First Days

  “I know,” Mike said, waving a hand at him dismissively. “I keep hoping.”

  My eyes shot across the courtyard. Luke’s hand shot into the air, holding up three fingers as he kept score. North popped him in the back of the head, a sour frown on his face. Luke dismissed it, saying something to North.

  “You don’t even know her name,” the dark haired guy said. He looked at me and held out a hand. “I’m Jer,” he said.

  I sucked in a breath, unsure of how to handle this. It wasn’t like Greg, I told myself. They were trying to be nice. Maybe North was somewhat correct. The other students might have been more intimidated to approach since they hovered over me so much. I reached out to grasp Jer’s hand, shaking. “I’m Sang.”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “Sang?”

  I nodded.

  “I like her name,” Mike said. He held out a hand for me to shake. “I’m Mike.”

  I smiled, rolling my eyes. I reached out to shake his hand, too. “I know.”

  In a quick motion, Mike gripped my hand and tucked his shoulder into my stomach. He lifted me off the ground and held me in the air, an arm going around my waist to hold me in place.

  I choked back a screech. “Hey,” I called out. “Mike, put me down.” I wriggled, trying to get off of his shoulder. My heart leapt into my throat.

  He popped me on the thigh with a palm. “Don’t wriggle or I’ll drop you.” He turned slightly and started walking.

  His friends were laughing. Jer chuckled. “Be careful.”

  I was dizzy being upside down and disoriented. I clenched my hands and started hitting him in the back. “Mike!” I lifted part of myself until I could look up. I caught North and Silas heading over, I saw Kota standing and walking this way, too. The others were standing, appearing unsure if they should approach.

  In a desperate attempt, I put a hand out in a stop motion toward them. North and Silas halted, fists clenched and glaring but obeying. If they came after me now, I knew they might end up in a fight with Mike. I had to handle this alone.

  “Mike,” I cried out, trying to sound playful even though I was very embarrassed at hanging off of his shoulder. “I’m getting dizzy.”

  Mike laughed. He was parading me around the courtyard with his friends walking next to him. I wondered if Mr. McCoy was watching. Would he stop and give me a detention this time? Wasn’t this inappropriate?

  “Hey Mike,” someone called out. Mike turned and I was unable to see who it was. “That’s enough, dude. Come on, you’ll hurt her.”

  “Aw,” Mike said. He carefully grabbed me by the waist.

  “Here,” said the voice. I felt another pair of hands going around my legs and back and collecting me as Mike hefted me off of his shoulder. I tumbled into a pair of arms. My hands moved to the guy’s shoulders to balance myself. A wash of colors swept over my eyes as the blood drained from my head. When it cleared, I was looking into a pair of blue-gray eyes.

  “Hi,” the guy said. He had soft brown hair cut cleanly around his ears. He was broad shouldered and had a handsome smile. While he was good looking, the way he looked at me left my insides feeling like I was still hanging upside down.

  I swallowed, blushing. “Um... thank you,” I said.

  He dropped the arm under my thighs, holding on to me with the other until I was on my feet. He kept his hand on my back as he stepped toward Mike. “You can’t pick up Rocky’s girl like that, okay Mike?”

  “Oh I didn’t hurt her,” Mike said.

  The guy -- Rocky? -- shot Mike a warning look. “Just don’t.” His voice was deep but raspy, as if he had been talking a lot lately. I had the feeling that was simply the way his voice sounded.

  Mike frowned. He waved to me. “See you later, Sang.” He marched off in the other direction, heading toward the cafeteria doors. Jer and his friends followed.

  “Sorry about that,” Rocky said to me after Mike and his friends left. His hand was still on my back and I was uncomfortable. I was facing the wrong way to see if the guys were coming over. “You’re okay, right?”

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  “Rocky,” someone said behind him.

  Rocky let go of me and we both turned to see a tall guy behind him. His head was shaved clean and he was as broad as Silas. There was a wide scar on his left cheek and thick, dark eyebrows. Except for the scar, he reminded me of a younger Vin Diesel.

  “We need to go,” he said. “Coach wants to see us.”

  “Hang on, Jay,” he said. Rocky turned to me again, flicking on a smile to show clean teeth. “You’re a cheerleader right?”

  I blinked at his question but shook my head, “I don’t think so.”

  “You should be,” he said. “Rocky’s girl is always a cheerleader.” He smirked. “And you’re going to marry me instead of Mike?”

  I didn’t know how to answer him so I didn’t. I shifted on my feet, feeling the incredible sense of aggressiveness from him, even though he’d done hardly anything to me. This was different than the playful way Mike kept asking me. Rocky’s eyes were intense. It was almost like he wasn’t asking me at all. He expected it.

  “Call me,” he said. He winked at me and stepped away, following Jay through the doors.

  I watched after him, knowing my mouth was open. How did he expect me to call him if I didn’t have his number? Not that I was going to, but the assuming nature ground on me. What did he mean claiming me as his girl? I blew out a slow breath, perplexed.

  I turned, catching seven pairs of eyes bearing down at me from across the courtyard, each one asking a different question.

  I slowly lifted my hand into the air, holding up four fingers. I blushed as I did it, turned and went back to my seat on the bench.

  When I dared another glance back at the guys from over my book, none of them were laughing.

  F riday F all

  While walking to my next class, I overheard more whispers about the Friday Fall. It was too much to keep to myself any more. I slipped a hand into my bra while everyone around me seemed distracted and sent a quick text to Kota.

  Sang: “Friday Fall.”

  Kota: “What’s that?”

  They haven’t heard. I felt better that I took the time to text him.

  Sang: “I don’t know. But it’s bad. Other students are talking about it. It’s happening this afternoon. Second floor.”

  Kota: “I’ll tell the others. Keep your head down. If you hear anything else, text me. If you see trouble, head straight to Blackbourne’s office.”

  The next few classes seemed to take eons. Silas sat next to me in class instead of behind me. He seemed unwilling to move any further but minded to not talk to me at all. Victor only sat two chairs away and I felt his fire eyes on me the entire time. Dr. Green shot looks at me, too, wordlessly asking what was going on but there was no way to explain it. I felt like I had failed at keeping myself indiscreet at lunch. I couldn’t go one day without something happening.

  Still, no McCoy. That was something.

  Victor followed me to gym. I caught him watching and waiting at the end of the hall as I turned into the girls’ locker room. I ached to run back to him and hug him or at least tell him it wouldn’t be long and we’d hang out all weekend. His fire eyes were disturbingly subdued, and as lonely as I felt.

  One more class, I kept telling myself, and we’ll all go home. I touched the phone at my bra. I dressed in the red t-shirt and the short black shorts and my tennis shoes. I tucked the phone in my bra, wondering if it’ll survive jumping jacks. I didn’t want to let it go.

  Inside the gym, however, the bleachers were pulled out and there were chairs and a podium in the middle of the basketball court.

  “Sit on the bleachers,” the girls’ coach, Coach French, said. She waved to the seats and turned, walking off to talk with the other coaches.

  I glanced at Karen, the tall girl who had played basketball with me the day before. It felt like a million years ago. She caught my eye and slid over to sit next to m
e. My heart raced and I swallowed back my fears. I needed to make friends, I reminded myself. I had to make an effort, like Kota said.

  “What’s going on?” I asked her, nodding to the podium.

  Karen shrugged. “I don’t know. Looks like an assembly. I heard there were some school board members here today.”

  An assembly? “Is this what the Friday Fall thing is about?” It didn’t seem like an assembly was something to dramatize and avoid.

  Karen’s eyebrows lifted. “What? No. Friday Fall’s a rumor.”

  “What is it, though?”

  Karen shrugged, pushing her slim fingers through her brown pixie hair. “I think they push a bunch of students around until they fall over. I don’t know. I heard about it last year as a freshman but didn’t see it then either. I don’t really pay attention to that kind of stuff.”

  I slid a glance over to Nathan and Gabriel. Their eyes locked on me. I didn’t know how to reach to them. It wasn’t likely they had their phones on them. Did they get word about the Friday thing?

  “You’re name is Sang, right?” Karen asked.

  I was grateful that she kept the conversation going. “Yeah,” I said. “You’re Karen.”

  Karen nodded, holding out a hand. I shook it. Touching was normal. Was making a new friend this easy? Was it like Kota said, that I just needed to open up more? Maybe there wasn’t anything wrong with me. Maybe I just didn’t understand. I felt awkward but I forced myself to smile pleasantly.

  “Your friends keep staring at you,” she said, jerking her chin to where the boys were sitting on the other side of the bleachers.

  Her words forced me to glance over at Nathan and Gabriel. They were still watching us, curious. They made no attempt to look away now.

  “They’re being that obvious, huh?” I asked.

  Karen smirked. “Why were they wearing those uniforms today?”

  “There’s some special school program,” I said. “Those are the uniforms Ashley Waters wants everyone to wear maybe next year or the year after. There’s something about wanting the other students to get used to the idea.”

  “Is that why you’re avoiding them? They seem mad about it.”

  Could I tell her? I remembered Mr. Blackbourne’s words about revealing too much information about what the Academy did. Still, we were talking about what was right in front of us and about things that were happening to the school. Wasn’t it important to gauge how other students were reacting?

  “I’m supposed to avoid them,” I said. “They were worried the other students would pick fights. I’m supposed to stay out of the way.”

  Karen laughed. “I saw Mike at lunch. They’re all picking on you, instead.”

  I titled my head to her. “So maybe this was a waste of time? Everyone knows we’re friends?”

  She laughed again, slipping fingers over her mouth. “Sweetie, you all stand in that courtyard by the windows of the cafeteria and the main hallway. Yes, everyone knows. They’ve been talking about why Sang isn’t with her boyfriends today.”

  I blushed. “We’re just friends,” I said. I was being talked about? Why did they assume they were my boyfriends? Was it because I was sitting on Kota’s lap the other day? Was it how they held my hand and sat next to me? Don’t friends hold hands?

  Karen’s eyes sparked. “You’re not dating any of them?”

  I lifted my eyebrows, shaking my head. I glanced around, seeing if anyone else was paying attention. The only ones were Nathan and Gabriel and they were out of earshot. “I’ve not really dated anyone,” I confided.

  Karen’s smirk softened. “You’re kidding.”

  I shook my head. Why would she think I was kidding about it?

  Karen opened her mouth to say something.

  Bright flashes emanated above our heads and sirens begun to blare. I cringed, covering my ears at the onslaught of noise that echoed through the gym.

  “Fire alarm,” Coach French shouted to us. “Everyone outside.”

  A fire drill? Now? It was kind of early in the year for it. I sought out Gabriel and Nathan, but the male coaches were directing the boys out the side door toward the back of the school. The girls’ coach pointed us toward the front doors to go in the opposite direction. It made sense to do since we were closer to that side but I was reluctant to follow since the guys weren’t able to stay close.

  The girls filed into a line. Karen stood in front of me. The coach held the door open for us and we collected out into the hallway. A mass of students from classes surrounding the gym flooded the hallway. Confusion set in, but most of the students started out toward the doors that led out to the parking lot.

  A buzzing started at my chest. I fell back from the group. Karen turned, stopping when she realized I wasn’t right behind her. We mixed in with other students. I pulled the phone out from my bra.

  Kota: “hey girl. cum upstars.”

  My breath caught in my throat. Kota would never type like that.

  “What’s wrong?” Karen asked, a curious eyebrow going up.

  It took me a moment to register what this message meant. Two thoughts struck me at once. Kota didn’t have his phone. Upstairs.

  Friday Fall.

  Warnings flashed through my mind. They’d told me to stay away if there was trouble. I had no idea where Nathan and Gabriel were. Everyone should have been heading outside. Maybe this was a distraction for whatever was going to happen.

  Kota was in trouble.

  My fingers sought out Karen’s arm. I fixed my eyes on hers. “Did you see where the guys went?”

  She nodded. “Those two from gym?” she asked, catching on.

  “Can you go find them? Tell them to meet me on the second floor.” There was no other way to reach them. They wouldn’t have their phones.

  “Where are you going?” Karen asked, a puzzled expression on her face.

  “The fall thing is happening. Say Kota’s in trouble. Tell them that. Hurry,” I said, turning away.

  I tucked in against the flow of students headed toward the doors and sprinted for the main hallway. I was pushed, called after by teachers, but I ignored them all. I wasn’t going to leave Kota alone. If Kota didn’t have his phone, and he was in trouble, no one would know to reach him. In this mess for the fire drill, I had to find him. I’d risk another grounding from Gabriel, North and everyone one else if there was something I could do to help.

  As I ran, I opened North’s app, pushing the green button to call through. I held the phone to my head. The phone rang but he didn’t pick up. Did I push the wrong button? I tried Silas, but his did the same. Why weren’t they answering? Couldn’t they hear? Were they outside?

  When I got to the main hallway, it had emptied. Echoes saturated the air around me. I glanced up at the balcony of the second floor, seeing heads of people clustered together. The stairwell was clear. What were they still doing inside? Why weren’t teachers after them to go outside for the fire drill?

  Something flew past my head, thrown from over the balcony of the second floor landing, crashing on the floor next to me. Books smacked against the ground. Papers fluttered across the floor.

  Kota’s green messenger bag feathered down next to them.

  I charged the stairs, taking two at a time.

  When I got close to the second floor, the shouting vibrated through my bones. I slowed, peeking around the corner at the top of the stairs.

  Kota dangled up against the far wall. A tall kid grasped him by the throat while two others on either side held his arms to stop him from fighting. Clusters of other students surrounded him. Expectant. Cell phones were out, some filming the event.

  Through the confusion, Kota’s eyes met mine. His eyes widened in panic.

  A shiver broke through me. My jaw tightened. My hands clenched into fists around my phone. I randomly opened any of the apps, one being Victor’s. I hit the red button.

  Kota wriggled and he tried to call out but a fist met against his chest.

  Where it
came from, some deep survival instinct maybe, I wasn’t sure. My feet moved. I sprinted across the hallway, shoving the phone into my pocket and cutting around people standing by. I leapt, my foot in the air, and aimed for the back of the guy holding Kota’s throat. I kicked out. I had no idea if it would work but I hoped it was enough to get him to loosen his grip on Kota so he could break free.

  “Sang!” North bellowed nearby.

  It was too late. I made contact against the guy’s side. He called out in surprise, letting go of Kota’s throat. Someone grabbed me from behind. I yanked myself away, spinning and flailing wildly out at whoever had touched me. More hands found me. I was dragged back. An arm shoved around my waist and holding my arms to my sides. A hand seized my throat.

  I was pressed against a large student, with my back across his stomach. I inhaled cigarette smoke and something sharp -- alcohol? I twisted my head and recognized the bully that had attacked Gabriel the day before. His chubby fingers pinched at the skin of my arms as he gripped me.

  “Greg,” he called out. “Got your girlfriend.”

  “Sang.” Greg came into view. He smirked, his arms crossed over his thin chest. Students made a circle around us. Greg jerked his chin in my direction. “What the fuck are you doing with Eric?”

  I struggled but Eric kept me in a grip against my arms. I glared back at Greg. A commotion over his shoulder caught my eyes. Kota was hefted off the ground. He struggled but more hands grabbed him. His blazer was stripped from his back.

  Greg brought his face close to mine. “Come to watch?”

  “Let her the fuck go,” North called. I twisted my head, spotting North, Victor and Luke pressed up against the wall a short distance away. North was bucking against a group of guys restraining him. Silas was on the ground at their feet, moving but with at least ten guys piled on top of him, throwing punches against his body.

  I now knew why they couldn’t respond to my calls. They’d been here the whole time. I swallowed a cry. Screaming at them wouldn’t help. “What’s going on?” I asked, facing off Greg.