Out of the Dark

Chapter Seven

The following morning, all eyes were on me. Word about me being sent to the infirmary seemed to spread like a wildfire throughout the school.
To most, I was Annabeth James, the kidnapping survivor. To the rest, I was that girl who always found her way into trouble. I stared down at the ground as I walked through the halls, hoping not to catch anyone's eye.
I just wanted to rush through this day and finally tell Caitlyn my secret.
The only one of my friends that had first period Hydrokenesis Two was Brandon. We didn't speak to each other, but the look on his face said it all. He already knew what had happened to me in gym the day before. Everyone did.
For the remainder of the class period, I avoided eye contact with him, and everyone else in the room. I couldn't handle the judging stares. I wished that my power was to disappear whenever I wanted to. I wished even harder when class ended and Brandon approached me out in the hall.
"Hey." He greeted me casually.
"Hi." I responded quickly.
"Did you get any good notes? Mine are useless..." He chuckled.
I handed him my notebook.
"You've got to pay more attention if you want to catch up. We all do." I said sternly as I watched him open the notebook and scan over my notes.
"How do you have the time for all of this?" He asked, turning the pages towards me, and motioning at the doodles and dramatic handwriting on the pages. I shrugged.
"I guess I don't really." I shrugged. "It just helps me remember."
Brandon's eyes lifted above my head, meeting someone else's.
"Hey Zack." He greeted, as I spun around to face our friend. Zack didn't seem at all like his normal spunky self. In fact, he seemed distracted and distant. His eyes shifted in between Brandon and I quickly.
"Hey Brandon," he responded in an awkward tone. "Do you think I could borrow Annabeth for a minute?"
I looked back at Brandon, hoping to find that he wasn't too let down. He nodded and looked back at me.
"See you in lunch?" He asked.
"Yeah." I nodded. "I'll be needing those notes back so don't fool around."
Brandon flowed down the hallway with hundreds of other students. I looked up at Zack and attempted to assess the stress before he spoke. It was hard for me to read him since I didn't spend much time with him.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked, suddenly visibly self concious.
"Nothing," I shook my head.  "You're just usually a lot more... animated?"
Zack shoved his hands into his pockets and glanced down at his shoes.
"Right..." he mumbled.
The crowd was beginning to thin out and I knew that I was running out of time to get to my next class.
"Do you want to ditch and talk to me about what's bothering you?" I sighed. Zack seemed surprised but not opposed.
"When did you become such a bad girl?" He joked.
I rolled my eyes.
"Trust me, I've got plenty to be preoccupied with. One class period won't kill me." I sighed, rushing down the hall, looking out for adults. Zack kept up with me easily.
"Understandable. It's been a crazy year for all of us." He replied with a nod. "I know I don't ask enough about you since the incident. I just figured you didn't want to talk about it."
I nodded and the tardy bell rang. The hallway was empty. We needed to walk faster if we were going to get to the dormitory without being caught.
"You're absolutely right. I didn't- and I still don't. I'm trying to give Brandon a fresh start at this school, and that'll never happen if I force myself into hating him. Next topic please."
Zack moved on with ease, in a way that made me think he was facing some dark secret of his own.
"Look, I actually did track you down for some advice." His voice was low, almost like he was embarrassed. We stepped out into the warm sunlight and Zack inhaled deeply.
I raised an eyebrow suspiciously.
"This wouldn't happen to have a anything to do with how weird you've been acting around my best friend lately?" I asked with narrowed eyes.
"I'm not acting weird around her!" He argued defensively.
I stared at him without blinking until he caved.
"Help. Me." He begged.
"Oh God, this is worse than I thought." I teased, unable to help but laugh at his expense. Zack chuckled too, but it was obvious that he was serious.
"I thought you were so smooth, what happened?" I asked.
"Let's just say that she's a lot smarter than my usual demographic." He admitted. "And she's stupid cute- I have no idea how to talk to her."
I smiled. I'd never seen Zack with a crush before, and I'd never seen someone unable to speak around Cat. I wondered if there was a chance she might feel the same way about him.
"Okay, so then what do you two talk about all day every day?" I wondered.
We stepped inside the girl's dormitory and headed upstairs to my room.
"She talks most of the time- She's always got a lot to say. She has a lot going on." Zack sighed.
"We all do." I pointed out. "So you listen to her. At least you've got that on your side."
"I guess. I still have no idea how to make her want to be my girlfriend." He grumbled.
I smiled.
"Relax. She likes you, I can tell. Her insults are more endearing than they used to be. Just keep doing what you're doing, and I'll find out if you've got a shot." I assured.
"You're the best." Zack said with a smile that I returned.
"I know." I agreed.
Of all the guys who could have developed a crush on my best friend, I was glad that Zack was the one that did. He was pretty rough around the edges, but he had a big heart, and that's what Cat would be looking for.
I opened the facebook app on my phone and scrolled through my feed until my father's name popped up. I didn't get to read the post before Zack was nosily peering over my shoulder.
"Who's that?" He asked.
"Oh no," I shook my head with a laugh. "I haven't even talked to Cat about this drama and you won't be the first one finding out about it."
I locked my phone and shoved it into my back pack, and Zack put up his hands in surrender.
"Fine. Not for me to know. Got it." He rolled his eyes about it, but dropped the subject.
We sat in silence for a long time before Zack's phone began to ring.
"Speak of the devil..." he chuckled, raising the cell to his ear.
As he spoke to Cat, I couldn't help but smile. I realized that I liked him so much because he was the exact opposite of Caitlyn's ex boyfriend, Martin.
For one thing, Zack was actually taller than her. He also kept his hair clean and changed his clothes every day. Their movie and music tastes were very different, but because of it, they always had something to talk about. The thing I loved most about Zack, that had won my approval long before I was ever asked for it; was the fact that Zack had defended her last year against Brandon. He hadn't stopped looking out for her since that night, and I was grateful for that.
"That was Cat, She's actually pretty pissed at me for cutting class, so I'm going to go buy her a snack. You coming with?" Zack asked, pulling me from my thoughts.
I shook my head.
"No, I should probably study." I sighed, flipping through the thick math book I'd been assigned the day before.
"Suit yourself. See you." Zack shrugged, stepping out into the hallway and closing the door behind himself.
I studied my guided notes packet from my triganomatry class. I hated numbers, and apparently I hated triangles more. I groaned and did my best to fill in all the answers to the practice problems.
After a certain point, I began lazily doodling on the margins of the pages, while I thought about what I would even say to my father if he did agree to come and visit with me.
What if he brings her?
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. He had to know better than that at least, right?
Eventually, I fell asleep on the open pages of my book in my bed.
I dreamed of Eddison again, and even though I had had the dream several times already, I remained shocked when the events unfolded before me.
"Sorry for what?!" I spat hatefully.