In My Skin

CH 40 || Flashing Lights on Campus

Calling the police had been the right choice. More than a week had passed since then. No letters. No packages either. Maybe it was the patrol car I had seen pass by several times. Or maybe whoever did it had somehow found out I'd called the cops. Either way, the issue seemed to be solved.

"And I didn't have to burden Killian with it," I murmured.

No need to kick off a fuss over something like this. Or that was what I kept telling myself. There was this small stupid part that wanted to run to Killian anyways, to hear some sort of reassurance. How would he react if I told him about the letters? Would he be worried? Nonchalant? Or angry because I hadn't told him sooner?

Maybe I just had to talk to someone. Sofia was at her parents' house dealing with whatever it was she was dealing with. She'd promised to tell me when they would return. Suz was in Atlanta looking after her mom who'd fallen down the stairs. And me... The last time I'd talked to my parents had been around Christmas. It was a short visit. Completely planned from the moment my feet touched the ground in their house, we'd visited everyone and barely exchanged more than a greeting. They weren't exactly the affectionate type.

I sighed and picked up my study notes. The next lab was on Monday. That meant two more days to memorize the function and setup of an AFM or atomic force microscope.

My phone buzzed with an incoming call. It was Suz.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked, still staring at my notes. "How's your mom?"

"Much better," she replied and then added on a careful note, "But that's not why I called. Did you hear what happened at school?"

"No?" The cantilever of an AFM measures the attractive and repulsive forces between the sample and tip.

"There's been a fight. They're saying that they've found drugs. They're all hush about who got arrested, so everyone's at campus, the police and ambulance are swarming the place."

There were three operating modes. What were they called again? "How do you even know that?" I asked, distracted. "Aren't you in Atlanta?"

I remembered. Tapping mode, contact mode, and non-contact mode.

"Of course, I'm very well informed, wherever I am. But, Tay..."

The hesitation in her voice made me put down my notes. "What?"

"Apparently, someone got stabbed and...I heard Killian was involved. I don't know any details, but it sounded bad. I—"

The surge of blood rushing through my ears drowned out the rest of her sentence. I jumped to my feet, papers flying everywhere, but I didn't care. The room spun. In my head, I saw him on the ground again, his side covered in blood.

"I'll call you back," I interrupted her and hung up. My fingers flew across the screen until I found who I was looking for. The phone didn't even ring. His voicemail picked up right away. Before I could consciously think about it, I was out the door and in my car.

I tried Cody's phone next, but he didn't pick up either. Then I called Jules. He hadn't heard about the incident but promised to meet me there.

My stomach twisted into knots. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel and accelerated. He was fine. It was Killian. He had to be.

Flashing red and blue lights illuminated the main campus. I counted more than five police cars and several ambulances blocking the street.

I parked the car and pushed my way through the huddled groups of people, scanning their faces for Killian's. Blaring sirens added to the chaotic scene, drowning out the hushed murmurs of the students. The tightness in my throat grew, and a sharp pain shot through my chest. He had to be okay.