Simon Death High (2 page)

With a gentle smile, Lucy walked out the
stall,
“I know you don't want to talk about it,”
she said, shades perched on her nose. “But, you should tell
them.”

Hannah spun around to the dirty mirror,
searching her handbag for her favorite lip gloss. “It's not what
you think.”

Lucy slid her shades back over her eyes,
trying to hide her disgust. “They are on to you.”

“
Um, on to me? How?”
Hannah muttered as she fixed her wavy hair. “You didn't tell them,
did you?”

“
Of course, I didn't tell
them,” she said as she tried to rub a stain off her school hoodie.
“What kind of friend do you think I am?”

“
I'm really sorry I got
you involved,” Hannah sighed.

“
What would happen if I
did tell someone? Or if someone finds out?”

“
I'm going to tell Dr.
Smith today,” Hannah smiled. “Today will be freedom. I can take
this burden off my back.”

“
But...that is a bad idea.
Everyone will judge you for it.”

Hannah frowned and began to dig around in
her handbag. “The bell should be ringing. I really have to go.”

She rolled her eyes, “Okay, fine, we are all
going over to my place tonight for a movie and some pizza. We can
all talk there.”

“
Um, I have dance practice
first. We are thinking about joining the cheer and dance team into
one. I miss having you on the team,” Hannah said. “But, I'll come
over after,” she lied. “Maybe, I might tell them.”

Lucy paused, wondering if her next comment
was appropriate. “Whatever you do, be safe. A lot of students have
been getting hurt lately.”

Hannah stayed silent. “Don't worry about
me.” She grabbed her makeup supplies and headed out the restroom.
She gasped in shock, as Linda stood in the doorway. No doubt,
Hannah was hoping Linda didn't hear anything. Linda would be the
last person, anyone would want a secret to be told to. Everyone
knew Linda couldn't hold water.

“
Linda?” Hannah
said.

Linda just smiled and narrowed her eyes.
“And to answer your question...yes, Dr. Smith is still substituting
health class.”

Hannah walked quickly to Building A to the
offices. As she turned the corner, she jumped back as she noticed
two detectives talking to a cheerleader, Susie Robin. Without
second guessing, Hannah turned around and decided to head to her
fourth period class instead.

She paused in place, as she heard Susie
running after her.

“
Hannah, wait up! Hannah!”
Susie yelled as she caught up to her.

“
Oh, hello, Susie,” Hannah
said, as she stared at Susie's new blonde hair. She hated to admit
it, but Susie looked cute—almost too cute.

“
I'm so sorry you didn't
make the cheerleading team,” she said, shockingly being nice. Susie
along with many of the other cheerleaders were not very sweet
people—especially, toward the girls on the dance team, including
Hannah.

“
Um, it's
okay.”

“
Well, maybe next
time...when you lose some weight,” she smiled and continued to walk
away. “And tell your friend Lucy, to stop being so damn
weird.”

Hannah sighed and hurried toward her next
class, not wanting to be late. As she tried to walk again, Lucy was
pulling her back.

Lucy stared at Hannah without blinking,
“What did she say about me?”

“
Who?”

“
That bitch,
Susie.”

“
More like, what she said
about me,” Hannah nagged. “I can't stand her sometime.”

“
Sometime
...”

As the bell rang, Hannah kissed Lucy goodbye
and then finally ran off to class. She barely realized her life
back in Simon, Idaho hadn't changed one bit.

2 | Lessons Better Learned

Linda caught herself staring into Dr.
Smith's big gorgeous aqua eyes. She tried for minutes at a time to
figure out his ethnicity, but every time she was close, she could
catch her head dropping. Although, she would never admit to saying
he was handsome, she didn't mind hearing him lecture about STDs.
She spent her fair share of time in his office—him writing her up
for her tiny shorts, or too much cleavage. She couldn't help she
had the body of a supermodel but tens times shorter—only if models
could be five foot two.

With her eyes narrowed, Linda looked back to
see if Hannah had come to class—and she didn't. She tapped Michael
on his forehead with her hot pink nails, waking him from his nap.
She and Michael had all their classes together and about three of
them with Lucy. However, they all had the same teachers.

Michael shoved Linda’s hand out his face and
he turned his face to the other side. Still giggling, Linda stuck
her finger in his nose and she let out a loud laugh.

Dr. Smith cleared his throat, and stared at
Linda. Then, he stared at Michael to wake up. Michael felt that
awkward pause when everyone in the class was quiet and he knew they
were staring at him.

“What?” he said, as everyone looked at
him.

“Wake up!” Dr. Smith snapped. “This isn't
preschool.”

“Do they even still sleep in preschool
anymore?” Linda added. “I heard they don't. I’m glad I’m a nineties
baby—”

“Linda!” Dr. Smith yelled. “Be quiet.”

Just as Dr. Smith was about to continue on,
the bell for fifth period rang. Everyone ran out the class faster
than people lined up for free chicken at KFC. Dr. Smith pointed at
Linda in a vigorous way and she nodded for Michael to wait for her
outside.

Walking at a slow pace, Linda tugged on her
shorts to make them seem longer. Then, she pulled on her shirt to
cover her cleavage. “Sorry...”

“Sorry for what?” Dr. Smith laughed. “You're
always guilty of something.”

“Well, obviously it's not something good. I
know I talk too much...but, maybe that's what I’m born to do...”
she rambled as she stared at his flashy ring that was missing some
diamonds.

“What are you talking about?”

Linda jumped on his desk, and swung her legs
like she would do as a child. “I'm not sure.”

Dr. Smith leaned closer into Linda, nearly
touching her thigh, “So, I’m not sure we've talked much.”

“What do you mean? I’m in your office at
least once a week for dress code.”

“Not for that,” he sighed. “About your
family and so on.”

“Um, what is there to know?” she said, as
she chewed off her nail polish. “I'm an only child and I live with
my drunken father on the bad part of town.”

“That must be sad,” he whispered, in an
almost seductive way.

“That's all I really know. That might
explain why I crave attention—”

“From men...” he said as if he knew.

“No...from anyone.”

“Interesting....” Dr. Smith licked his lips
and Linda felt an odd urge to walk away.

She jumped off his desk and pulled out her
wedgie. “I should get going to class.”

“Okay, it was nice talking to you,
Linda.”

Without saying another word, Linda ran out
the class room—feeling violated. As she turned out the doorway,
Michael grabbed her shoulder.

Linda arm-locked him and they headed for
English class. As Michael hummed a tune from his iPod, they spotted
Hannah waiting outside of Dr. Smith's office. Linda pulled Michael
so they could go talk to her, but he pulled her the opposite way
instead.

If it weren't for Michael, Linda would be
late to all her classes. Some would say she was too social to focus
in school. Whatever the complete opposite of a loner was—Linda was
that.

“We should really talk to Hannah,” Linda
said as they approached their class.

“Lucy text me that she is coming over
tonight to tell us some major news. Hopefully, it's worth it,”
Michael said. “I'm so sick of being out the loop.”

Linda dusted off Michael’s plaid shirt that
had crumbs from lunch on it. She narrowed her eyes, realizing he
had worn that shirt two days earlier—but Michael always thought no
one would notice because all he wore were plaid shirts and skinny
jeans.

Linda tensed up as Michael’s twin brother,
Mason came running down the hall. They had a bad summer the year
before, after Mason tried to get Linda to kiss him at a party and
then started a rumor that she was having an affair with a lawyer.
The rumor may have been real, but no one had to know that.

“
Hey, baby bro!” Mason
said.

“
I'm only six minutes
younger,” Michael said for the millionth time.

“
And um...hi,
Linda.”

Without a word, Linda frowned and continued
to walk into the class. Mason didn't get it though—he just thought
she was playing hard to get. Or maybe that she was so drunk that
whole summer, that she forgot about the hell he raised.

“
So, um, the ASB club is
planning a charity school dance. You think you and your crew can
spread the word to all the seniors, instead of us posting posters?”
Mason asked.

“
Um, yeah, I'll tell
people about it,” he said.

“
And what about basketball
tryouts?” he beamed. “They have tryouts all this week.”

“
I'm pooped!” Michael
said. “I had swim practice today. I highly doubt I will be doing
basketball too.”

“
Don't say
not
this year.
Dad wants us to both be on teams
for our senior year. And who knows, maybe Linda will actually date
you.”

Michael nervously laughed as Mason winked.
“Um, well, um...I don't know. Is swimming considered a team?”

“
Um...sure?” Mason
chuckled.

Okay, maybe Michael had a huge burden on his
back, hiding that he may not have been the more masculine son, or
the more macho guy. Quite honestly, Michael would rather paint the
girls' nails and read fashion magazines all day.

He hid
it
well, and if someone looked close enough it was
all in his walk. He didn't have the stereotypical “gay” voice. The
only thing that may have given away that he...
didn't like
girls
...was that he only hung out with girls.
And for those who were completely clueless, they just thought he
was a womanizer who dated Lucy, Linda, and Hannah.

During class, Mr. Conner put on a movie
based on War World II that he had been playing for the last week.
Linda dug into her handbag, searching for anything to throw into
Michael’s big curls that perfectly sat on his head.

As Michael didn't realize, that she was
tugging on his hair, Linda decided to go to the restroom. Mr.
Conner really didn't notice if she were gone or not. His main goal
was that everyone would pass the final exams.

Linda paused as she walked by Dr. Smith's
office and noticed Hannah sitting at his desk in tears. To not look
too obvious, she walked by again to get a better look to make sure
it wasn't just another blonde sitting there crying.

Nosy like always, Linda leaned down to the
door. It was easy for her to do things like that, with her petite
frame. She cocked her head into the cracked door, trying to
listen.

“
...We really cannot be
seen like this anymore. It's bad and you know it,” she overheard
Dr. Smith say. “I think it's best if we avoid each other from now
on.”

“
But, it worked,” Hannah
said.

“
Hannah, do you know what
can happen to me?” he laughed.

“
No, sir.”

“
If anyone finds out about
us, then we can be in big trouble,” he said. “If people found out
what we did to all those girls, we can be in big trouble. I mean
big trouble!”

What the hell?
Linda thought as she jumped to her feet. She may have not
known what she heard, but she knew what it sounded like. She didn't
want to believe what she heard, however, she had no idea what it
was she heard. She was like the annoying child that parents
despised because they would listen in on their business then try to
put the pieces together.

As Linda turned the corner, she bumped into
Tyler, a boy known to sell drugs in class and do anything for a
buck. Her nostrils flared up as she smelled liquor on his
breath.

“
Linda?” Tyler said, as he
looked at her as if she were the most darling thing he'd seen all
day. His hazel eyes perked up and he smiled like a
child.

“
Hey, Tyler,” she
muttered, trying not to seem interested.

People didn't know much about Tyler. He
barely started at the end of their junior year. However, everyone
knew not to mess with him. It was also no secret that Tyler knew
everything. There may be a word for it, but Tyler knew how to read
people. Not like an ordinary person, but little things could tell
him a lot about a person. For instants, just by rubbing her nose a
few times, he got a teacher fired because he called her out about
being a cocaine addict. That was why he had the title “creepy
Tyler.”

“
So, what's wrong with
you?” he laughed. “You look like you saw something you shouldn't
have.”

Linda stiffened up, trying to put on a poker
face. “Eh, not really.”

“
Let me guess. It's about
Hannah.”

“
Is it that
obvious?”

“
She's been in there a
while now. I need Dr. Smith to sign some papers of mine, but she is
taking all h
is time. From the looks of it,
he isn't happy to see her,” Tyler said, as if he were
uninterested.

“
Do you
know anything about her being gone for six weeks?” Linda
said.