Surviving Elite High

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

I saw Matthew again three weeks later on a beautiful Monday morning. His bruises had healed, and he looked better than ever—almost renewed. Madison and I were walking to our history class, and 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 of commitment. Kitty had 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 our way. I glanced at Matthew before we entered the room. He simply smirked and walked away.

A cold chill crept down my spine after witnessing his little action. It was so normal that it seemed so out of character. Matthew was letting go of what Nick did to him so easily?

That wasn't the Matthew who had tormented me for two years. I had gotten to know him pretty well, and I knew that he was planning something. I just knew it.

Inside history class, we found Nick reading his World History book. He smiled when he saw us and continued reading away because we had a quiz that morning. Nick and I were closer than ever now. He had become my third best friend, and we would spend every afternoon as well as Saturday and Sunday together. My mom met him the previous Friday and found him absolutely dreamy and attractive. Every Thursday, with no question, Nick would buy groceries for us for the entire week. That was his personal way of thanking me for being his tutor. But to me, it only showed how amazing and wonderful Nick really was with others less fortunate than him. Girls would still tempt him, but he was slowly changing. Three weeks without s*x was torture for Nick Wild f**k, but he was hanging on. After winning the Homecoming crown, more girls threw themselves at him. Temptation was strong, but his willpower was stronger. I was so proud of him.

“Can you believe that I left my lab report at home?”

“You left it at 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. Mr.

Wright was a forty-seven-year-old dynamic speaker with twenty years of teaching experience. He was the father of four and probably the best husband on the face of the planet. Out of all the teachers, he was definitely the one to trust and the coolest one around. He was always willing to help anyone and would go the extra mile for his students or anyone that needed his help. Bottom line, Mr. Wright had a heart of gold.

“I saw Matthew near the main entrance,” I told Nick while Mr. Wright wrote on the blackboard. I needed to warn him. I knew that Matthew was up to no good.

“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. But Nick―”

“I won't let him hurt you again, John. Jacob warned me a few days ago that he's changed a lot since our last encounter. He's gotten angrier and meaner. He also told me to be very careful and to keep you close at all times. Everything's going to be fine.

Matthew won't challenge me again.”

“Then, you above anyone else should keep your guard up.”

“I'm not afraid of that asshole.”

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

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

When Mr. Wright cleared his throat, warning us that he had caught us talking, we stopped and focused our attention on him instead. The class continued as Mr. Wright spoke about some distant revolution and handed us our pop quiz. I just kept thinking about Matthew's malignant smile throughout the entire period. He looked so malevolent when he smiled at me. Something was wrong. I just knew it. Nick left five minutes before the end of the class to pick up his lab report in the parking lot. He asked me to take his bag to the science lab, where he would rejoin us. When the buzzer rang, Madison and I headed through the door, talking about our lab reports. Mr. Wright was walking right behind us.

The moment I stepped into the hallway, I saw Matthew coming out of the bathroom that was located near the main entrance of Elite High. He stared at us and froze in the middle of the busy hallway. A deranged smile slowly spread across his face. My heart skipped a few beats, but I knew I was safe in the presence of the entire school. Matthew wouldn't assault me in front of everyone, so we continued walking to the science lab.

We were going to turn into another hallway when I glanced at him one last time.

Matthew slowly placed his hands into his letter jacket and took out two pistols. My heart stopped when he pointed at me.

“Madison!” I pushed Madison toward the left wing of the school, throwing myself toward the right side. “Run!”

Madison flew down the corridor and it was at that moment that I heard the first two shots echoing throughout the halls of Elite High. Instantly, I felt a burning sensation on my left shoulder. Something pierced through me and buried itself inside.

After that, I heard a lot of screaming and tumult. Students were pushing, shouting, crying, and running to the nearest exit. It was complete and utter madness. I dropped both bags on the floor and ran toward the right wing emergency exit. A student pushed me to one side and kicked another girl just to get through us. Without warning and just like the first time, two more shots echoed down the hall. This time, I heard even more uproars of confusion as the students battled their way out of school and to safety. I held my left shoulder when I bumped into a student. Upon examining my bloody hand, I realized that Matthew had shot me.

I kept running and didn't want to look back. The frantic faces of students greeted me when I neared the emergency exit, but getting through the large mob that was heading toward it, was close to impossible. Pretty soon, I heard a fifth shot that was quickly followed by a sixth shot. I panicked this time because the emergency exit was too far away and everyone was trying to get through it at the same time. I had never felt that type of anguish before in my life. I wasn't going to make it. I had to hide before Matthew found me again and finished what he started. I opened the first door that I could find and stepped inside, gasping for air. It was the school's gymnasium. I dropped and crawled my way across the floor, slipping a few times in my own blood.

My breathing was becoming more difficult with each passing second, and the feeling of drowsiness invaded my head. While I crawled across the empty floor, a rack of mats came into my fuzzy vision. It was the safest spot that I could find, so I decided to hide behind it.

I held my shoulder tight and moaned loudly. The wound burned whenever I applied force to it, but I had to keep it from bleeding out. If I didn't stop the flow of blood, I could die and never see the light of day again. The screaming that had invaded the air had died out by then and everything was dead silent. My body started shaking, and cold shivers made their way up and down my spine. Taking a good look at myself, I realized that I didn't want to die. I hadn't had my first real kiss, gone out on my first date, gone to prom, or had my first real heartbreak. I wanted to live and see what my life would become. I continued to apply force to my wound, but my strength was slowly decreasing with every passing second. 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 in the school's parking lot when the shooting started. I slowly closed my eyes. I was getting ready to let go of life and leave everything behind.

After a few minutes of silence, I heard the door open and close behind me. My eyes shot open almost immediately. Tears ran down my cheeks, thinking that Matthew had found me. There was a pause, and the slightly metallic noise I heard sounded like a barbell being slid from a nearby rack. Then, the steps resumed. He was making his way toward me. I closed my eyes tight, now, preparing to die on the spot. When he tugged on my right shoulder, I jumped and squealed.

“John! It's me. Nick.”

I opened my eyes to see Nick clutching a barbell in his hands. “Nick?”

“Oh, my God, John! You're bleeding.” He knelt in front of me, removing my right hand from my shoulder. By now, I was shaking uncontrollably, and my breathing was terribly low. Nick took off his shirt and placed it on top of my wound. “Hold it.” Nick placed my right hand over my shoulder again. “Don't move. I'm going to get some help, okay?”

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

Nick hesitated at first, but he eventually sat down next to me, pulling me into his arms and hugging me tight. My heart was now on the verge of coming to a sudden stop. I was going to die soon. I just knew it.

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

“I'm…I'm going to die, Nick.”

“No. You're not going to die. Don't say that ever again, John.”

“Yes, I am…I know it.”

Nick stared into my teary eyes. “Don't say that again, okay?”

I cried even more after seeing the concern hidden in his eyes. I lay my head on his shoulder and continued crying silently. I knew that I was going to die soon. If my bleeding continued at the same fast rate, death would soon be knocking at my door to pick up my soul. My body felt cold and numb and my head felt light and dizzy. I was going to die in Nick's arms. I doubted I could have found a better place anyway. A million things rushed through my mind at that moment, but I needed to tell him something very important. I needed to tell him how I feel.

“Nick?”

“What?”

“I've got to tell you something.” I gasped for air.

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

“No, Nick. This can't wait anymore.”

Nick stared into my eyes. “What is it?”

“I…”

“Please, John, just save your strength.”

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

“Don't say that, John. You won't die today. You'll grow old and die in a warm bed.

You'll see. I promise.”

“I won't make it, Nick so…I've got to tell you that…I…I…love you…”

Nick smiled and held me tighter. His embrace was warm and loving, not hateful or repulsing. “I know.”

I was speechless. “You…knew?”

“Yes, it's obvious by the way you act whenever I'm near you. I may be a jock, but I'm not stupid,” he explained with a light smile. “I just thought it was really cute that my best friend had those feelings toward 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 wanted to make you happy, buddy. You're a really cool and amazing guy. You deserve to be happy. So, don't give up, okay? We'll make it out of this mess, you'll see.”

I cried even more after his deep confession. Nick didn't hate me, he cared for me.

Peace finally entered my mind, body, and soul. “Thank you for not hating me, Nickelodeon.”

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

I sobbed louder now because I couldn't take it. Nick touched my heart and soul with his words. He didn't resent me for loving him. In fact, he approved of my feelings toward him and was cool with it. Any other guy would have punched me in the face.

“This all sucks, Nick…I'm going to die so young. Madison, Kitty, and I dreamed 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, John. Don't worry about them, okay? Madison told me that she lost you inside, and that's why I came back to look for you. I ran into Kitty while I was running inside as well.”

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

“Don't say that, John. You won't die today. I know that for sure.”

“I know…I will die today, Nick. I know it.” I closed my eyes.

“Don't fall asleep, okay?” Nick held face. “Look at me. Don't fall asleep, John.

Someone is coming for us.”

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 in life.”

Nick took a deep breath. “Like prom and your first kiss?”

I nodded. “You got it, Nick…elodeon.”

Nick stared at me, gently combing my hair with his right hand. “Please don't die, John. I hope that this encourages you to live.”

Nick leaned toward me. When his warm lips pressed against mine, my body stopped shaking and functioning for a few seconds. 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. When his lips parted ways with mine, I answered him with a faint smile. Nick kissed me. Nick Hawking kissed me. I must have been dreaming or something because that could not have been real. I opened my mouth to speak, but the words did not form until I summoned all my inner strength. “I feel like Superman.”

Nick hugged me tighter, trying his best to cover his tears. No way! Now, I knew I was dreaming for sure. Nick Wild Hawk was crying in front of me. Yes, he was. That was the first time that I had seen him cry. “I'm not giving up on you yet, John. You may have, but I won't.”

Nick stood up and gathered me into his arms while I held my wound. I was feeling light-headed and extremely sleepy now, but we needed to get out of there alive. He dashed toward the door, trying his best not to move me so much. After Nick pushed the door open, he peeped outside to see if the coast was clear. No soul was lingering nearby. He made his way out of the gym and briskly walked down the empty and messy hallways that were now Elite High.

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

“Stop, motherfucker!”

My heart stopped when I heard Matthew's words echoing throughout the empty hallways. Nick froze as well, and then spun around to face the monster standing behind us. Matthew stood a few feet away from us, pointing his deadly pistols at us. I cried when I saw him standing there threatening our lives and existence.

“Matthew…please. He's dying.”

“Shut the f**k up!” he screamed with tears running down from his cheeks.

Matthew was shaking violently now. Out of the blue, he burst into a hysterical laugh.

As he walked toward us, his laughter increased. “You two are the 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 at your motherfucking head? Until now? Where's the almighty Nick Wild Hawk now? Where, Nick?”

Nick took a deep breath. “Matthew, I'm sorry that I never respected you, but I couldn't let you bully innocent people. Look at the way you treated John all these years.

You made his life a living hell at Elite High. I couldn't let that continue, Matthew.”

“f**k you, Nick. Because of you two, I'm a murderer.”

“No,” I argued weakly. I was going to die, so I needed to face him once and for all and give him a piece of my mind. I just prayed that Nick would not receive the retribution for my sudden, brave action.

“What did you say, you little f**k?” Matthew pointed the guns at me.

“He's dying. Don't―”

“Shut the f**k up and let the homo talk,” he told Nick. Then he turned to me.

“What did you say, b***h?”

“Said not…because of us. Your choice…and you…” I struggled for the breath necessary to speak past my fear. “You hide…behind your guns. Pathetic.”

Matthew stood still, looking at us with hatred. “Before I kill you, I'll f*****g 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 f**k you hard, bitch.”

Nick exhaled deeply, closing and opening his eyes in the process. When Matthew made a sudden move toward us, Nick took a few steps back.

“Move again and I'll shoot you, motherfucker. Trust me, I will.” Matthew waved one of the guns at him.

Nick glanced at me, and I nodded.

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

Nick slowly set me on the floor. “Please―”

“Shut up! Now, step to this side.” Matthew pointed to the spot with one of the guns. Matthew then turned to me, pointing 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. Nick continued begging him. “Oh, my God, Matthew, please don't do this.”

“Shut the f**k up and enjoy the show, Nick.” Matthew laughed like a maniac.

When Matthew grabbed the waistband of his boxers, he stopped in his tracks. 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 didn't stop; it just got louder. Matthew slowly walked toward the room. Abruptly, he turned to Nick. “Don't think about moving.”

Nick's face was white as paper, but he managed to nod. Matthew continued walking down the hall, looking around to see if anyone else was nearby. 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, and the door swung open. He peeped inside and carefully walked into the room. Without warning, Mr. Wright flung his body toward him, trying his best to wrestle the guns away from Matthew's hands.

“Run, guys!” Mr. Wright ordered Nick.

Nick stood up and lifted me into his arms. While he jogged toward the exit, I heard Matthew and Mr. Wright struggling to get possession of the guns. As soon as Nick reached the emergency exit, he pushed the door with his body and ran outside to safety.

It was at that moment that I heard the last five shots of that terrible day.

The sun was shining brightly outside, which was huge contrast to what was happening inside. It was then that I realized how good and wonderful the sun, the sky, the clouds, and the entire planet were with us. I heard a policeman shouting at Nick as he neared a large crowd that was gathered outside. I saw a few policemen, ambulances, fire trucks, police cars, several onlookers, and several reporters. I even saw a SWAT

team pointing guns at us as if we were the enemies.

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

“Please! He needs help.” Nick set me down, quickly lifting his hands into the air.

Several footsteps suddenly made their way toward me. Three men in white appeared out of nowhere, poking every inch of my body. One of them pressed something on top of my wound while the other two lifted me from the ground. I closed my eyes, ready to let go of life. Nick was safe. Finally, I could rest in peace.

* * * * *

I don't remember a lot after I closed my eyes. I just remember standing inside a dark tunnel and seeing a bright light and nothing else around me. But I will never forget what happened the day I woke up. I opened my eyes Wednesday with blurred vision and a huge pain in my shoulder. I didn't die that day. I was still alive and breathing air like everyone else.

“He's awake!” Madison shouted enthusiastically.

“Welcome back, baby!” Kitty dried her eyes.

“We thought we lost you, Johnny Boy.”

“What happened?” I looked around, adjusting the light in the room.

“You didn't die.” Nick laughed.

I froze when I saw him and sucked in a breath. The three laughed at my reaction. I smiled. “I thought I was going to die.”

“You thought wrong, Johnny Boy.” Madison corrected.

“Yes, 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?” It was odd that my mom was not there with them.

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

I turned to Nick, who nodded.

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

“That's right! I'm going to call her now.” Kitty kissed my forehead. She picked up her purse and walked out of the room with a huge smile from cheek to cheek.

Madison silently stared at me for a few seconds, fighting back her tears. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around me and sobbed. “I'm so sorry!”

“Sorry for what?” 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 told you to run, anyway.”

Nick scratched his head, walking to a nearby chair to sit down.

“I should have made sure you were behind me.” Madison 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 laughed, wiping her tears. She made her way to a table full of gifts and retrieved a giant heart-shaped box. She handed it to me, smiling broadly. “This is for you.”

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

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

Nick chuckled, shaking his head. “We'll see about that, Madison.”

I quickly examined the remaining gifts. A giant cream teddy bear caught my attention. It looked so big, 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 turned to Nick who nodded. “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 who scowled. She continued. “They're from Jacob.”

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

“I did.”

“I told her to throw them away.” Nick walked up to me to sit down on my bedside.

“They're trash.”

“Jacob sent me flowers?”

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

“In love,” Nick finished, staring 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, obviously,”

Nick explained.

“Lots of people send get well flowers, Nick. I think you're wrong.” Out of the blue, Matthew hit my mind. I started shaking uncontrollably. The pain in my shoulder intensified in almost a second. Nick placed his hands on my chest to stop me from moving around and hurting myself. “Matthew! What happened with Matthew?”

“Relax, John. He won't hurt you again. Right now you've got to relax.” Nick did his best to calm me down.

I still needed to know what happened with Matthew. “But what happened? I don't remember anything after you took me out.”

Nick let me go, turning his attention to Madison. She answered him with a tiny nod. Nick took a deep breath before addressing me. “Matthew killed four students and Mr. Wright.”

“What? No way. He killed him?” I sobbed at the thought of Mr. Wright losing his life at the hand of Matthew Ward.

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

I tried to calm down. I turned to Madison, who did not know what Mr. Wright did for us. “He saved our lives.”

“I know. Nick told us.”

“Who are the students that died?”

“Julia Seymour, who was a freshman, and three sophomore students: Bryan Campbell, Jake Brown and Arlene Lorry. Their funerals were today, and there's going to be a vigil at school tonight.”

“And Matthew?”

After a short silence, Nick answered my question. “His trial will most likely be next year, so we'll have to testify against him.”

“What?” My heart stopped.

“Yes, we saw it all and lived.” I didn't want to testify against that monster, but I owed Mr. Wright. He and Nick actually. “Thank you, Nick.”

“For what?”

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

Nick smiled. “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 back into the room. “Your mom is on her way. I also called the school and everyone else I could think of. Now, one question remains, which gift did you like the most?”

We laughed, forgetting for a few seconds that our lives would never be the same.

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

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

Right, Nick?”

“Yeah, sure.” Nick stood.

“Okay, see you later, Johnny Boy.” Madison giggled. She immediately figured out what Kitty wanted to do.

Kitty pulled Madison's arm and led her through the door, closing it behind them.

Nick stared at me for a couple of minutes. I quickly looked away. I hated whenever he did that because my stomach always turned in loops. With my heart rate increasing steadily, one of the machines started to beep faster.

Nick chuckled, sitting down on my bed. “Relax, I don't want you to have a heart attack.”

“Okay.” I took huge breaths, trying to calm down as fast as possible.

“How're you feeling?”

“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?”

“Oh!” I wanted to die of embarrassment. Back then, I had honestly thought I was going to die.

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

I laughed. “Nick, I don't know what to say. I thought I wasn't going to make it.”

“It's okay, John. 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 stood up and walked toward 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 r**e you. That's heroic in my book.”

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

“John, I—” Nick began, but at that moment, my mom burst into the room, sobbing hysterically. Thanks, Mom. She practically jumped on top of the covers to get to me, instantly showering me with kisses and hugging me tight. Nick smiled warmly and made his way toward the door. He turned to us before leaving the room. “We'll talk about this later. He's all yours, Ms. Ames.”

“I'm so sorry, dear.” My mom wiped her tears.

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

“See you, Nick.” I waved him goodbye.

The second Nick stepped outside, my mom showered me with more kisses and hugs.