Locker Love Notes (DISCONTINUED)

Cheaters Anonymous- Chapter 4

It was like the principal put something in the water, or the world stopped spinning for the next few weeks. It was subtle, the changes that happened, but they sure as hell happened.
It started when  I first began finding Band-Aids in my locker. Then it was ibuprofen. Then gauze...and a lighter I had dropped. I had no idea who it could've been, or why. I asked Josh, but of course it wasn't her.
Who else knew my locker combination? No one I could think of.

"Ethan...Ethan!" I snapped up from staring at my lap and looked at Josh. How long had she been talking?

"Sorry..." I apologized, rubbing my fingers across my lighter. She sighed, taking a puff of her cig and studying me.

"Are you still on about your secret admirer?" She asked. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"No I'm just...thinking," I replied after a few seconds of silence. I stared at the statue a few feet from me. My eye throbbed harshly, and I wasn't doing the best job to ignore it. It was looking a bit better but my falling in gym class excuses weren't going to keep holding up for long. She said it was an accident, but I don't think pushing someone down the stairs is an accident. 

It was afterschool, so we didn't really have to worry about the time. Josh stayed here to throw up some graffiti, which I of course decided to come with. I drew in my sketchbook to pass the time since graffiti wasn't really my thing, but I wasn't really getting any good sketches rolling yet. My mind was just running everywhere else. 

"Man, just try drawing something you like or some shit. It can't be that hard right?" she suggested. I sighed, looking down at the blank sketchbook page, and tapping my pencil against it. I started aimlessly sketching as Josh stomped out her cigarette, and popped off the top of a spray paint can. I started sketching some random male figure, careful to get the curves of the muscles correct. The air filled with the smell of spray paint which, in my opinion, is one of the greatest smells in the world. I reached down in my pocket, digging around for a coughdrop. I frowned as I fished out only a few crumbled wrappers, making me huff and get to my feet. 

"I'll be right back, I'm gonna grab my cough drops," I explained, heading out the back of the building and making my way toward the school. I glanced at the football field, which held the team as they finished up their practice. My face flared up with heat upon seeing the shirtless football boys standing around and chatting away like it was nothing. Oh god Ethan, look away. 

I quickly turned into the school, pushing my hair out of my eyes and letting the cool AC air hit me full blast. Had I left them in the art room or my locker? Shit, was the changing room locked? I hope not. I began my way toward the locker rooms, passing the mostly empty classrooms and study hall. Of course the athletics hall has to be on the opposite side of the school. I just gazed at the floor as I walked, happy that the usually busy halls were barren. I approached the athletics hall, turning into the main gym which was surprisingly empty. I made my way across the gym floor, my shoes making that annoying squeaking sound as I went. 

I guess I was paying too much attention to the squeaking of my shoes though, because I could hear a loud rowdy group of boys making their way toward the gym entrance as well, and they weren't coming slow. Shit, of course football practice had to end right now. I picked up my walk into a quick run, skidding out of the gym and into the men's locker room entrance. They wouldn't do anything when the coach was around, but I would definitely be in for the beating of a lifetime afterward for interrupting. I looked around for a second before opening the janitors closet in the hallway, and closing the door quietly. 

Man, why does the Universe have the worst timing? I bit my tongue as the loud crowd of boys walked by, their coach trying to get them to calm down, which is obviously useless. Not even God himself can calm down football boys after a good practice. After a few minutes, the coach finally got them to quiet down in the locker room. I tapped my fingers against the door impatiently, which didn't work at all by the way, because I was still sitting there in complete darkness like a weirdo for what seemed like hours. The coach just kept blabbing on about sports terms I didn't understand, with Mark licking the coaches boots every now and then. What a suck up man, you'd almost think he was trying to bang the guy.