Surviving Elite High (8 page)

Nick leaned towards me. His warm lips pressed against mine. My body stopped shaking and functioning. A strange electrical feeling rushed through every fiber of my being and stopped inside my heart. It was ten times more intense than I ever imagined. As his lips parted ways with mine, he smiled warmly. I answered him with a faint smile.

“I feel like superman,” I stated weakly.

He hugged me tighter while I stared into his eyes. Nick Wild Hawk was crying. That was the first time that I saw him cry.

“I'm not giving up on you yet,” he told me. “You may have, but I won't.

Nick stood up. He cupped me into his arms as I held my wound. I was feeling light headed and extremely sleepy. He dashed towards the door. As Nick pushed the door open, he peeped outside. He made his way out of the gym and briskly walked down the empty and messy hallway.

“Hang in there,” Nick told me. “We're so close to the nearest exit.”

“STOP MOTHERFUCKER!”

My heart froze. It was Matthew. His voice resounded throughout the school. Nick froze as well, then spun around to face him. Matthew was pointing his pistols at us. I cried when I saw him standing a few feet away from me.

“Matthew please! He's dying!”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” he screamed as tears ran down from his eyes.

Matthew was shaking violently. Suddenly, he burst into a hysterical laugh. As he made his way towards us, his laughter increased.

“You two are the two people that I wanted in the first place! And here you are, standing in front of me and at my mercy!”

“Matthew, please don't do this. He'll die.”

“Matthew please! Matthew please! Now you respect me? Now that I've got two guns pointing to your motherfucking head?! Until now!? Where's the almighty Nick Wild Hawk now? Where?!”

“Matthew, I'm sorry that I never respected you, but I couldn't let you bully innocent people.”

“Because of you two, I'm a murderer!”

“No,” I argued weakly.

“What did you say, you little fuck!?” Matthew shouted at me.

“He's dying. Don't –”

“Shut the fuck up and let the homo talk!” he told Nick. “What did you say, bitch?”

“You're not a murderer because of us. You chose to come here and open fire. You chose to bully anyone that was weaker than you, but you know what? You're the weak and pathetic one that hides behind the barrel of two guns.”

Mathew stood still, looking at us with hatred.

“Before I kill you, I'll fucking tear your queer ass apart! I'm going to finish what I started that day in the hallway and that night. Nick saved you twice, but he won't save you this time. I'm going to fuck you hard!”

Nick was stunned. He could not believe what Matthew intended to do those times or at that moment. As he walked closer to us, Nick took a few steps back.

“Move again and I'll shoot you motherfucker. Trust me, I will.”

Nick glanced at me. I smiled weakly and nodded.

“Put him on the ground,” Matthew ordered him. “Now!”

Nick slowly placed me on the floor.

“Now, step to this side!” Matthew told Nick as he pointed the spot with one of the guns. Matthew turned to me as he pointed the other gun to my head. “If you fight me off, I'll shoot Nick. Understand?”

I nodded. I would die for Nick and I was willing to go through hell for him. Matthew knelt beside me and proceeded to unbutton his pants.

“Oh my God, Matthew, please don't do this,” Nick begged him.

“Shut the fuck up and enjoy the show!” Matthew answered as he laughed like a maniac.

As Matthew grabbed the waistband of his boxers, he stopped. A knocking sound caught his attention. It was coming from inside a classroom. Matthew stood up and glanced down the hall.

“Who's there?!”

The knocking continued as he made his way towards the room. Abruptly, he turned to Nick.

“Don't think about moving!”

Nick nodded. Matthew continued making his way down the hall. Someone was now banging on the door with all their strength. Matthew pointed at the door with his shaky hands. All of a sudden, he kicked it open. He peeped inside and carefully walked into the room. Without warning, Mr. Wright flung his body towards him. He tried to wrestle the guns away from Matthew's hands.

“RUN!” Mr. Wright ordered Nick.

Nick stood up and lifted me up into his arms. While Nick jogged towards the exit, I heard Matthew and Mr. Wright struggling to get possession of the guns. When Nick reached the emergency exit, he pushed the door with his body. It was at that moment that I heard the last five shots.

The sun was shining brightly outside. It was then that I realized how good and wonderful the sun was. I heard a policeman shouting at Nick as he made his way towards a large crowd. I saw a few ambulances, fire trucks, police cars, several onlookers, policemen, and many reporters.

“Put him down and put your hands above your head!”

“Please! He needs help!” Nick shouted as he placed me down.

He quickly lifted his hands above his head. Several footsteps made their way towards me. Three men in white appeared out of nowhere. One of them placed something on top of my wound while the other two lifted me from the ground. I closed my eyes. Finally, I could rest in peace.

* * *

I don't remember a lot after I closed my eyes. I just remember seeing a bright light and nothing else. I woke up Wednesday with blurred vision and a huge pain on my shoulder.

“He's awake!” Madison shouted enthusiastically.

“Welcome back, baby!” Kitty exclaimed with tears in her eyes.

“We thought we lost you!”

“What happened?” I asked weakly as I looked around.

“You didn't die,” Nick added with a smile.

I froze when I saw him and suspired. The three laughed.

“I thought I was going to die.”

“You thought wrong,” Madison corrected.

“Yeah, luckily, the bullet didn't touch any of your vital organs,” Kitty told me.

“Yeah, you lost a lot of blood though,” Nick added.

“Where's my mom?”

“We finally convinced her to go home, shower and take a nap. She's been here since Monday…she and Nick actually,” Kitty told me with a smile.

I turned to Nick. He nodded.

“We promised her that we'd call her as soon as you wake up,” Madison added.

“That's right! I'm going to call her now,” Kitty told me as she kissed my forehead.

Kitty picked up her purse and walked out of the room. Madison silently stared at me for a few seconds. She was fighting back her tears. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around me.

“I'm so sorry!” Madison said as she sobbed.

“Sorry for what?” I asked her as I hugged her back.

“For…for…leaving you behind.”

“Madison, I was happy and relieved that you and Kitty were okay! That made me feel better.”

I glanced at Nick who was scratching his head. He walked to a nearby chair and sat down.

“I should have made sure you were behind me,” Madison stated as she pulled away from me.

“But, you told Nick and he saved my life again.”

“Do you forgive me?”

“No. I've got nothing to forgive you for, silly.”

Madison smiled. She wiped her tears while she made her way to a table full of gifts. She retrieved a giant heart-shaped box.

“This is for you,” Madison stated as she handed me the box of chocolates.

“Thank you, Madison! You know how much I love chocolates!”

“See? He loves my gift more,” Madison told Nick.

Nick chuckled while he shook his head.

“We'll see about that,” Nick answered, smiling.

I smiled while I examined the remaining gifts. A giant cream teddy bear caught my attention. It looked fluffy and soft. I also admired an assortment of helium balloons, a giant get well card, and a beautiful bouquet of white and yellow roses. Those were my favorite colors. Unexpectedly, Madison spoke up.

“Nick brought you the teddy bear.”

“Really?” I asked Nick. He nodded, smiling. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome, Johnny Cake.”

“Kitty brought you the get well balloons. The giant get well card is from all the students in school. All of them signed it by the way,” Madison explained.

“And the flowers?”

Madison immediately turned to Nick. He scowled while Madison turned to me.

“They're from Jacob.”

“Whoa, Nelly! For a minute there, I thought you said Jacob.”

“I did.”

“I told her to throw them away,” Nick interrupted and walked towards me.

He carefully sat on my bedside.

“Jacob sent me flowers!?”

“Yeah, straight guys don’t send other guys roses. They only do that when they are…” Madison remarked, glancing at Nick.

“In love,” Nick finished as he stared at me.

“That's not true. You send flowers on many different occasions.”

“Well, for birthdays, special anniversaries, funerals or to tell someone how you feel. Since none of the first three fit into the equation, it's the fourth reason,” Nick explained.

I glanced at Madison. She simply nodded. Out of the blue, Matthew hit my mind.

“Matthew! What happened with Matthew?” I asked as I started to shake. The pain in my shoulder intensified. Nick placed his hands on my chest. “What happened with Matthew?”

“Relax, please. He won't hurt you again. You've got to relax.”

“What happened? I don't remember anything after you took me out.”

Nick let me go. He turned to Madison. She answered him with a tiny nod.

“Matthew killed four students and Mr. Wright,” Nick told me.

“What!? No way! He killed him?”

I sobbed at the thought of Mr. Wright losing his life.

“John, please, don't cry. It's not good for you,” Madison told me as she held my left hand. “Please relax. You've got to relax, baby.”

I nodded as I tried to calm down.

“Mr. Wright saved our lives.”

“I know. Nick told us.”

“Who are the students?”

“Julia Seymour who was a freshman and three sophomore students: Bryan Campbell, Jake Brown and Arlene Lorry. They were placed to rest this morning and a vigil will be held tonight at school.”

“And Matthew?”

After a long sigh, Nick answered me.

“His trial will most likely be next year, so we will most likely testify against him.”

“What?”

“Yes, we witnessed his violent rampage and survived.”

“I see,” I answered him as I examined the box of chocolate in my hands. “Thank you, Nick.”

“For what?”

“For saving my life again. You and Mr. Wright should be honored as heroes.”

Nick looked at me with a warm smile.

“I'm no hero. I did what anyone else would have done in my position. The real hero in this story is Mr. Wright.”

“May God bless his soul and may he rest in peace,” Madison added.

“Well said, Madison,” I told her.

Suddenly, Kitty walked into the room.

“Your mom is on her way. I also called the school and everyone else. Now, one question remains, which gift did you like the most?”

We laughed.

“Kitty, that shouldn't be a question,” Madison told her while she glanced at Nick.

Nick was unaware of her action.

“Madison, let's get something to eat!” Kitty interjected abruptly. “I'm starving! Nick can take care of John while we grab a quick snack. Right, Nick?”

“Yeah, sure,” Nick answered as he stood up.

“Okay, see you later Johnny Boy!” Madison mumbled as Kitty pulled her arm.

The girls giggled while they walked out of the room. Nick stared at me for a couple of minutes. I quickly looked away. I hated whenever he did that because my stomach always turned into loop. As my heart rate increased, one of the machines started to beep fast. Nick chuckled.

“Relax, I don't want you to have a heart attack,” Nick said smiling as he sat on my bed.

“Okay,” I answered as I took huge breaths.

“How are you feeling after what happened?”

“Good I guess, my shoulder hurts a little, but I'll be fine.”

“No, I meant after your first kiss or did I suck that bad that you don't remember it?” Nick asked, smiling.

“Oh!”

I wanted to die of embarrassment! Back then, I honestly thought I was going to die. That is why I told Nick that I loved him and he kissed me goodbye.

“Oh?” Nick asked me. “Usually, girls would say: Whoa, Nick! You're awesome! I want more!”

I laughed while he smiled.

“Nick, I don't know what to say. I honestly thought I was going to die.”

“It's okay. I understand. The same fear rushed through my mind at some point in time, but I had to stay positive for both of us,” Nick explained as he stood up and walked towards the foot of my bed. “I've got to thank you though.”

“For what?”

“For being willing to do anything to keep me alive.”

“No, you did that.”

“Nope, you were willing to let Matthew rape you. That's heroic in my book.”

“Matthew is a sick person, Nick. I didn't want him to kill you.”

“John, I—”

Nick started his sentence, but my mom burst into the room sobbing hysterically. She jumped on top of me and hugged me. Instantly, she began to shower me with kisses. Nick smiled warmly and made his way towards the door. He turned to us before leaving the room.

“We'll continue with our conversation some other time. He's all yours Ms. Ames.”

“I'm so sorry, dear,” my mom answered him as she wiped her tears.

“It's okay, I understand,” Nick answered, smiling. “I'll catch up with Madison and Kitty. See you, John!”

“See you, Nick!” I answered as I waved goodbye.

As soon as Nick stepped outside, my mom showered me with more kisses and hugs.

Chapter Six

It’s funny how something so tragic can flip your life in a second. I was invisible, but now, it seemed like even the president of the United States could spot me comfortably from his office. It is really sad that a tragedy had to happen for me to be noticed by everyone.

I left the hospital a week later. Kitty took me home after she beat Nick and Madison in a rock-paper-scissors contest. Nick was going to play his fourth game that Friday night. The Friday after the school shooting a silent rally took place in memory of the five victims. When I got home, I realized that my house had new furniture. Several get well cards and gifts from random strangers filled my room. I also found another arrangement of flowers from Jacob. Nick wanted to throw them away, but I stopped him. Nick, Kitty and Madison spent the entire afternoon with me and we went through all the stuff that people sent me. We had a blast. Nick and I did not continue with the conversation that my mom interrupted at the hospital. Deep inside, I wanted to know what he was going to say. His last words were: “John, I…” John what? John I hate you? John I love you? John I thought you were going to die? John what? As much as I wanted to know, I did not pressure him to tell me and with the girls around, he was not going to tell me anyway.