Mr. Rush: An Island Rush Bonus Chapter (2 page)

A few minutes later after everyone was seated, a flight attendant made an announcement over the speakers, relieving me from Mrs. Marshall. “Can we have your attention please?”

Once she spoke and had the attention of everyone, Shane Howard, the principal, took the flight attendant’s place with a grin. “Okay everyone, we are leaving in a few minutes.  First, we need to take attendance.” 

Attendance is always a pain, and I knew that too well.  It’s a dragging process every day as a teacher – and that’s with about 25 kids per class.  For this, nearly the entire junior class plus the staff and chaperones had to be accounted for. I wasn’t surprised at all it took a while. Of course, when I thought that was the worst part of getting everything in order, Shane had to bring me up.  It was random and something that was already addressed. It made me wonder if he was holding a grudge against me for being a better English teacher than him before he became the principal.

He spotted me before looking out to everyone else. “Mr. Rush has agreed to help us with the yearbook on this trip. So, if you don’t have a camera and just want a group picture for yourselves, he will be willing to help.” 

Holding back from openly rolling my eyes, I pointedly stared down at my legs.  Not only was his announcement random, but he also reminded this entire plane that I will personally help them if they wanted, which I did not like.  Not to mention, this gave Mrs. Marshall one more thing to talk to me about.  It did not take long after we were buckled and in the air for her to bring it up.

“I think it is so nice that you were willing to take the yearbook photos for this trip and to even offer to take photos for the students themselves too,” she said, making me internally groan.  I didn’t even have the window to help me escape. I had the aisle, the seat in front of me, and my chatty annoying co-worker.

Sighing under my breath, I nodded to her. “To be fair, I didn’t offer to take pictures for the students.  They only told me about that part of it after I already agreed to take pictures for the yearbook.” I did not like that at all, and I’m not looking forward to it.  In my mind, if some kid doesn’t have a camera for their own pictures, that’s their problem.

Mrs. Marshall talked to me about this trip, my agenda, and my role of taking photos. She would open up a long discussion about literally anything I honestly didn’t care about.

“You see,” she continued in what was becoming a long conversation about her family drama.  “Georgie was only trying to defend me.  He explained to Melany that it wasn’t my fault she was ripped off.  The Brashling Drycleaners was a very reliable place that I always went to.  How was I supposed to know they were just going to shut down, board up, leave, and rip her off?  I didn’t!”

My mind started to drift as she went on with her story. Despite not caring too much, I understood where she was coming from, and was able to give her a sad smile. “I’m sure it will be okay.  Silly drama like that exists in every family,” I said, knowing all too well about that.  “Eventually it will get better.  Your son sounds like an honest man and if his wife knows that, she will come around.”

“I know it’s just ridiculous that things like that even have to come up.  It’s like she wanted to start trouble.”

“Well right.  Some people like creating drama because it makes their lives less boring,” I nodded.  Jill fit that description almost perfectly, which was unfortunate.

“That’s why I—” she begin until she was cut off.  I most likely would have accepted that under any other circumstances.  However, she along with everyone was interrupted as the plane began rocking and shaking slightly.

Looking away from Mrs. Marshall, I lowered my eyebrows and looked around.  My slightly shaky vision had taken in many wide eyes before my attention was directed a few feet in front of me in the aisle. The flight attendant looked unsteady. “Only slight turbulence, ladies, and gentlemen. It should be over in a minute.  Please remain in your seats,” she announced over the speakers.

Oh, wonderful.  I gritted my teeth after that announcement because I knew what happened was going to stick with the kids. I could already hear their overdramatic and ridiculous outbursts of panic from behind me over nothing. I loved teaching, but one downside of it was dealing with a lot of immature students.

However, I became skeptical of the flight attendant’s claim a minute later, and I stopped judging the students.  The shaking continued and even rougher.  Everyone started to panic, and it only got worse.  I was trying hard to relax as the plane rocked a bit more. It started tilting sharply to the right, making shouts erupt out of the majority of the people on board!  Thankfully, I was strained under the placement of my belt, at least it stopped me from tumbling towards the! Jesus, what is going on? This is not turbulence!

Gripping the seat in front of me with one hand and bracing my other against the armrest, my mind began to race.  The shaking wasn’t stopping so I had more than a right to start worrying!  What was happening?  More importantly in my spiraling mind… is Janice okay?

This death trap shifted left abruptly, making my eyes wide and my breath loud and unsteady.  When I didn’t think my worry for Janice could skyrocket any more, it did with the plane tilting back to the right.  Almost completely sideways, this time, making me shut my eyes as tightly as I could!  How could this happen?  Was this truly happening?! The screams around me echoed through my insides. My mind turns to Janice amidst the confusion. I couldn’t let anything happen to her!  Oh god, were we going down?  She needs to be okay. That is priority!

However she was able to, through my shaky vision, it was clear the flight attendant tried to make another announcement. Not only was that not possible, nobody could calm down. I started to panic severely too.  How could I not?  I just wanted Janice. I need her okay! She needs to be okay. Today couldn’t be the day she dies. I won’t let that happen! 

My head and heart swarmed with so much pain from those thoughts. It swarmed with so many different pains. The screams intensified and made me ache. Somehow through that chaos, I held onto a strand of hope that everything was going to be okay. 

That strand snapped for me as the plane shifted forward and down this time. We were going down. We were crashing, we’re going to crash. Janice needed to be okay, though.  My god, I needed to get to her!  What is happening!  Oh god, oh god!  Janice! Janice!

***

Was I alive?  Was she?  It was hard to tell right away because I barely had a shred of breath left before I reached the top. Of course, even then, she occupied my thoughts completely. She needed to be okay. When I reached the surface, pulling her hard with me, I inhaled deeply as if taking in all the life I thought was lost.  I boosted Janice’s upper body out of the water at the same time.

There was no time to take anything in other than the fact that I was alive, and Janice was wth me and safe. “Janice,” I managed to say after a moment of breathing, making sure her head was still up. It was harder than I expected to stay above water for air. The waves were very rough, and I learned quickly I would be taking all of her weight.  “Janice!” I said louder, face tilted towards the sky as I slumped in the water more. She was still limp against where I held her to my chest and her head to my shoulder. 

Pushing the water under us to keep myself up, I shifted her down slightly from my shoulder to take in her face.  Keeping her above the water still, I gripped her head and turned it towards me, needing to see her.  And when my eyes reached her wet face and closed eyes, I felt ready to break.  She was clearly unconscious.  The important thing I noticed though was she was breathing through her mouth rapidly, thank God. 

“Janice!” I wheezed, abruptly coughing continuously.  “Come on, come on, you’re fine,” I said, kicking harder to keep us from getting beaten down by the waves. Tightening my grip on her hips, I pulled her up like before and rested her more on my shoulder.  It allowed me to feel her heart beating. That’s all the reassurance I needed despite not knowing what we were going to do. 

Denial still surrounded me, and I was keeping it that way.  I couldn’t believe what happened not a few minutes ago, and I wouldn’t try to process it.  I would handle that task when I had the chance.  The current priority was staying alive and finding a way. I couldn’t accept that we were doomed out in the middle of the ocean. There might be some debris from the crash somewhere around us.

Trying to calm down and even my breathing, I quickly looked around us in the water.  There needed to be parts of the plane, material or debris to rely on.  With how high the waves were and how I was hardly staying above, it was hard to see anything.  Before I could sink into a full panic and lose hope, my eyes caught our faith and savior.

Land. Too good to be true almost. That, above everything else, made me seriously question whether I truly was alive. It seemed impossible that we would crash into the ocean but not out of sight of land. It’s not like there was another option though and if it was really there, that was promising.

“Alright, we are okay. We are going to be fine,” I said, shifting us more towards where I saw the land.  With my eyes burning and having my body having a rough time staying above water, it took a bit to see it again. When I did, somehow, it clearly was land.  Trees appeared stacked high in the distance with a long beach before it all.  We weren’t far away either for me to make it out, which was still incredibly shocking.

For how sore I was in numerous spots along my body, it felt like it took forever for me to reach shore. The weight of the woman I held also didn’t make it any faster either, but I didn’t care.  She was alive, and that’s what mattered.  Making sure her head stayed above and on my shoulder, it didn’t give me a chance to look around or see much.  It wasn’t until my feet touched the bottom where I felt like I caught a break.  That I was alive, and this really was land we were reaching. 

I walked up more, the rocks under my shoes making it hard to stay balanced. It became more of a challenge when the water reached only my stomach as I moved up the shore.  I held an unconscious Janice with her full weight now resting in my arms. Stunned and blinking my wet hurt eyes, I took in the long beach only a few yards away. It was gorgeous yellow sand but also desolate. Very desolate with nothing but nature. I had a feeling we would be the only ones here. 

That thought… it made my knees want to give out more.  It was hitting me with each step up this shore that what I did was wrong. The crash happened in a matter of seconds, and my decision was made just as quickly.  But what I did was still wrong, and I will forever deal with my choice. I will always have guilt and weight over my shoulders. Staring down at the girl in my arms, though, would I change it?  I don’t think I would if it meant she is alive and okay.

Brows down and my anxiety passing boundaries, my disturbing thoughts left me for now.  I finally reached the dry sand and set Janice down on her back in the sand.  I needed a break, and more than anything, I needed to make sure she was still okay.  Kneeling beside her, looking down at her blank and wet face, all thoughts vanished.  There were only her and my reason for everything.  Sighing sharply with the pain at the back of my throat, I knelt closer and cast a shadow over her from the high sun.  My shaky hand moved forward and rested on her cheek, moving aside some of her dark hair stuck to her face.

Leaning down and letting my ear hover over her parted lips, I could hear and feel her breath.  She was okay, and when I pressed my hand to where her heart was, it helped feeling it beat beneath my palm.  She was okay, and I would try to wake her up soon.  First, I needed a minute.

Closing my eyes tightly, still leaning over her, I spoke automatically without even hearing myself.  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” I said, turning my head out towards the water… towards where everyone else was. The sun hit my face more, and when I opened my eyes, there was nothing.  Just water. Just blue. It was nature but a tragic and horrible sight for me.  “I should have…” I whispered so softly I might as well have just mouthed it.

Trying to get my breathing under control, it was so hard to fathom anything. All those people I knew were gone. I knew most of them. Most of them were just kids and didn’t get a chance to live their lives.  I knew all the staff who had families of their own.  I knew Mrs. Marshall, who wouldn’t be able to go home to her family she spoke of.  Just thinking of those, hurt. I never felt such a pain before, and it was eating me alive.  What if I tried more, did more, or wasn’t selfish? 

Turning back towards her, staring down at her, I knew it couldn’t be any other way. If I tried more, did more, wasn’t selfish… she might not be alive right now. That’s what I will have to keep telling myself. Otherwise, I’m going to go insane. I’m going to start hating myself. I’m going to lose it and I can’t. I can’t lose it, and I can’t scream or cry.  I will have to accept I am here and everything that happened, but I can’t let what I just did ruin me because it would.  My decision would kill me if I let it and I can’t.  I needed to live, physically and mentally. I needed to be strong, and I needed to be here for this girl who deserved to be alive. 

Getting it together and willing myself to let it process later, I got to my knees and took a very deep breath. “We’re going to be okay, Janice,” I said, trying to convince myself of that. Wedging my hands then arms under her body, I lifted her up and spoke through my grunt. “You’re strong, and I’ll be strong.”

Still dripping and her unconscious, I carried her up the beach more until sand began to mingle with grass. Carefully, I propped her up against the first palm tree I reached. It was incredibly hot, so at least, there was a breeze near the trees.