Beheaded In Biology by Kennedy Harkins (debian ebook reader .txt) đ
- Author: Kennedy Harkins
Book online «Beheaded In Biology by Kennedy Harkins (debian ebook reader .txt) đ». Author Kennedy Harkins
I grinned, that was so Mr. Kerr. The bell rang, shaking me from my thoughts. Waving to Kole and Nathan, I exchanged numbers with Kira and made plans to get together tomorrow after school. I was starting to really like her; she had a sweet way about her. Something lacking in most teenage girls. Why do you think my closest friends are guys? I love being female, but most of the time, I canât stand the members of my own sex.
Gathering my empty folder and multiple subjectâs notebook from my locker, I hustled to the west wing of the high school. The biology room was technically on the second floor, but since it was the only room up there, I really donât think it counts as a whole 'nother floor. People generally refer to it as âthe Terrible Towerâ.
âAfternoon, Mr. Kerr.â I said brightly, because despite his personal issues, he was my favorite teacher. He could be funny; he treated me with the respect you would show a colleague. Not to mention all the knowledge he had to share.
âAh, Gabi. I was very pleased to see your name on my roster this semester.â
âYeah, should be fun.â He smiled and motioned me to a seat in the front row. The rest of the class piled in with the usual looks of dread on their faces. While I enjoy actual experiments to learning about organisms, science is my thing, so I could never hate this class. Mr. Kerr started out by talking about what we'd be learning about over the next few weeks, someone raised their hand and asked about the science fair. I straightened in my seat.
Doing a science project was one of the main reasons I was taking this class, apart from need at least four years of some kind of science. I love doing the experiments, itâs probably my favorite activity academically.
Like I said, science is my thing.
_____
Gym was an event. Trust Mr. Chandler to make us run the mile on the first day. Afterwards, we set up the nets and went over the basics of volleyball. Pass, set, hit, and all that jazz. Iâve never been a natural athlete, too little muscle content and even less interest. Doesnât really bother me, my team learned to work around me.
The worst part about gym is the freshman. Itâs the only class where thereâs a mix of all ages of kids. Iâm not a snob, I was the newbie not too long ago. However, there's something Iâve come to notice about freshman boys. Theyâre wild, irresponsible, and when you get in their path, people get hurt.
Which is exactly what happened to me.
A couple of children were messing around with the volleyball-training machine in the corner. You know, the thing that shoots balls out at ungodly speeds? Great idea, geniuses. One of them thought it would be fun to put a volleyball in it. Where was Mr. Chandler through this? Somewhere over the rainbow, but definitely not supervising.
Hearing a whoosh sound, I turned towards the noise. Big mistake, because the next thing I heard was the smack of leather hitting flesh.
My flesh.
A white-hot pain spread across my face, I inhaled sharply. It hurt. I unlocked my knees and tried to breathe through the agony. I felt a wetness on my face. Blood. Those bastards had given me a bloody nose.
The perfect end to my first day, I thought before a crowd of worried students enveloped me.
I had to shake off Charlie, one of Nathanâs football friends, before I could exit the gym by myself. The last thing I wanted was a nickname out of this whole ordeal. Walking through the deserted hallways, I kept my head down to avoid notice from the crowded classrooms.
The nurseâs office was painted a dismal blue; it was like being underwater... in a drowning sense.
Grabbing a few tissues from the counter, I dabbed up the excess blood. At least the bleeding had stopped. I looked at my shirt and grimaced. Knew it was a bad idea to wear white on the first day. Like putting a giant target on your back.
âHi, Gabi. Mrs. Druence told me you were back here. Nasty bleeder you got there. Gym?â Ms. Breck opened the door and moved closer to get a better look at my nose. Her brunette bun was messy and locks of her hair fell into her glasses. She wore a cream-colored sweater and black dress pants. Mrs. Beck looked like any other 20-something year old teacher: inexperienced and sweet.
âYep. I donât think itâs broken, though.â I winced when her cool fingers prodded the sensitive flesh.
âYouâre right; it doesnât appear to be anything but a bloody nose. Iâll just give you an ice pack and get you back to class.â Her voice was soft and melodic, soothing to the ears.
She grabbed an ice-filled bag and tossed it to me. âSounds good, Ms. B,â I opened the door out of the nurses office.
âNice seeing you. Stay out of trouble, Ms. Page.â The last part she added with a sly look, I returned it with a knowing grin.
Walking into the commons, I looked at the clock: half an hour left of school. Great. As I turned to head back to gym, I saw a familiar pixie hairstyle.
âKara? Shouldnât you be in class?â Her almond shaped eyes snapped up from her book.
âShouldnât you?â She said accusingly, her eyes taking in my scarlet covered appearance. âI have an open period,â Answering my earlier question.
âAnd you stayed here? Girl, you have no life.â Making a split second decision, I continued, âCome on, letâs blow this Popsicle stand.â
One glance at my blood soaked shirt, and the office receptionist waved us through the front door, her eyes saying, they really donât pay me enough for this job.
Kara and I hopped in Grandmaâs car. Pulling out of the schoolâs parking lot, I made my way through town.
The park wasnât far from the school. Of course, in Albany nothing is far from the school. The air was crisp and reminded me that fall was just around the corner.
âThis is where you spend your free time?â Kara asked incredulously.
âDonât seem the type, do I?â I mused. Bobbed her head, agreeing with me.
Turning towards Jocelyn Park, I took in the playground equipment, the comfortable benches, and the beautiful garden that sported everything from trees to sunflowers. The funding for it had taken years to accumulate, but was well worth the wait.
âItâs peaceful here,â Kara observed with a quiet kind of admiration.
âLike nothing bad can touch you.â
âI could use a little of that right now.â
Smiling, I sent Kara to find a place to sit, while I grabbed an extra shirt that I (thankfully) always kept in the car. After Iâd changed, I found Kara sitting in one of my favorite spots: the swing set.
âYouâre a girl after my own heart,â I said as I took a seat on the swing next to herâs. âSo, tell me about Chicago.â
A slight hesitation, âItâs beautiful there, my favorite place in the world. A million things to do, and go. It almost makes you believe anything is possible.â
âSounds wonderful.â
Karaâs smile was dazzling and brightened her whole face, âI think so. What about you, how long have you lived in Albany?â
âOh, forever. Or at least it seems that way sometimes.â The happy expression faded from my face, âMy parents died in a car crash when I was little, so I came to live with my grandma. Been here ever since.â I tried to keep my voice matter-of-fact. I hadnât really wanted to get this deep on our first outing, but then she asked about my past, and anything I could have come up with that left out my parentâs death wouldâve felt like a lie. At least to me, anyway.
âIâm sorry.â
âDonât be, I shouldnât have said anything.â Nice going, Gabi. This is why you donât have any girlfriends.
âNo, it was... honest. My dad passed away a couple years ago. Cancer. People should talk about it more, instead of tiptoeing around the subject.â
Oh, yeah, Kara was definitely my kind of girl.
_____
As it turned out, Kara and I had a lot more in common than I wouldâve thought. After going through the usual stepping-stones of getting to know each other- music, movies, embarrassing moments, pet peeves- it was clear âour friendship was destined to beâ. Her words, not mine.
Leaning back on the swing, I said, âWell, youâve passed all my tests, and Iâm having a hard time finding something wrong with you. Apart from your Justin Bieber fixation, that is.â
âYou should give him a chance,â Kara protested. âAnd Iâm not the one who has a crush on a fictional character.â
âI told you about Batman and I in confidence!â My outraged expression must have been pretty good, because she laughed immediately.
I came to the realization that it was almost completely dark out and that the park was deserted. âWe should probably head out. Iâll give you a ride home.â Kara nodded her head and zipped up her jacket after a frigid gust of wind turned to night from cool to freezing.
Hustling towards the car, I almost missed the strange high-pitched whistle.
Unfortunately, Kara didnât.
âWhat was that?â Her head whipped towards the noise. âHello? Is someone there?â She moved closer to the bushes. An uneasy feeling unfurled in my stomach.
I shouldnât be here.
âKara, we need to leave.â My tone was colored with a bit of desperation and a whole lot of fear.
She continued as if she hadnât heard me, walking through the shrubbery. I blinked, and she was swallowed up by the trees and darkness. âKara!â
No response.
Muttering something, that Grandma would have described as âunbecoming language for a young ladyâ. I hesitated for a fraction of second before following her.
Through the forest.
Alone.
Just like those low IQ blondes from the horror flicks.
I could see the faint outline of Kara a few yards in front of me, but it was too dark to see much else. My heartbeat was an unsteady fluttering in my chest, the deeper in the trees we got, the faster it stuttered.
As we kept moving, the whistling got louder and clearer. Becoming more of a haunting music note, that enchanted as well as frightened the listener. It was beautiful. And terrifying.
In fact, I was so caught up in the unexpected harmony of it, I didnât notice immediately when I lost sight of Kara.
I stopped and turned in a small circle. Squinting against the darkness, I willed my eyes to pick her out again amongst the endless wilderness. âKara?â The wind seemed to take my words before they were out of my mouth.
Totally freaked out, and trying not to panic, I fished my cellphone out of my purse. Dialing Karaâs number, I listened for a ringing.
Nothing.
_____
I moved through the forest silently. I wasnât sure how I knew, or whether it should bother me or not, but I was sure Gabi wasnât behind me anymore. The thought should have stopped me cold. Who knew what was in these woods? But it didnât.
All I could think about was that voice. Calling to me.
âHello,
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