Surviving Elite High (7 page)

“You spend the entire day alone?”

“Yeah, my mom works all day. She usually comes home after nine.”

“Whoa, I never thought we'd have that in common.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, my parents are always traveling. I barely get to see them. I hate being alone in my house. It's too big and I feel lonely.”

“I know what you mean, but they work hard so you can have everything you want.”

“Maybe, but your mom works harder.”

“Yes, except that my mom makes way less than your parents. You're welcome here anytime.”

Nick smiled warmly. Suddenly, his phone lit up. It was Allison again.

“This chick is starting to tick me off! What the hell is she thinking? Doesn't she get the message?”

“Apparently not.”

Nick nodded while he pressed the answer key.

“Stop calling me! I don't want to hear shit from you anymore!”

My heart stopped. He silently listened to her for a few seconds and then continued.

“Yes, I fucked your two best friends! I fucked the entire squad behind your back and they loved my dick.”

My jaw dropped. I could not believe that Nick admitted that to Allison. I felt bad for her.

“Stopped crying and calling me names because you're the same shit! You think I didn't find out about what happened a week after we began dating? I swore to get back at you! Yes, Samantha told me while I was banging her.”

Apparently, Allison cheated on Nick a week after they got together. Samantha was one of Allison's best friends. Isabelle was the other one.

“Tell Isabelle to shut the fuck up because she went down on my dick for the last two weeks!”

My jaw dropped open. Nick was such a bad ass.

“Allison, you and your gang of whores could go to hell for all I care! Leave me the fuck alone!”

Nick hung up.

“Drama, drama, drama. What did I get myself into?”

“Nick, sooner or later, you'll have to face your mistakes. So, prepare for the worst.”

“You're scaring me,” Nick answered with a faint smile.

“If you want to change, you'll have to face your mistakes so you can move on with your future.”

“I know,” Nick agreed as he sighed. “Thanks. If it wasn't for your words of wisdom and support, I'd be drinking my ass off and having more sex.”

“No! No drinking and no more sex,” I told him, smiling.

“Does masturbation count as sex?” he asked with smirk.

I laughed.

“No, no it doesn't. Go crazy with your hand.”

Nick chuckled.

“Do you want to give me a hand?” Nick asked.

“What?” I asked him as my heart skipped a few beats.

Nick chuckled. I didn’t know what he meant or why he was laughing. Suddenly, his laughter died out and he extended his right hand to me.

“Come here, Johnny Cake.”

I hesitated at first, but I wanted to let him do anything he wanted to me. I slowly walked to where he stood. Before I knew it, he had grabbed me into a headlock and rubbed his fist on my head. Somehow, that was male bonding time for him. Regardless of that, he smelled so good. Nick let me go and laughed at my hair.

“That hurt!” I told him as I combed my short hair.

“Sorry kiddo. I need to rough you up. That way, you can stand up for yourself. What if a bully comes around?”

“Well, you did promise to protect me.”

“True, but I won't be with you all the time. You have to learn to put up a fight.”

He was right. What if Nick hadn’t been around the previous night? Matthew would have raped me, beat the shit out of me and ditched my body inside a drain. I was lucky that Kitty, Madison and Nick had been around to protect me. Alone, I would have been dead meat a long time ago.

“I'm going to teach you how to throw a punch, okay?”

I nodded. We spent the entire afternoon practicing how to throw a punch, kick and run. That was what Nick told me to do. As soon as I could, I should run and get help.

We had Chinese food for dinner, and eventually, Allison finally got the message and stopped calling Nick. Sometimes, hurtful things have to happen before the truth is realized. Allison and Nick were not perfect for each other. He deserved someone better and so did Allison. Together, they dragged each other down. Both of them needed someone to help them change into better individuals. I was going to help Nick, but Allison was on her own.

Nick left my house around seven. He told me something very important that day. He told me that if I ever saw Matthew again, I should hide and call him; however, he doubted that Matthew would get close to me ever again. Nick was terribly wrong.

Chapter Five

I saw Matthew again three weeks later on a beautiful Monday morning. His bruises had healed and he looked better than ever. Madison and I were walking to our History class. She was in a deep conversation with Chris. They had been dating for two weeks now. In Madison's world, that was like two whole years. Kitty skipped second period so she could finish her lab report that was due the following class. We left her working in the library and headed to History. I glanced at Matthew as we entered the classroom. He looked at me with a smirk and walked away. A cold chill crept down my spine.

Inside, we found Nick reading his World History book. He smiled when he saw us and continued reading. Nick and I were closer than ever. He had become my third best friend and we spent every afternoon, Saturday and Sunday together. My mom met him the previous Friday and found him absolutely dreamy and attractive. Every Thursday Nick would buy groceries for us. That was his personal way of thanking me for being his tutor. It only showed how amazing and wonderful Nick really was. Girls would still taunt him, but he was slowly changing. Three weeks without sex was torture for Nick Wild Fuck, but he was hanging on. After winning Homecoming King, more girls threw themselves at him. Temptation was strong, but his willpower was stronger.

“Can you believe that I left my lab report home?” Nick whispered into my ear.

“You left it home? What are you going to do? It's due next period.”

“My mom's chauffeur will drop it by.”

“Lucky you.”

Without warning, Mr. Wright entered the room with his usual warm smile. He was a forty-seven-year-old dynamic speaker with twenty years of experience. He was the father of four and probably the best husband around. Out of all the teachers, he was definitely the one to trust. He was always willing to help anyone and would go the extra mile for his students. Bottom line, Mr. Wright had a heart of gold.

“I saw Matthew near the main entrance,” I told Nick as Mr. Wright wrote on the blackboard.

“Really? Did he tell you anything?”

“No, all he did was smile, but he looked so wicked when he did that.”

“I see. Just be careful and stick to one of us.”

“I will.”

“I won't let him hurt you again, John. Jacob warned me a few days ago that he’s changed. He has become angrier and meaner. He also told me to be very careful.”

“Then, you should keep your guard up.”

“I’m not afraid of that bitch.”

“Please, Nick, just be careful. I don't want him to hurt you.”

“Okay, I'll take care of myself. I promise.”

When Mr. Wright cleared his throat, we stopped talking. The class continued with Mr. Wright talking about some revolution. I just kept thinking about Matthew's malignant smile. He looked so malicious. Nick left five minutes before the end of the class to pick up his lab report. He asked me to take his bag to the science lab. Madison and I headed through the door with Mr. Wright walking behind us. As soon as I stepped into the hallway, I saw Matthew coming out of the bathroom near the main entrance. Matthew stared at us and froze. A maniacal smile slowly spread across his face. I knew I was safe in the presence of the entire school, so we continued walking to the science lab. We were going to turn into another hallway when I glanced at him again. Matthew slowly placed his hand into his letter jacket and took out two pistols. My heart stopped. He was pointing at us.

“Madison!!” I shouted as I pushed Madison towards the left-wing of the school.

Madison flew down the corridor while I threw myself to the right. That was the moment I heard the first two shots. I instantly felt a burning sensation between my heart and shoulder. Something metallic and hot pierced through me and rested inside. After that, I heard a lot of screaming and tumult. Chaos hit the halls of Elite High. I dropped both bags on the floor and ran towards the right-wing emergency exit. Everyone was pushing and screaming. Suddenly, I heard the second round of shots. This time, I heard even more uproars of confusion. I held my left shoulder as I bumped into a student. I examined my right hand. It was stained with blood.

I kept running and looking back. I saw the frantic faces of the students as they ran towards the emergency door. At that moment, I heard a fifth shot that was followed by a sixth shot. I panicked. I had never felt that type of anguish before in my life. The emergency exit was too far away and I felt like I was about to faint; I wasn’t going to make it. I had to hide, so I opened the first door that I could find and stepped inside. It was the school's gymnasium. I dropped on the floor; my breathing was becoming more difficult by each passing second. I painfully crawled across the empty gymnasium floor. A rack of mats was neatly packed at the end of the room so I decided to hide behind it. It was the safest spot that I could find.

I held my shoulder tight and moaned. The wound burned whenever I applied force to it, but I had to keep it from bleeding out. I knew I was getting close to bleeding to death. The screaming had died out by then and everything was dead silent. My heart pounded against my chest. I did not want to die. I had not experienced my first real kiss, gone out on my first date, gone to prom or had my first real heartbreak. I wanted to live! My body began to tremble; a cold chill penetrated my body. I continued to apply force to my wound, but my strength was slowly decreasing. Two more shots broke the silence. They sounded ten times louder and closer than ever. I prayed that Madison and Kitty were okay. I knew that Nick was safe because he was at the school's parking lot. I slowly closed my eyes.

After a few minutes of silence, I heard the door open and close behind me. I opened my eyes. Tears instantly filled them. Someone found me. The person froze and slid a barbell from a nearby rack. Then, he continued making his way towards me. I closed my eyes tight. I was going to die. I knew it. Someone tugged on my right shoulder and I jumped and squealed.

“John! It's me! Nick!”

I instantly opened my eyes. Nick was clutching a barbell in his hands.

“Oh my God, John! You're bleeding!”

He knelt in front of me and removed my hand from my shoulder. By now, I was shaking uncontrollably. He took off his shirt and placed it on top of my wound.

“Hold it,” Nick instructed as he placed my right hand over my shoulder again. “Don't move. I'm going to get some help.”

“No, Nick! Please! Please don't leave me! Please!”

Nick hesitated at first, but he eventually sat down next to me. He pulled me into his arms and hugged me tight. I began to sob.

“Everything's going to be okay,” Nick whispered as he pressed his lips against my temple. “I'll never let anyone hurt you again. Just hang in there. I had no idea that it was you. I saw the traces of blood and I immediately knew that someone needed my help.”

“I'm going to die, Nick.”

“No! You're not going to die. Don't say that!”

“Yes, I am. I know it.”

Nick stared into my teary eyes.

“Don't say that again, okay?!”

I cried even more. I lay my head on his shoulder and continued crying. I knew that I was going to die. I was bleeding to death and my body felt cold and numb. I was going to die in Nick's arms. A million things rushed through my mind.

“Nick?”

“What?”

“I've got to tell you something,” I said desperately as I gasped for air.

“Please, save your strength. Someone will come to get us soon. I know it.”

“No, Nick. This can't wait anymore.”

Nick sighed as I stared into his eyes.

“I…”

“Please save your strength, Johnny Cake.”

“No,” I answered as I shook my head. “I've got to tell you this before I die.”

“Don't say that! You won't die, John!”

“Yes, I know it,” I told him. Nick sighed again. “Nick, I…I…love you…”

Nick smiled and held me tighter. His embrace was warm and loving.

“I know.”

I was speechless.

“You…knew?”

“Yes, it was obvious after you called me 'baby' when I was beating Matthew,” he explained with a light smile. “I just thought it was really cute that my best friend had those feelings towards me. That's the main reason why I kept you so close to me all the time. I knew that you loved my company.”

I cried even more. Peace finally entered my soul.

“Thank you for not hating me, Nickelodeon.”

“I'd never hate you, Johnny Cake. You're my best friend.”

I sobbed louder. I could not take it. Nick touched my heart and soul. He did not resent me for loving him.

“This all sucks…I'm going to die so young. Madison, Kitty and I dreamt of going…to prom together. I won't get to experience that or…my first kiss. I don't even know if they're okay.”

“They're fine. Madison told me that she lost you inside and that's why I came back. I ran into Kitty as I was running inside as well.”

“I'm so happy to hear that, Nick. I…can die in peace now.”

“Don't say that! You won't die today!”

“I know…I will Nick. I know it,” I mumbled as I closed my eyes.

“Don't fall asleep, okay!? Please! Someone is coming for us,” Nick pleaded as he grabbed my head. “Look at me! Don't drop asleep, okay!?”

I nodded, but my eyes felt heavy.

“I'm not afraid of dying, Nick. It's just that…I'll miss out on so many great things.”

Nick sighed. “Like prom and your first kiss?”

I nodded. Nick stared at me while he gently combed my hair with his right hand.

“Please don't die,” he told me with a smile. “I hope that this encourages you to live.”