Ch. 23: See Something, Say Something

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE:
I decided to get to class and go to the office after school. We walked up to Mr. Hall’s class as people were walking in the door. As I walked in I immediately spotted Sean at an empty table, waving us over.
“Got here early,” he said, winking at me. He seemed like he was back in good spirits. “Have a seat,” he said to both of us.
I sat next to him, facing the front of the classroom, with Ally on my other side. Marsha and Maxine walked in next with Angela. I saw her face fall a bit when she realized that there wasn’t room for her this time, but she made a small smile and sat at the table next to us. Marsha and Maxine sat down.
“Are we getting a special escort at every class now, or just this one?” Maxine asked, addressing Sean.
“Well, any friend of my girl is a friend of mine,” he retorted comfortably.
“Alright, you’ll do. For now,” Maxine responded, making Sean laugh.
Class went by fairly quickly. Sean and I wrote notes to each other on a sheet of paper between our actual work. He mostly made fun of the way our teacher acted like he was a superior being, and he even made a doodle of him that was honestly really good. Halfway through class we broke into our table groups to practice for our little skits and Sean was so much fun, making voices while reading his lines, or inventing elaborately dramatic backstories for the ‘characters.’
Before we knew it the bell rang signaling the end of class. Most of us went to stand up and then heard Mr. Hall.
“Ahem! Excuse me!” he yelled, hands on his hips, “The bell doesn’t dismiss you. I do.”
He stood up there all pompous as everyone froze and waited. I found myself opening my eyes, a silent way of saying ‘Well?’
Mr. Hall noticed me and called me out, “Miss Rachel - do you have anything you would like to say?” He walked towards me.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sean sit up in his chair, clutching his notebook.
“No thanks,” I said back sweetly. Probably boarding on sass and I had no idea where that Rachel came from. I didn’t drop my gaze. Normally I wouldn’t be acting like this but I felt brave for a second.
Mr. Hall looked at Sean, and back at me then stepped back and exhaled. Defeated?
“CLASS DISMISSED,” he announced loudly.
We all scrambled out of our seats and out the door as quickly as we could. I took a glance at Mr. Hall on the way out, still shocked at my response to his question. If he didn’t expect that response from me, I certainly didn’t.

School had ended for the week and the energy in the hallway was like summer break had started, even though it was just a regular weekend in late September. Sean and I had parted ways after a hug that went a little long in a bustling crowd. I promised to text him after I spoke to Maxine, and he asked about meeting up on Sunday. I was unsure but hopeful about it. Maybe we could meet in my neighborhood while Ally met with that Joey guy. I shot off a text to Lana asking her if she was going to the concert, and she responded right away saying she would be there. Ally, Maxine, Marsha and I walked in the same direction for a while before Marsha left to get picked up by her cousin out front. Ally took one second to read my facial expression before knowing to excuse herself elsewhere. The crowd had all but disappeared when I turned to Maxine.
“Are you up to talking?” I asked her.
She nodded and led me to sit by this planter in the hall near the courtyard.
“I’ve been struggling with how to word this exactly…” she started, and I waited with an expectant look on my face, waiting for her to finish, “You may think I’m crazy for this, so apologies.” She looked away and then faced me straight on. “Do you believe in other things - magic, spirits, that kind of thing?”
She looked so vulnerable and serious, and I answered her honestly, “I guess I can say I’m definitely open to it. I can say I think there are a lot of things science can’t explain, and a lot of ideas that are out there…”
Her eyes never left my face. “Well, ugh - I hope you don’t look at me differently after this - but, my family, we have always kind of felt things. Seen things. I mean not anything super intense or often. But now and again - it’s like an intuition,” she finished.
I was following, my mom is self-described as ‘spiritual,’ and I wasn’t about to discount Maxine. She wasn’t batty and showed me nothing but logical thinking since I started here. If anything, between her and Marsha, she was the steady one.
“Okay. I can understand that,” I responded. She smiled.
“Okay, so the reason I’m saying all this is, I had this weird feeling yesterday when I saw Sean. And then again today I thought I saw something in Film,” she finished.
I was definitely surprised. “What do you mean exactly? What feeling? What did you see?” I asked her in rapid fire, confused and a little upset. This is not at all what I expected to hear. Was she trying to scare me away from Sean? Why?
“I can't really describe the feeling really. It was like, erie? Like foreboding? Like a negative anticipation? And in class, I…” she lowered her voice even more, “I thought I saw Sean’s shadow on the opposite side of the projector when he walked by.”
I looked at her incredulously. “I’m sorry - I just, what am I supposed to do with that?” I nearly snapped.
She jolted back like I had slapped her. “I - I don’t know Rach. I’m sorry, this is super weird, I know. And it’s nothing against Sean, really. I don’t know what any of this means more than you do!”
I looked unconvinced. What was this really about? Did she really feel and see those things? I half believe her but the other half of me just thinks this is just too much.
“I don’t know if it’s something about him, I mean it could be something involving him. Like maybe something is coming for him? I don’t know… God,” she paused, reading my face, “you think I’m an absolute freak.”
She stood straight up, and with her hands swaying all over in panic, she whispered, “I’m sorry!” and took off.
I jogged after her and got her attention, “Max!”
She stopped and turned to me, questions in her eyes.
“Look, Max. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you think I thought any of that. I just don’t know what to say or do with any of that…,” I looked away, into the courtyard, eyes roaming for anything to bring me back to the present.
Just then the loudest screeching sound started to pound in our ears. Looking around with our hands covering our ears we saw the fire alarms flashing red.
“Oh shi*!” I said to her, right hand reaching for Maxine to pull her towards the exit. “We have to get out of here!” I yelled over the alarm.
Teachers still in their classrooms, and office staff, along with a few other students still inside all started speed walking towards the front parking lot. Once outside Ally ran over to us.
“What the hell? Is this for real?” Ally asked, hand pointing to the building.
“No idea!” I yelled over the alarm, still blaring. “I think maybe - even the office staff was walking out!”
We saw the entire office staff outside, counting people, the principal on her cell.
“Well it’s clearly not a drill - hopefully a prank?!” Maxine thought aloud next to Ally and I.
I noticed our bus coming up the hill. Followed by a fire truck. Both pulled into the parking lot, and the bus stayed there waiting for all of us. A few firefighters got off the truck, running over to the principal talking to her, while another few went inside the building. We walked over to the bus but stayed outside, looking at our school. The bus driver seemed worried and curious too and killed the ignition. Everyone on the bus stood up and started pointing out towards the back of the school against the carved away mountain. Smoke. Oh shit.
“Oh my god! There’s smoke!” Maxine yelled. Fire fighters yelled from the back area and the firetruck moved back to pull into the gravel driveway leading behind the school. Other cars arrived picking up loved ones. Parents parked their cars haphazardly and ran out yelling for their kids. The principal rushed over to us, asking who was supposed to get picked up from our group. We named everyone around us, and she was glad we were all out. After a moment she turned to the bus driver and told them to go ahead and get us out of here. She walked back to her staff, probably trying to figure out who could possibly still be inside.
Melanie was already on board with June, and Angela started up the stairs. We said goodbye to Maxine and thanked the bus driver. My phone rang, it was Sean.
“Rachel! Are you okay?” he sounded frantic, “Are you still at school?” I could hear a ton of background sounds and muffled yelling.