Hidden (Short Story Series #2)

Chapter Eight

My mind couldn’t help but keep drifting off to last night. I could barely hear Rebekkah talking across from me. She was yelling at me, but it didn’t matter.

I came back to Earth when she reached across the lunch table and snapped her fingers in front of my face.

She said, “What is up with you today? I can’t hold your attention for more than thirty seconds.

I blinked a few times, trying to clear my head. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

She launched into whatever story she was telling me, but I again drifted into thought.

I jumped when I heard the bell. Rebekkah rolled her eyes at me and muttered, “I’m surprised you hear that.” I ignored the comment and grabbed my stuff to go to Chemistry class.

I reached the classroom, parting ways with Rebekkah. I walked inside and slid into the seat next to Aaron.

Mr. Jackson announced that we were doing an in-class experiment. Directions were passed out, along with goggles we were advised to wear. We were to work with our table partner, and had three test tubes set in front of us.

Aaron put on a pair of goggles and turned to me. “What do you think?”

I laughed. “I think these are ridiculous.” I picked up my pair of goggles and let them fall out of my grasp onto the desk.

Aaron picked them up and shoved them on my face.

I laughed and smacked his hands away, letting the goggles fall off. I tried my best to fix my hair. “I don’t want to look like a nerd.”

“Are you calling me a nerd?” he asked, walking around a little, modeling the goggles.

“No, you just look like one.” I smiled a sarcastic grin.

He glared at me. At least, that’s what it looked like through the goggles.

“Ok, I’m taking these off.” He pulled them off and flipped his hair. He looked around with squinted eyes. “They really hurt your vision.”

“We should probably get started on the experiment,” I said after observing that everyone else was already pouring ingredients into the tubes. “First it says to pour the liquid hydrogen into the first tube.

Aaron did as I read.

“Then you put water in the middle one.”

But he wasn’t paying attention. He had taken a lock of my hair and was about to color the end with a black Sharpie.

I quickly pulled my hair out of his grasp and smacked his hand away.

“Ow!” he yelled.

“Come on, we’re already behind. Did you hear what I just said.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered. “Just read off the next step.”

“Ok then. The next step is to throw a lit match into what you just poured,” I recited.

“Ok.” He took a match and scratched the tip on the side of the box, making a small flame.

I realized what he was doing too late. He in fact had not heard me; had not put water in the middle beaker; and was proceeding to put a burning match into the liquid hydrogen which clearly stated “HIGHLY FLAMMABLE” in bold, red letters on the side of the bottle from which it was poured.

BOOM!

There was an explosion not much quieter than fireworks. Fire was burning from the tube, and smoke started to fill the room. The fire alarm went off, and kids flooded out of the building. Aaron and I looked at each other and raced to the door with the others, pushing and shoving each other along the way like the teachers tell you not to do. Once everyone was outside, I could finally calm down. I smacked Aaron on the side of his head and said, “You were not paying attention to the directions.”