Fragile Hearts [DANGEROUS FELLOWS]

⚠️EIGHT: PLAYING FAVORITES⚠️

The tour started out normal, with Zion showing you everyone's rooms and other miscellaneous rooms. Somewhere along the way Jay joined and they both joked around as you all descended to the first floor.

"Hold on, do you hear that?" asked Jay suddenly, making Zion go quiet. You felt yourself go cold as you listened.

"I hear it too," Zion hissed, looking around warily.

"Let's go back," you suggested with a shaky voice. "Something's not right."

Jay shook his head, putting his finger to his lips before slowly going into a nearby classroom. Your heart was beating hard as you waited for him to come back out.

"It's probably nothing," Zion whispered hopefully, starting to go towards the door when suddenly there was a crash and Jay yelped in surprise.

Without thinking you ran past Zion, rushing into the classroom. Almost instantly the door slammed closed and the room was drowned in darkness. A dark figure loomed close to the ground, coming close to you.

What the heck was that? And where was Jay? It was too dark to make out much of anything. You stumbled back, nearly tripping over a chair, going slow as to not alert it.

"Stay back!" you warned it, reaching around for something to protect yourself. Nothing. You held up your hands, ready to fight if it was necessary.

The figure jumped up at you, but you were ready. With a scream you shoved your palm against it's face, catching it off guard before throwing your elbow into it's jaw, sending it crashing into the desks.

"What the hell! Open the door, open the door!" shouted Jay's voice, and confusion washed through you. Zion opened the door behind you, lighting up the room, and you saw Jay holding his jaw with a look between shock and anger.

"You tried attacking me!" you spat at him, but Zion was laughing behind you. Jay glared at you, then at him, before straightening up.

"I was trying to scare you, idiot," he growled, looming over you threateningly. You weren't scared by him at all.

"What did you think I'd do, stand by and do nothing?" you fired back, Zion cracking up all the while.

"You knew that was going to happen, didn't you?" Jay asked Zion angrily just as footsteps flooded towards the room. You looked out in surprise to see the four boys who left to get food standing in the doorway, looking around cautiously.

"We heard a scream. What happened?" asked Ethan, holding his bat ready.

"Him! He thought it was funny to lure me in a dark classroom and try to scare me!" you shouted, pointing at Jay.

Harry let out a long sigh of relief and Eugene snickered. Lawrence just folded his arms, looking at Zion and Jay disapprovingly.

"I should have known better than to leave you two together," he sighed, glancing at you before turning his back on the room, heading back to the second floor. "If you're both done trying to scare people, I'd like you all to come to a meeting."

"What for?" Zion asked, but he didn't get an answer. He laughed one last time at Jay before following Lawrence and the boys. Jay scowled at you, catching up with them, and you were left alone. You took one last wary look around the classroom before hurrying out after all the others.

Everyone gathered in the meeting classroom and Eugene, Harry, Ethan, and Lawrence had their backpacks on the table. They were sorting out their findings, huddled around the tables, not seeming to even acknowledge you. With a frown you perched on one of the side tables, watching them from there.

"What happened? I heard noise," came a small voice, and you turned to see Hailey fidgeting with her hands. You sighed, looking away.

"Just ask Jay or Zion. They'll tell you," you responded, smiling when you thought about Jay's angry face.

"Ah... nevermind," she said meekly, going back to her usual place off to the side, and you suddenly felt bad for not telling her. Lawrence seemed to finally take notice of you and he waved you over to the four tables put together, seeming like he was getting ready to tell everyone something.

"While we were out, Eugene found something very interesting," he announced, and everyone stopped talking to listen. "It was an emergency supply storage that was still locked. We could have busted it open easily but it was beginning to get dark."

Emergency supplies? You thought about the kind of supplies storage you'd see in a movie about surviving the fallout. This was pretty similar to be honest.

"So tomorrow, I decided to take a small group to go check the place out. It's a bit further on than we usually go, but I'm sure the results will be worth the walk. Does anyone want to volunteer?"

"I'm going!" Zion exclaimed. "It's boring around here."

"I'll stay with (Y/n) then," Harry piped up.

Lawrence shook his head. "Actually, I was hoping that (Y/n) could be a part of our group. That way she can start to get used to our searches."

"Then I'll come with you guys," Harry improvised, but again Lawrence had another objection.

"I think you should stay with Eugene and Ethan and do some repairs," he said. Harry's face fell and he looked down at the table.

"Now, how about some food? It's getting late," Lawrence asked.

"Amen," Zion joked, putting his palms together and looking up at the ceiling. "God, I would kill for a burger right now."

"Then kill (Y/n), and that burger shall be yours," Jay cried in a grand voice.

"He's answered my prayers!" Zion said in surprise, but then suddenly turned to you with a murderous look.

"There'll be no killing," Lawrence said with a smile. "At least not of (Y/n)."

"Don't play favorites!" Jay said in shock, and Zion and Lawrence began to laugh.

Favorites? You looked away in embarrassment. You had thought that Lawrence didn't like you, especially how he treated you when you tried sneaking out. I guess I was wrong, you thought, as he and Harry began to pass out food. He handed you a marble cake slice with a warm smile that made you forget all of his coldness from before.

The night was going well, with your stomach full and everyone in good moods. It was well until you heard the distant banging of the gates from your classroom, waking you from your sleep. A girl's voice faintly called for help.

The voice was familiar too.

It was Madelyn.