or she wanted.
“Oh my God—you’re okay!” I exclaim, not letting him go.
“What happened?” he asks wearily against my shoulder. He clearly doesn’t have any recollection of what the person did to him.
“I don’t know what happened. I just found you floating in the pool. I was going to ask you the same question,” I say, cracking a smile.
“I don’t…remember,” he replies between coughs. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I manage through the tears.
“Hey, what’s going on here?” someone asks from across the pool. Glancing over, I see the swim coach standing there.
“Where the hell were you? Rory almost drowned,” I answer.
“I was in my office—”
“I don’t really give a shit where you were. Call an ambulance!” I notice the surprise on his face at how I’m responding, but I don’t care if I get in trouble. My friend’s safety is more important than some stupid after-school detention.
He leaves without arguing. I sit and rock Rory, murmuring nonsense as I wait for help to arrive.
“I just phoned them. They’re on their way,” the coach calls out to me as he comes back into the pool area.
“Good. I need you to stay with him until they get here, okay? I have to go check on someone,” I say. The coach nods his head.
I brush Rory’s wet hair. “You’re going to be all right.” He grabs my hand tightly as I move to stand up.
“I love you, Dani.”
“I love you too, Rory.”
A fatigued smile shows on his face as the coach takes a knee by his side.
“You know I’m giving you detention for what you said, right?” the coach comments, handing me a towel to use to dry off.
“Do you really think I give a shit? Just do your job,” I reply while wiping my face. I hear Rory laugh, which only results in making him cough again.
“Make that two,” the coach states with exasperation this time. I ignore him and toss the towel back in his face before heading toward the exit.
I realize night has fallen as I emerge back outside the pool. My damp clothes and hair make the cool temperature feel that much more severe. I shiver, scanning the quiet and desolate school grounds. There’s no sign of activity. All I can hear is the low howling sound of wind as it sweeps past me.
A few overhead lights leading up to the main building are dark. For a brief moment, I wonder if the unknown person is waiting for me in the darkness, or even in the next building. Then the thought of Mr. Whitman being in danger snaps me out of my fear and I begin moving toward the double doors at the end of the walkway. I can’t shake the thought of what this person did to Rory. The anger building up inside me gives me a sense of fortitude, and I take it out on the doors as I rip them open before heading into the next building.
As I hurry through the halls toward the newspaper office, I hear nothing but the squeak of my wet shoes on the slick tile floor. Reaching the office, I notice the door’s cracked open. The worst-case scenario begins playing out in my head as I approach it. The light inside is still on when I peek through the door’s little glass window, but I don’t see Mr. Whitman at his desk. My heart thumps loudly in my ears as I think about all the horror movie clichés I’m fitting into right now. But this isn’t a movie—it’s real life.
Wrenching open the door, I find the room completely empty.
Buzz…Buzz…
That’s the last sound I want to hear. Pulling out my phone, I see it’s completely drenched and I’m surprised it’s still working. A new message appears on the home screen from Unknown:
Good choice…
I stumble over to Mr. Whitman’s desk, propping myself up and thinking the worst has happened. My emotions overwhelm me, causing me to feel numb all over. Sitting there slouched over, I stare down at the message until my phone’s screen goes to sleep.
“Fuck you,” I murmur with absolute disdain.
“There you are,” I hear Mr. Whitman say. I raise my head to look at the door with the largest smile on my face. “Why were you so hysterical earli—”
I hug him senseless before he can finish his sentence. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“What do you mean? Of course I’m okay. Are you?” he asks, sounding baffled.
“Much better now,” I say, pulling back to see him again, just to make sure I’m not