Unbullied

Chapter 2

Chapter 2Charlie's phone vibrated in her pocket as she swung a hard left and bolted down the hall. She reached for the phone with the hand she'd been clamping over her mouth; no need to feign illness anymore.

As she ran toward the building exit at the end of the hall, she raised the phone and read the screen. It was Conscience again, of course. These days, it was always Conscience.

TEN MINUTES & COUNTING! he wrote. DONT BOTHER BEGGING FOR A MINUTE MORE!!!

Charlie stuffed the phone back in her pocket and burst through the door, blinking at the bright sunlight.

Even as she kept running down the sidewalk, jet black hair flying, her stomach clenched. She was outside, but now what?

The parking lot was dead ahead. Her house was five minutes away by car...seven to ten if the lights and traffic were uncooperative.

But Charlie didn't own a car.

Tears welled in her eyes as reality set in. There was no way she could make it home in time on foot. Even running at top speed--which was pretty fast--and cutting through yards, she didn't have a hope in Hell of beating Conscience's deadline.

Hysteria burned in her heart, threatening to swell up and overwhelm her. She only had one choice, to run for all she was worth, even though she knew for a fact that it would never be enough.

Then, suddenly, she had a second choice.

Hearing voices, Charlie looked left. In the far back corner of the parking lot, she saw familiar faces, and she couldn't believe it. Three boys were fighting by a car back there, two against one...

And the one was her next-door neighbor, Nolan Elliot.

Revived with hope, Charlie sprinted through the parking lot like she was running for a medal in the 40-yard dash. That was Nolan's car near the fight, his red Mustang; she aimed for it with single-minded determination, blocking out everything else.

Including her phone, which was vibrating again in her pocket.

As she ran closer, the boys stopped hitting each other and looked in her direction. Thinking as fast as she was running, she started talking before she'd even come to a stop in front of them.

"Nolan!" she shouted. "We need to go! It's an emergency!"

Nolan stared at her like she was a raving moron. His lip was swollen, his blond hair bloody, one blue eye bruised black...but if he was happy she'd stopped the fight, he didn't show it. "What?"

"Please!" Charlie grabbed him by the front of his black t-shirt--ignoring the fact that it wasn't the red anti-bullying shirt he should have been wearing to the rally. "I'm telling you, it's an emergency!"

One of the other boys--the redhead with the football player build and the bright green eyes--stepped up and grabbed her shoulder. "What kind'a joke is this?" His name was Gantry Gulick, and he was one of the most popular kids in school.

Charlie shook her shoulder free and whirled on him. "No joke! Now move!" She shoved him away with both hands. "Or someone might die because of you!"

Gantry looked furious, but he backed up. His African-American crony, Devon Sharpe, another popular football star, hesitated a moment, then did the same.

The phone vibrated again in Charlie's pocket, feeding her urgency. "Let's go!" She ran around the passenger side of the Mustang, wrenched the door open, and shot inside. "Come on!"

Nolan didn't follow at first, and she thought he might not help her. After all, the days of their friendship were long gone. He hadn't wanted anything to do with her for ages.

But then he threw his own door open and dropped in beside her. "Is this really an emergency?"

"Oh my God yes! You've got to leave now!" She dug the phone from her pocket and read the latest text from Conscience:

FIVE MINUTE WARNING!!! TICK TOCK TICK TOCK BAANNGG!!!

"And drive as fast you can!" said Charlie.

Nolan started the car, threw it in reverse, and swung it back out of its space. "Drive where, Charlie? Drive where?"

"Home!" Tears poured down Charlie's cheeks. Even if Nolan drove like a maniac, they probably wouldn't make it in time. "Get me to my house as fast as you can!"

"Why? What's going on?" Nolan shifted into first gear and stomped the accelerator. Gantry and Devon were yelling something, but their voices were drowned out by the Mustang's squealing tires.

"Please trust me." Charlie gripped the sides of the seat and watched with wide eyes as scenery flew past. "It's a matter of life and death!"