by Sean Platt
**
Somewhere on the way from the bathroom and to the nurse’s office, Noella had a change of heart.
She decided that so long as Mr. Mahr didn’t tell anyone, neither would she. And maybe she could avoid telling Josie and Randy, also. Because the last thing she wanted in her senior year, was to become a walking zombie again.
So she’d just keep today’s episode to herself, and hope she didn’t have another incident that would get her locked up.
**
Though she might be able to keep the biology class freakout from her family, the school was another story.
As she went from class to class, whispers grew louder and the pointing more obvious. People gave her a wide berth in the hallway, and she could practically hear them thinking, “Oh no, Noella’s gonna blow.”
Gym was mercifully quiet, and as Noella was changing from her gym shorts to her jeans, she began to think that maybe people would just drop the matter. Then the unique cruelty of locker room laughter slapped her in the face.
The echoing giggles came from a clustered circle at the end of her row of lockers, half the girls in the class gathered, staring at something Noella couldn’t see. The other half were looking up, staring at her as she approached the circle, some pointing and all of them laughing.
It was Vicky in the middle – Becca’s new B.F.F., a bleach blonde cheerleader who was as vicious as she was beautiful – passing her cell phone from girl to girl. Noella knew what was on the video, even before she heard herself screaming. Funny, she hadn’t even noticed Vicky recording her when she had her little episode during Biology.
That bitch!
Noella had no idea how long the video was, but one of the girls, Jenny, had it in her hands and was scrubbing the player back and forth and filling the locker room with Noella’s screaming on repeat.
Mako was rounding the opposite row of lockers, coming from the restroom. Vicky turned toward her, took the phone back from Jenny, then held it up for Mako to see.
“Look, Mako, your best friend is on YouTube!” Vicky held the phone up and pressed play.
The Noella in the video screamed.
“You delete that!” Mako shouted, stepping into the huddle until she was just inches from Vicky’s face.
“Or what?” Vicky said, taking a step forward. She was easily six inches taller than Mako, and athletic while Mako was petite. The number of girls swelled around them at the prospect of a fight.
Noella ran to Mako. “Forget about it,” she said, pulling Mako from the crowd. “This bitch isn’t worth it.”
Noella turned and walked back to her locker, holding Mako’s hand behind her. They made it halfway there when Vicky said, “I bet they’re gonna sneak back to the showers together. Boys don’t want them, but at least they have each other! She love her long time!”
Vicky laughed hysterically. The chorus of sheeple echoed her mania, and the cork finally popped from years of Noella’s bottled rage.
Noella’s fists curled into balls, her lip twitched, and she could feel the rage stirring deep in her gut. An inhuman growl fled her lips as she turned toward Vicky, then ran at her screaming, knocking her cell phone to the floor, and punching her hard in the face.
“Becca’s not here to save you this time,” Vicky screamed, rubbing the splotch of crimson on her left cheek for a second before shoving Noella back and into the lockers. As Noella fell back, Vicky jumped her.
They fell to the ground, swinging, scratching, and kicking as the girls around them shouted, “FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!!!”
The crowd receded, giving the girls room to roll around on the floor, as an evil trinity of Vicky’s girls held Mako’s arms and kept her from jumping in or stopping the fight.
But no one was holding Coach Carla, who rushed at the girls and pulled them off one another and split them apart. Coach Carla tossed them each toward opposite lockers, and yelled at the other girls to get to class.
Vicky had a nasty bruise on her left cheek, and a good scratch right next to it. The back of Noella’s head throbbed where Vicky had landed two punches, but other than some hair pulling, Vicky hadn’t hurt her too bad. If there was a winner of this fight, it was Noella by a landslide.
Though, whatever pride she felt at getting a few good hits in faded when she saw Coach Carla’s eyes.
Coach Carla gave Noella a sympathetic look, and Noella wasn’t sure which stung worse — the look of pity, or the look of disappointment which followed. Coach Carla sent them both to the dean’s office.
**
Noella was silent as Dean Dinnen read her the riot act, and simply nodded when he asked if Coach Carla’s story was true. Per school policy, Noella was sent back out to the office to wait for her parent or guardian.
Vicky’s mom appeared just before sixth period, petting the back of her daughter’s head and showering her with baby talk, while shooting Noella the evil eye as if to say, “How dare you hit my precious baby?”
Noella had to wait until 45 minutes after the final bell for Josie and Randy to show.
Josie’s eyes were bloodshot and leaking, though it probably had a lot more to do with her near-constant sneezing and rattling cough than the call from the dean. If anything, Josie seemed sad and slightly hollow, silently sorry for the life of misery Noella was forced to endure. But there was also a look of relief when the dean told her about the fight. Noella wasn’t sure why, but the dean failed to mention what started the fight — an almost repeat of the incident, which must’ve been a huge relief to Josie.
If Josie had compassion in her eyes, Randy had whatever the opposite was. She had gotten in trouble and wasted his time, and despite his morning advice, he would damn well make Noella pay.
* * * *
TO BE CONTINUED…
ForNevermore
THE NEXT SERIAL THRILLER FROM SEAN PLATT & DAVID WRIGHT
Get Episode 1 now at amazon
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Or get the full season at amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007SNNUMW/
Or click below for more information:
http://collectiveinkwell.com/fornevermore
* * * *
AVAILABLE DARKNESS
THE DARKNESS HAS AWOKEN
FBI Special Agent Caleb Baldwin is on the hunt for a serial killer who has left a trail of burned bodies. One of those victims – his wife. As he gets closer to finding the killer, he falls deeper into an elaborate conspiracy.
A man wakes buried alive with no memory of who or what he is. In his pocket, a note: “Avoid the sunlight and don’t touch anybody.” Now he is being hunted by the FBI while trying to remember his monstrous past. He must control the darkness within before it consumes him and the child whose life he must protect.
11-year-old Abigail was dying slowly each day as the prisoner of a sick man. Until she is saved by the most unlikely of heroes – a vampire with a deadly touch. He is her only hope, and she may hold the key to unlocking the memories of his hidden past.
Past, present, fate, and future are on a collision course as the hours of AVAILABLE DARKNESS are ticking away and a force greater than anything the world has ever seen threatens humanity.
Available Darkness is the first book in an epic journey that reinvents vampire mythology with a fast paced, character-driven thriller that blends action, mystery, fantasy, and horror in an addictive, tragically romantic story.
AVAILABLE NOW in print and for the Amazon Kindle, in convenient instant download eBook version.
Visit:
www.amazon.com/Available-Darkness-ebook/dp/B005G4G9ZA/
* * * *
DARK CROSSINGS: Short stories. Killer Endings.
From the creators of the groundbreaking post-apocalyptic series Yesterday’s Gone, and the vampire thriller Available Darkness, comes six unforgettable short stories, daring you to experience the darkness of their worlds.
Available as single stories or in the full collection, Dark Crossings is a collection
best enjoyed with the lights on.
PULL THE TRIGGER — Ellie’s husband owes money to some powerful people. The only way she can save his life is to do one “simple” job — retrieve a mysterious box and kill the courier. But can Ellie pull the trigger? Nothing is at it seems in this pulse-pounding mysterious thriller.
CHRIS WAKES UP — You know those zombie stories where survivors must make their way through a world plagued by walking dead? This is a tale from a zombie’s perspective, as Chris wakes up infected, alone, and hungry. As he struggles to hold onto his humanity, he finds himself the unlikely protector of a young girl seeking safety. Can he protect her from others? Can he protect her from himself?
RESPERO DINNER — In the not-too-distant future, Xavier is the guest of honor at an exclusive dinner. It’s a night filled with friends, family, and regrets. Respero Dinner is a thought provoking tale of love, loss, and the choices we make in life.
THE VISITOR — Blind and dying, writer Mary Fletcher is waiting out her final days in a nursing home. Unlike most of the other residents, Mary refuses to dwell on the past —until a mysterious visitor shows up. A visitor who sounds exactly like the love of her life who she believed to be dead. Who is he? What does he want?
DINER FADED — Zach hops into his car and hits the open road, angry and eager to put a couple of states between he and his girlfriend. Zach pulls into a diner, hungry and with a gas tank on fumes. He gets more than he ordered and something he may never escape.
THE WATCHER — Since the death of his young daughter, Frank Grimm’s life has completely unravelled. Barely connected with his wife, he now sits in his home office, watching his neighbors live their lives. And when nobody’s looking, he sometimes breaks into their homes. There’s only one house on his street he hasn’t broken into. And in that house, one day, he sees someone in the window, watching him.
Visit:
http://collectiveinkwell.com/dark-crossings
for more information.
* * * *
Our Books
Yesterday’s Gone Series
Episodes 1-12 (available in single episode format)
Season One Compilation (Episodes 1-6)
Season Two Compilation (Episodes 7-12)
Season Three (Begins June 17, 2012)
ForNevermore Series
Episodes 1-6 (available in single format)
Season One Compilation (Episodes 1-6)
Season Two (coming fall/winter 2012)
WhiteSpace Series
WhiteSpace: Episode 1 — May 1, 2012
WhiteSpace: Episode 2 — May 8, 2012
WhiteSpace: Episode 3 — May 15, 2012
WhiteSpace: Episode 4 — May 22, 2012
WhiteSpace: Episode 5 — May 29, 2012
WhiteSpace: Episode 6 — June 5, 2012
WhiteSpace: Season One Compilation — June 12, 2012
Dark Crossings Collections
Book 1 - Six Short Stories. Killer Endings (includes the short stories — Pull The Trigger, Respero Dinner, Chris Wakes Up, The Watcher, Diner Faded, The Visitor)
Dark Crossing Short Stories
Are We There Yet?
If You Don’t Finish Reading This, Then Everyone You Know Will Die
For a complete and most up-to-date list of our available books, visit:
http://collectiveinkwell.com/our-books