Chapter Ten

Within about ten minutes after I left my house, my phone started ringing. Wondering who it would be to call this early in the morning, I checked the caller-ID. There was none. It was a private number. Feeling more confused, I picked it up. "Max, this is Jake. I know this is early but, I hope I am not disturbing you." Jake? Now? Before I could answer him, he continued, " I am sorry if I am,  but this is regarding something very important. Would you please wait for me at the school gates? If I don't show up until 7, then it means I won't be coming. I have to go now." "Hello? Jacob?", I called  but to no avail. He had already hung up. There had been someone else's voice in the background when he hung up. Probably that's why he hung up. Shrugging, I continued walking.

I reached the gates by 06:40 am. There were a lot of people around and literally everyone was staring at me. They were eyeing my tattoos and my attiré. I didn't care. I was comfortable and that was all that mattered. To pass time, I took out a cigarette and lit it. I have to admit that there were indeed a lot of people, who were content in not bothering about others and yet again there were the others who were completely opposite.

The hangover had started to set in and I was starting to feel extremely dehydrated. I checked the time, 06:55 a.m. Oh well! That was fast. What could it be that made it so urgent? I finished my cigarette and continued standing there. Just when I was about to check the time again, a group of people came near me. I stiffened up, not wanting to speak to anyone but they passed by me with no comments themselves. I sighed. I didn't want to waste my time rumbling with anyone. Suddenly, I heard a shout and saw a girl rush out from the entrance of the school towards the gate. Just when she was about to reach the gate, she started screaming, " THEY GOT HIM THIS TIME. COME ON IN." Everywhere around me, everyone left whatever they were doing to follow her inside. Guess I had indeed not had any idea of anything happening in the school. Wondering what was happening, even I followed the crowd. I checked my watch. 07:05 am. Right when I thought he wasn't about to come, someone tapped me on my right shoulder.

I turned back. It was a girl who I was sure I didn't know? "What?!", I asked. She handed me a thick envelope and answered, " I was told to give you this in case Jacob doesn't meet you by 07:00 am." I was confused and nodded my head. I turned and started walking again. Everyone had left already but I could hear some noise from near the washrooms. I started making my way towards the source of sound, when the girl pulled me by my hand making me turn a complete 360. I was pissed- off. Before I could get a word out of my mouth, she whispered, "DO NOT OPEN IT UNTIL YOU MEET JACOB. THAT'S COMPULSORY. That's a request from Jacob's part. Please." Then, she turned and ran out of the entrance. I kept my bag on the floor, dropped the envelope into it and wore my bag on 1 shoulder before proceeded again.

Jake's no show worried me. For the first time in a very long time, I was worried about someone's absence other than my brothers' and not angry at having been kept waiting in vain just to be met by another girl who I didn't even know. This new found worry was different from my usual behavior of digging up trouble. This wasn't my usual behavior and that scared me. It wasn't like me to be worried about someone but, here I was, worried about someone who I had no shit idea about.

I had been thinking about what to ask Jake when I saw him next when someone bumped into me from behind. I hated getting bumped during this crowd formation shit and so, I put my hands in my pocket, looked down and started walking in the opposite direction, when what I saw next made me stop dead in my tracks.

There were books all over the floor- all seemed to have been thrown away from the same place. There were also bottles of nail polish, hair extensions, make up and all that usual girly stuff. It seemed like some girl's stuffs were thrown out of her locker.

I turned and started walking towards the door and idly ran my eyes over the book right next to my feet. I continued walking and that's when the names I saw on the book registered in my head: JACOB ERICKSON, LUCA VALANTINO. I wasn't sure but I had a nagging doubt within my head if it belonged to Jake. I picked it up and other than these two names, it continued no more details about anything else on the outside. I opened the hard cover and read the title. I hadn't expected that. Next minute, someone had grabbed the book from my hand from behind. I turned to face the asshole who did it and saw the guy who passed by me with his group at the gate when I was standing there waiting for Jake  jeering at me. He had the book held high in the air. It seemed he was showing it to his friends. I turned around to see who he was showing it to.