Trouble School

16}}No Escape

Fred found himself panicking. On one hand, Suzanne was passed out on the cement floor of the roof. On the other, someone else had definitely screamed just a second ago.

He was kneeling next to Suzanne, trying to figure out what to do. He didn't know CPR, and he figured it would be unwise to attempt it. What was it people like to say? "Don't try this at home, kids"? That sounded right.

In movies they usually checked for a pulse. That much was self-explanatory. So Fred pressed the first two fingers of his hand to the inside of Suzanne's wrist, he held his breath. Her pulse was strong, steady. Which was good... So... What had happened?

He licked his lips, nervously pulling the lower one into his mouth and biting down on it. He held one hand over her mouth, warm breath fanned his palm rhythmically. She seemed to be breathing fine.

What else could he do?

He patted her cheek gently. "Hey Suze," he said, speaking a little louder than what his mother called an "inside voice."

Suzanne bolted upright, headbutting his arm and startling him enough that he almost fell over backwards.

Her eyes were wide and wild, the cool grey darting about everywhere. Her breathing — which before had been smooth and regular — was now erratic and ragged. She looked... terrified.

Her eyes soon latched onto him. He started to say something, he had no idea what, but she interrupted him. "Tru is dead."

{ { o } }

Suzanne's head felt a few dozen sizes too big for her shoulders, the sudden extra weight having been stuffed full of wool. Some demolition workers had also set up shop in there, and they seemed not at all concerned with how much pain they caused her.

She whimpered in spite of herself, curling her knees up toward her chest and burying her face between them and her arms. She squeezed her eyes shut, but that only sharpened the vision she'd just seen in her mind.

Tru's last words still echoed in her mind...

Why are you doing this?

Don't hurt me...

Please don't hurt—

Suze?

"Suzanne? You still with me?"

She looked up, only realizing that her eyes were full of tears when Fred appeared to her as little more than a blur.

"Why did you say that?"

"What?"

"That — y'know — about Tru."

Oh. Had she said that aloud? Well, it's not like she could keep it a secret. Besides. It was true. She choked on a laugh. "It's true, what I said about Tru." Though it wasn't really all that funny.

She could feel the frown on his face, even if she couldn't see it through the tears. "That's not funny. And how do you know?"

"She screamed," Suzanne said, a poor attempt at deflection.

"How do you know? That could've just as easily been Didi or May. Hell, it could've been Eddie for all we know."

At first she refused to answer. She couldn't think if a good excuse, couldn't simply distract him or anything like that.

"Suze," Fred warned. "Tell me."

She almost did.

But the door to the roof slammed open an instant later, and a pale Cliff came to a panting abrupt halt just outside it. "Someone," he paused, trying to regain his breath. "Someone's been killed!"