Recap:
"Andrew?" My mom grinned so widely I thought her face would split, then her smile dropped suddenly. "Then what does the note mean?"
I sighed again. "That's just some stupid girls with way too much time on their hands."
She raised an eyebrow at me and I shook my head at her.
"It isn't a big deal, so please just leave it alone." I told her sternly.
She pursed her lips but nodded.
She sat down next to me and rubbed my back soothingly. With my mother's gentle touch the stress and anxiety began to fade.
"So," she began again. "You and Andrew, huh?"
After skillfully evading all of my mom's questions about Andrew she finally let the subject drop.
She and my dad were leaving tomorrow morning for their trip to Mexico and she was giving me her usual warnings about kidnappings and house break-ins.
I finally made it up to my room and went to sleep. The next day Andrew drove me to school again and I told him about the note.
"I'm so sick of those girls. They need to stop all of this." He said angrily and I sighed.
"This has Brianna written all over it. I wish she never came here. I thought I had gotten rid of her." I said.
Andrew sent me a sympathetic glance as he pulled into the school's parking lot.
"I'll get them to stop, okay Tally?" He promised.
I smiled. "I don't want you to have to stress over this, it isn't that big of a deal."
He shook his head as we got out of the car. Andrew held my hand as we walked into the school and made it to my locker. I opened it and was pleasantly surprised when nothing out of the ordinary popped out.
Robyn walked up and greeted us.
"Hey guys." She said with a smile.
"Hey." Andrew said and I simply smiled back.
"Have you seen Zander and Chrissy yet?" She asked.
"No, not yet." I replied. "Why?"
"Zander has my math homework." Robyn explained. "I'll just get it back third period."
The bell rang and I said bye to Andrew before Robyn and I made our way to first period.
Our teacher gave us a book assignment and gave us until the next day to do it. I took this opportunity to tell Robyn about the note that my mom had found in our mailbox.
"That's so creepy!" Robyn exclaimed, immediately getting shushed by the teacher.
"I know. I can't figure out how they found my house. Maybe they followed me?" I guessed.
"What stalkers. I never thought Rebecca would go this low." Robyn said.
"I never thought she would either." I said in agreement. "Brianna on the other hand, doesn't surprise me."
Soon enough the period ended, followed by three more and we were entering the cafeteria for lunch.
"I haven't seen the Barbie bitches today." Zander said sitting down.
"Neither have I." Said Andrew grumpily.
"Good then. The less we see of them, the better." I said.
"What exactly did they do?" Cal asked.
We all looked at him in confusion.
"Dude, where the hell have you been?" Trent, who was sitting next to Andrew asked.
"If it wasn't already obvious, they've been tormenting Natalia." Andrew said.
Calvin glared at them. His glare-filled eyes turned to me and the anger left.
"I'm sorry Natalia, I guess I just haven't been aware of my surroundings." He said with a sympathetic look.
"Guys, don't be mean. It's fine Calvin, Andrew is making it out to be worse than it is." I said.
"I'm making it out to be worse than it is?" Andrew asked incredulously. "How am I supposed to make it out to be?"
"Nat, this is a pretty big deal. In fact, those girls are lucky they aren't here today. How could they go as far as stalking you?" Trent rambled.
"This isn't that bad you guys. Honestly, I can handle a couple of notes. I was just upset that my mom found one, now she's more suspicious than she's ever been." I explained.
"But Nat, aren't you even a little but worried? I mean first they get into your locker, then they find your house," Robyn began.
"I've dealt with worse." I said.
"Well, I think all we can do now is stay on guard. Who knows what Rebecca and Brianna will do next." Cal said in a light tone.
The lunch bell rang and everyone started to exit the room.
I smiled and turned away when Trent pulled Robyn in for a kiss.
I grabbed my stuff and turned to leave when Andrew pulled me back.
"I'll walk you to class." He said wrapping his arms around my waist.
I shook my head. "I'm going to the library to work on some history research. Plus I need to be alone for a while. Just to breathe."
His eyebrows furrowed.
"I'll come with you."
"You need to go to class. I'll see you after school, okay?" I insisted.
He sighed but nodded.
"Can we hurry it up guys? Some of us have classes." Zander said jokingly.
I looked over and saw that he was talking to Trent and Robyn who had their arms wrapped around each other.
Andrew laughed and kissed me deeply. I put my back pack on just as Robyn finished up with Trent.
"Alright, let's go." I said to the group. Why they actually waited was beyond me since we all pretty much had different classes.
"Finally." Calvin muttered hotly.
I shot him a questioning glance but he just turned away and glared at the wall.
We were already late so I decided to ask him about it later.
I said good-bye to my friends and made my way towards the library. I made a quick stop at my locker to grab my history notes. I opened my locker cautiously and, when nothing popped out, I grabbed my notebook and stuffed it into my backpack.
The hallway was empty as I made my way to the library, which was a few hallways over. I had gotten permission from my teacher to leave class today for school assignment purposes.
I was about to turn another corner when I was jerked roughly to the side. I gasped as something was placed over my eyes and I was pushed to the floor. I scrambled to pull the fabric off of my face but, before I could see who had pushed me, a spray of ice cold water hit me directly in the face. I turned my head away quickly and lifted my arms to try and block it. I realized that the person was spraying me with a water gun. I placed my hands on the floor and attempted to push myself up when my hand slipped from under me and I collapsed in a heap. Only seconds later I was completely soaked and the spray stopped as I sat on the floor with my guard up and with my eyes squeezed shut.
I took a deep breath then coughed out some water that had gotten into my mouth as I heard a door slam shut.
Slowly I blinked my eyes but I couldn't see anything. The world around me was dark and I couldn't make out any shapes. Panic shot through me.
Was I blind?
I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw a tiny stream of light coming from underneath a door. I realized that whoever sprayed me with water had pushed me into the janitor's closet.
"Another closet? Really Rebecca?" I huffed and wiped back the hair that had stuck to my face.
I stood up and stumbled slightly to the door. I attempted to turn the knob but it was locked. I groaned.
My mind lit up as I remember my cellphone. Quickly I slipped my back pack off and rifled through my front pocket, searching for my cellphone. I gasped and my eyes widened as I realized that it was in my locker.
"Oh no." I whispered. I didn't know what I was going to do.
It seemed like hours before the end of the period passed and the bell rang. I stood up from my spot on the ground and went to the door.
I raised both my hands and started pounding on it.
"Hello! Someone please open the door! There's a person in here!" I yelled as loud as I could but there was no answer.
I pressed my ear to the door and tried to listen. The hallway was silent.
"That doesn't make sense, there are always people in this hallway." I said to myself.
I continued pounding on the door and yelling for someone until the eight minute passing period ended and the bell rang, signaling the beginning of last period.
I sighed in defeat and sat back down on the floor. My clothes and hair were still damp and I wrapped my arms around myself to keep from shivering.
My eyes had adjusted to the dark room and I could make out shapes of the shelves and cleaning supplies. I looked at my lumpy backpack lying next to me and an idea popped into my head. I quickly grabbed my notebook and a pencil and flipped to a clean piece of paper. I wrote a short, but to the point, note and slipped it under the door. Someone was bound to see it and help me.
I felt a chill and shivered. I looked up and saw that there was a small, circular vent blowing cold air into the room.
I sat back against the wall and curled my knees up to my chest. My nose tickled and I covered my face as I sneezed.
"Great." I muttered. I rested my head on my knees and waited for someone to find my note.
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Andrew's POV:
I stopped by the library after fifth period to check on Natalia. I knew she said she wanted to be alone, but I was worried about her. She seemed really out of it today.
I walked through the library doors and looked out at the tables, expecting to see my beautiful girlfriend, but the only people in here were a few honors students, some math nerds, and the librarian.
I walked further into the library and checked in between all of the books shelves but she wasn't in here. I decided she must have gone back to class early.
As I passed the table with the nerds I stopped to ask them if they'd seen her.
"Hey, Justin," I looked to a kid I recognized from my PE class and his eyes widened.
"Me?" He asked me.
"Aren't you Justin?" I raised an eyebrow.
He blinked at me then nodded his head.
"Then yes, you." I confirmed. "Have any of you seen my girlfriend?"
"Natalia?" One of the guys I didn't know asked.
"Yeah, she was supposed to be here last period." I told them.
They shared a look then shook their heads.
"We've been in here since lunch and no one except those girls have come in or out of here." Justin said, gesturing to the honors students.
I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. Maybe she had gone to class after all.
I thanked the trio before walking back out of the library. I pulled out my phone and texted Tally.
Hey Tally are you in class? I asked her.
I waited for about ten minutes with no reply before I got frustrated and called her.
Her phone went straight to voicemail.
I decided to send a text to Cole since he was in sixth period with Tally.
Is Natalia with you? I texted him.
I waited for his reply as I looked around the hallway. The bell had long since rung and there was no one here besides me. Cole's reply came quickly.
No I thought she was in the library? He said.
My heart rate picked up as I read it. My phone began ringing and I saw that Cole was now calling me. I answered it right away.
"Nat's not at the library?" He asked immediately.
"No, some guys in there said she never went there at all." I answered.
"She isn't here either." Cole said.
"Are you in class right now?"
"Yeah, the teacher doesn't pay attention to anything though. I actually tried texting Nat last period but I never got a reply. I figured she was busy working." He told me.
I let out a breath and ran a hand down my face.
"What do you think happened?" I asked.
"The same thing you think happened." He responded after a pause. "Let's ask around and make sure she's not with someone else." Cole said. I agreed and we hung up.
After about fifteen minutes I had texted all of my and Tally's friends. They didn't know where she was either and they, being the kind of people they are, all met me out in the hallway.
"All of your teachers let you out of class?" I asked them.
"It took some persuasion but we know how to make it happen." Chrissy said. "Let's just find Natalia."
"Yeah," Calvin said. "I think it'll be best if we all split up to cover more ground." He suggested.
"It shouldn't be that hard. How much trouble could she be in, in school?" Cole asked and I nodded my head, trying to convince myself that he was right.
We all agreed and separated. I made my way down the hallway. I made a plan to go from the cafeteria to the library to see if I could find anything.
I made it to the cafeteria doors and looked around. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary and the hallways were still empty. There was probably about twenty minutes left of school.
I went down hallway after hallway, but they were all empty. I was surprised I hadn't even found any teachers around. I felt frustrated and worried that I couldn't find anything that would tell me where Tally was.
I spotted Cole coming towards me from the opposite side of the hallway.
"Did you find anything?" I asked him.
"No, nothing. This doesn't make any sense! Where could she have gone?" Cole asked, sounding as frustrated as I felt.
"She wouldn't have just left without telling anyone." I said.
I looked around the hallway. There was a wall of lockers on both sides. There weren't any classrooms in this hallway. Just a janitor's closet. Something on the floor a couple of feet from the closet caught my eye and I went to pick it up.
It was a crinkled piece of paper with a couple of foot prints on it. In perfect, familiar hand-writing was:
OPEN THE JANITOR'S CLOSET
My eyes widened and I stood up quickly. I passed the note to Cole and ran over to the closet door. I heard him closely behind me after reading the note. I twisted the handle but it didn't budge.
"We need to find a key." I said with urgency.
Cole shook his head and pulled out a pocket knife. "Move."
"Can you pick locks?" I asked in disbelief.
"My older brother used to lock me out of our house when I annoyed him. I figured it out after a while." He explained while attempting to unlock the door.
I heard a sharp click from the door and we quickly pulled it open.
I gasped and rushed forward. My heart clenched at the sight of the girl I was in love with curled up on the floor of the janitors closet. I knelt beside her and brushed the hair out of her face, confused when I found that it was damp. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing softly.
"Tally," I said gently. "Please wake up."
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Natalia's POV:
I felt my head pound as I tried opening my eyes. The sudden light burned and I squinted hard.
Why did the light hurt so badly? What time was it? When did I fall asleep?
"Tally, please wake up." I heard from next to me. The voice was warm and soft and I relaxed.
I tried to talk back but my throat was unbelievably dry. I blinked my eyes repeatedly, trying to adjust myself to the light pouring in.
I saw piercing gray eyes next to me. I opened my mouth to speak but I ended up coughing uncontrollably on air. I felt myself being lifted into a sitting position and someone began patting my back to quiet the coughing.
"Cole, text the others and tell them we found her." The voice said again. I now recognized it as Andrew's.
My mind began forming images of what had happened. I remembered being soaked with a water gun and locked in a closet. I must have fallen asleep while I was waiting for someone to find my note.
A chill went down my spine and I started shivering. Andrew wound his arms around me and picked me up. I pressed myself closer to him, trying to retain some of the heat coming off of his body. I closed my eyes as we exited the closet where the light intensified.
I rested my head against Andrew's chest as he walked to who knows where.
"Oh my god, what happened?" I heard Robyn's voice.
"Is she okay?" Chrissy asked in a worry-filled voice.
"Follow me back to her house and I'll explain everything there." Andrew said.
I wanted to open my eyes and tell everyone that I was fine but I couldn't find the energy. My whole body felt completely useless.
I drifted in and out of consciousness and the last thing I remembered was being set down in what I assumed was the seat of a car. My eyes opened slightly into a squint and I saw Andrew buckling my seat belt.
"Andrew." My voice sounded deep and gravely. "What's ha-" I coughed. I could really use a drink of water.
"Tally, stop talking for now. When we get home I'll make you some hot tea for your throat, okay?" He said stroking my cheek.
I nodded and my eyes drooped.
"Go ahead and sleep baby. It's going to be okay." He said sincerely.
That was all it took for me to let my eyes shut and go to sleep.
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Heelllloowwwww!
Okay I'm so sorry that I took so long! I haven't had time to do anything.
I am very happy to say that my schedule is fairly clear and I will have more time to write :)
To the side is Calvin played by Jake Abel! :)
So this chapter..... Woah. I bet no one expected that. Or maybe you did, you psychics.
So yeah, this chapter had a lot going on! I thought it might be good to get Andrew's POV in there a little bit, just to get more explaining done.
I love hearing what you guys think so pleaaase COMMENT and VOTE!
~~I want to hear your theories behind the janitors closet attack.
And I need you to REMEMBER! Things are not always as they seem.....
Thanks for reading!
Until Next Time...
~Lori~