Chapter Eight

Asher

Brenton

Kalina is going to know about what you did to Averly. Vera told me to give you a heads up.

The world spun around me from Jocelyn's words. I locked myself in the stall as I sat on the closed lid, hugged my knees and stared at the cubicle door. She wouldn't find out, I wouldn't let her.

Nobody could ever know about the murderer that got away. Nobody could get to him before me, not even the girl. I repeated this affirmation in my head before my panic attack choked me and I tried to quieten myself down, I comforted my head in between my bent knees as I did my therapeutic breathing technique that included counting backwards and taking quick breaths back to back.

I missed the first class when I was done with my panic episode, beads of sweat formed on the side of my head from the unconditioned bathroom. I gripped the tissue and wiped it off before I took my backpack.

My state was back to normal but as soon as my hand was on the knob, I listened to the bathroom door being closed after the two people walked in. Their steps got closer to the sinks.

"When are you planning on taking her virginity?" I knew Matt's gruff voice and I froze as I listened in. Matt used to try and be friends with me because he wanted to bond with my sister.

"Tonight after the match." Leslie announced as he sounded confident. I knew it was the girl that he talked about.

"Jocelyn is going to kill you." Matt reminded him.

"Who says she will know?" he said, followed by the sound of tap water running down the sink as they washed their hands. "Besides, the bet is still going on but this time with a twist — I will get two birds in one stone, get Jocelyn out of my life and it would be payback to Vera for having Jocelyn's back, I will turn two best friends against each other and get Kalina to stay away from the freak Asher."

"It's a deal." They both cheered as they high-fived before they got out of the bathroom. My conscience begged me to warn the girl who had been curious to know about me, but I avoided it.

Not one single person saved my sister, so why should I save others?

I stormed out of the bathroom to my Algebra class, Miss Julia welcomed me in and students joined the class once it started. I was ahead of everyone as I mulled over the mystery the jock hid. Vera was the only one who had helped me after the death of my sister, she was the one that shut everyone up about it.

The only debt I had was towards Vera, as I grasped a paper and a pen. I wrote a letter about what I heard and I made up my mind to send it to her because I owed her that. At least, she would have the chance to protect her sister when I couldn't.

Kalina apologized for being late and took a seat in front. She couldn't see me but I saw her secretly, the way she always had her hair up in the classes, to her head tilt when she wrote in her notebook, and to the way she tapped the pen to the side of her neck.

I was an anonymous observant but I was never caught by anyone. I knew everything that happened around me, but I stayed immune to all of the action.

Leslie's hateful gaze penetrated my side profile, but I had the time to shove the letter inside my bag and put on the same ice cold stare in the classroom.

Time passed and I was the first one to get up, but not without Leslie's group in front of my face.

"Look at this loner, can't do shit by himself." Another tug on my shirt. "He's pathetic, guys." The guy from the team laughed as they tightened the circle.

Kalina shoved a guy from the circle. "Stop this Leslie or I will." She threatened fiercely as Matt whistled at her warning.

She came back to the class for me.

"Let's leave this freak for now." Leslie told his guys before they all filed out.