Sorry, Not Sorry
"I'm just saying, we've been sitting on this for a couple days now, and we're doing nothing."
Y/n hopped out of the Cruiser and Michael groaned and scratched his head.
"I... I know. I get what you're saying. But if nothing has happened thus far-"
"Michael."
He stepped out of the car and sighed, leaning against it and looking at her from the top.
She crossed her arms. "Mikey, I have not been home in over a week. I haven't seen my uncles in over a week, I don't know where they are or if they're safe."
Michael stared at her for a long second, before nodding.
"Okay... alright..." he sighed, sitting back down in the driver's seat.
Y/n's eyebrows furrowed, and she glanced up at the school.
"What are you doing?"
He rummaged around in the center console, pulling a lighter out of his jeans.
"I just need a smoke for a minute."
She watched him light the little blunt, and exhale a thick cloud of smoke.
"Alright. I'm gonna head in."
He nodded and gave a little two finger wave.
"I'll be in a minute."
She nodded.
With her bag dangling from her shoulder, she went in the side doors.
When she got in the hall, it was busy.
She missed seeing so many people.
It was like she'd been so isolated recently.
On the thick cement windowsill, she saw Jeremy Heere biting his thumbnail.
When their eyes met, his widened and he sprung up from his seat.
"Y/n!" He bustled over to her, and she gasped.
"Jeremy, hey! Are you okay?"
His eyes wandered around and he ran a hand through his curly brown hair.
"Hey, uh, where-uh... where's Michael?"
She glanced back at the door.
"In his car, smoking."
Jeremy laughed awkwardly and nodded.
"Oh, okay. Then uh... I guess, can I just talk to you for a second?"
He looked around and leaned closer to whisper, "Somewhere we can talk about... you know..."
She inhaled, "Oh! Oh yah, sure, uh...."
Her eyes landed on one of the multipurpose rooms by the bathroom, pulling Jeremy along towards it.
All that was inside were dusty blinds, a couple classroom chairs, and two meeting tables stacked on top of each other.
She shut the door and crossed her arms, leaning against it.
"What's up?" She asked, right as the warning bell rang.
He opened his mouth to speak, pointing up and she shook her head.
"It's fine, we can be a little late to class."
He nodded and fidgeted with his fingers.
"Well um, I just wanted to apologize. Cause you kn-well, like... I just ran off the other day. Which was pretty sucky, you-well you know given the circumstances."
She frowned and opened her mouth to interject but he kept going.
"And like, you've been through more than anyone."
"Jer, that's not true. You held that thing in your brain for longer than I could handle."
He shook his head. "Right! B-but I mean it really wasn't that bad, and you got attacked by your own family."
She blinked.
"I took one, and my life will never be the same again!"
Her head getting pressed into the floor.
The pressure of her skull and his weight.
He wasn't wrong. She got attacked by her own family.
You're gonna take this goddamn thing if I have to shove it down your throat!
And now she had forgotten the point she was trying to make.
"Whoa!" Jer flinched.
Beside them, the little window on the door started cracking ever so slightly.
Y/n backed away from it, stopping her thought spiral before she shattered the glass.
"Extraordinary." He whispered, staring at it.
Then he turned back around to face.
"Look, a-all I'm saying is... I ran off which wasn't fair to you, cause you're going through a lot."
She smiled half-heartedly.
It was nice to see Jeremy back and better.
Especially after that massive breakdown.
"It's okay Jer, you didn't really do anything wrong."
He nodded, his shoulders hunching less.
He glanced down at his backpack on the floor, exhaling with relief and grabbing his drink bottle.
"Great, awesome. When do you think Michael'll be back in?" He asked, taking a big swig and glancing out the little window.
The hallways were empty now.
Shit we're gonna be so late for class, Y/n thought.
She couldn't really make herself care as much as she wanted to though.
"I'm not positive. He just needed to calm down."
Jeremy nodded and turned back around, glancing at Y/n at up and down.
His eyes danced around the room awkwardly, like he didn't really know what to do now.
He looked down at his drink, holding it out to her.
"Want some?"
He had a blue water bottle with a stupid space pun on it.
Of course he does, she smiled to herself.
"Sure."
She grabbed it and leaned against the table.
It was like they were passing alcohol at school.
Except Jeremy would never drink alcohol.
Not at school anyways.
She liked having a friend like him, one that could be "innocent" without having to be called inno-
She paused, staring at the bottom of the cup.
She tilted it up to sip the fizzy liquid, but saw a little piece of ice that had sunk to the bottom.
No. Not ice.
A pill.
She froze, looking over the top of the cup.
The drink was vibrant green.
She got so frightened she dropped the bottle, jumping back.
It bounced on the floor, banging hollowly.
Green soda spilled all over the floor, a little grey pill in the puddle of mayhem.
She looked up at Jeremy... who was standing in front of the goddamn door.
"Jer..."
His entire awkward, bumbly demeanor changed.
He stood up straight and crossed his arms, sighing disappointedly.
"Well you clearly know I'm not Jeremy." He spoke clearly. It was terrifying.
And his eyes started shining bright blue.
She didn't know what to say.
She didn't know how to get out.
She was trapped, and her heart was beating faster and faster.
"I... why are you-"
"I'm going to stop you right there." He held one finger up, stepping closer.
Y/n stumbled backwards.
"You know why I'm here, you know what I want, and you know what I will do to get what I want." He lectured sinisterly.
"The only question is... how am I going to do it?"
Y/n stumbled back again, trying to gain composure.
Get some kind of wit so she could get out of that room.
"I don't know why you're fighting this so hard Y/n, it's not such a bad thing."
She scoffed. "You know what, I value my free will-"
He raised one eyebrow. "What's wrong with you?"
He spat. She flinched.
Not literal spit.
"Why do you walk around, talking about last year like you were there? You weren't. You keep acting like your a victim and you're just a scared little girl."
She backed away from him, rounding the stacked, round tables.
"I lost my family!"
"You lost nothing! You still have your sanity, you still have your freedom. But Jeremy?"
It raised it's hand, fingers glowing and sparking as he touched his temple.
"He's gone."
The electric pulses shot through his head and the boy's eyes faded to their normal color.
And he screamed in pain, hitting the floor.
"Jeremy!" She gasped, running to check on him.
What had it done? What was it doing?
"Hasn't it already done enough?!" She thought.
She dropped to her knees to help him, and he grabbed her by the wrist pulling her to the floor and holding her down.
"No! Get... off me!" She screamed, not caring who heard anymore, and who'd they'd reveal this too.
"You know I won't stop, until you are infected. I won't stop, until we are inside that sick little brain of your's."
She screamed again, and Jeremy flew up, and hit the ceiling.
She gasped and crawled away as he fell back down to the floor.
Groaning with pain she made a break for the door, the window shattering now as her heart beat in her ears.
When she stumbled out into the hall, Michael was on the floor...
And 6 more kids with glowing eyes were waiting for her.