confusion and his mouth opens and closes.

"Evie, you look like you've seen a ghost. Are you ok-"

"Did you leave the yearbook copies at my house as I asked?" I cut him off, gripping the back of the seat tightly, hands shaking.

He nods slowly, looking across at Mya who also looks confused. I snap back around to the front to see X looking completely unbothered, my jaw clenches as he writes another thing on the board.

Without a second thought, I snatched my book off the table and my bag off the ground, almost running out of the classroom. I slam the door close, hearing Derek yelling my name but I ignore him, I have to be sure I've got this right, I have to know it's him.

I sprint as fast as I can, without bursting into super-speed. I may be in a hurry but I still have to keep my secret. As I'm running down the hallway, I shove my book into my bag and close it, throwing it back on my back.

I shove the school doors open, the sharp air of autumn hitting my face. I let out a shaky breath, taking one moment to calm down before I begin my run home, this time at super-speed.

I slam the door open and bolt up the staircase to my room. I swear I almost tear my door off its hinges when I open it, I throw my bag across my room letting it slam against my mirror, cracking it. I dive for the box under my bed and pull it out, I dumb its contents onto my bed, some of it spilling onto the floor.

I grab the big pile of papers that are being kept together by binder rings. I slam it onto my bed and frantically go through all the pages, my friends and I were meant to go through this together this weekend, plans have changed.

I almost miss it because I'm searching so fast, the senior class. I carefully flip through the pages, looking for the students with the last names beginning with 'B', once I get to the right sections I start looking across the rows, looking for his face.

I jump and almost drop the book when my phone starts ringing in my back pocket, I pull out my phone and answer. "Jason, what do you want?"

"Where the hell did you go!? We're all worried!" He shouts into the phone, the muffled sound of students moving in the background.

I pause for a moment, placing the book down, preparing to tell Jason what I discovered. "I think I know who X is," I say, finally admitting it out loud.

"What!?" Multiply voices shout in the background.

"Who?" Jason asks in a hushed tone.

I sigh, "I can't say just yet, or how I know, but give me today to confirm it's true, then we can finally do something, please."

I hear Jason sigh on the other end, I can tell he really wants to help out but I don't think I could possibly explain to him how I know all this. "Fine, but promise you will tell us Evie?" Jason asks just as the bell rings in the background.

"Promise."

I hang up and pick the book back up, just as I'm about to start looking again my phone starts ringing again, jeez Jason, what now? I pick up the phone expecting to hear Jason's voice on the other end, but it's all static.

"Hello?" I speak into the phone, but nothing replies.

I'm about to hang up when suddenly I hear whispering, I can't make it out and I'm struggling to hear it through the static. I listen closely to the whispering, soon I can just make out what they're saying, a name.