Smiles...

Fear of the Unknown

[When the dead comes back to life]

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Chapter 2

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~~Ace Carlton~~

“Shiela looks like she got ran over by a bus “. Jason made a joke at the front as the whole team laughed.

It wasn’t entirely funny as it included him making fun of other girls.

But I just had to laugh along for the sake of it.

I stumbled backwards as they shuffled while laughing.

I turned around realizing I had stepped on someone.

“Oh “. I mutter. “Sorry about that “.

“It’s fine”. He mumbled moving away from me giving us a little bit space.

I was surprised as to why he was doing that but I was busy distracted by his looks to pay attention to his actions.

He had this brown hair that was ruffled flopping over his forehead giving him a cute look.

I’m certain I’ve never met this boy in my entire life.

And apparently he goes to the same school with me.

I stared at him loving the sight in front of me.

He had this cute green eyes that gave him a good aura.

“Sorry for stepping on you”. I said trying to make a conversation.

He only nodded still not giving me the attention i wanted.

Why is he acting that way?

“Come on, Ace”. Jason tugged on my jacket pulling me along. “Our bags have been checked, let’s go “.

I followed Jason along but turned around just to catch a glimpse of the boy again and this time, he was staring right back at me which made me smile.

Of course, he had to stare.

No one resists a charming quarterback like me.

With brown hair, hazel eyes and a boxy smile, pretty sure I can’t be resisted.

“Hey, Jason “. I spoke to him as we made our way to the boy’s locker rooms.

“Yeah, what’s up ?”.

Okay!

Asking this question might be risky but I just have to take that risk.

“The boy that was behind me in that line, do you know who that is ?”.

Jason frowned at me as we walked inside the locker room. “Why do you wanna know who that is ?”.

“Nothing, just asking “. I shrugged making it seem like I didn’t care.

“Are you interested?”. He wiggles his eyebrows at me. “New Gay boyfriend alert “.

I groaned looking around if anybody had heard what he said. “Shut the fuck up, try to be silent for once “.

“Hey!”. He chuckled in response. “Relax, I get it, you don’t want anymore knowing, I won’t tell any kind, cool down “.

I rolled my eyes. “I can never chill knowing that there’s someone like you who have a big mouth and knows my biggest secret”.

“I promise, I’ve got your back, Ace. I won’t out you out, hmm ?”.

I nodded believing him. “Sure”.

“His name is Skylar “:

Skylar?

That was the cute boy’s name?

Who the fuck is Skylar ?

“What grade is he?”.

“Seriously, man!”. Jason began laughing as he went to sit on one of the available benches. “Skylar is our grade, he’s a senior just like us, heck, he even takes the same classes as us “.

Oh!

Damn!

I didn’t know.

Guess I’ll start watching out for him then.

“Hey. Why the heck do you want to know about Skylar Hepburn ?”. Harper asked butting into the conversation.

“You know him too ?”.

“Yes !”. He replied. “He’s a senior too”.

“Oh”. I muttered as my cheeks turned a shade of red out of embarrassment.

I can’t believe I’ve been going to the same school with him for how long and yet I haven’t noticed him ??

That’s weird!

“I didn’t even know that he was in our grade until an incident”. Harper continued talking as he laughed.

Jason snorted as if knowing what he was saying.

“What incident ?”. I asked looking between both of them.

They continued laughing like they didn’t hear me.

“Well are you two going to tell or what ?”. I asked.

“Okay, hold on”. Harper tried to control his laughing. “That dude, Skylar is a piece of shit that gets scared easily, dude, for real, cries at everything “.

“And how would you know that ?”.

“Well he kind of lives in my neighborhood “. Jason replied me. “And you see, around Halloween, last year, dude was stepping around my property and got scared of the skulls in front of my house “.

“I was there “. Harper said with an amused grin on his face. “We tried to convince him that it was just decorations but he didn’t believe “.

“He didn’t believe because you jacked him up with a skeleton first”. Jason retorted.

I scoffed. “Guys, that’s just mean. Making fun of somebody like that “.

“Hold up there, Mr. Over protective, try to cut some slacks once in a while”. Harper said rolling his eyes.

“Hey”. Owen say as he strides over to us casually hanging his arm around my neck.

I pause wondering what he was doing here.

He can in be the locker room, I don’t care.

But not in our friend group.

Harper and Jason has the same confused reaction on their faces as they looked at him wondering why he was talking to us.

“I noticed some tension here, hope I calmed it down”. Owen said with a big suspicious smile on his face.

“We didn’t your help, it’s a friendship stuff so don’t butt in”. I said harshly shrugging his hands off me.

My movement made him shift back a little bit as he frowned at me.

“Why do you have a tough skin, Ace ?”. He asked pouting.

I got confused in his change of emotions.

Jason stood up about to say something when a guy at my back shouted.

“Blood!!!”.

I turned out to see what the chaos was and noticed the other guys were pointing at me.

“Jesus!! Ace, you got blood on your neck “. Harper shouted.

Jason turned to my neck to his gaze as he gasped. “Oh jeez “.

I quickly touched my neck and looked at my hand shocked to see it covered with blood.

Not just any blood.

My blood.

I shouted as Jason pushed me back to sit on the bench.

“Hey! Don’t panic!”. He ordered putting his hands on my shoulders to keep me calm.

“Ace, calm down”. Harper said before turning to the boys. “First Aid! Or hankies still, Anybody got that ?”.

One of the boys brought out his handkerchief handing it to Jason.

Jason places it on my neck as he cleaned the blood while the whole guys continued with the stares.

“How the fuck did you get blood on yourself ?”. Harper questioned me with his face filled with worry and concern.

“I don’t know!”. I mutter freaking out silently.

Why won’t I freak out ?

I’m in a town who’s death rate goes up higher every day.

And look at me with blood all over my neck.

What if the cops found me saying I had killed somebody.

How the fuck did blood get on my neck?

And the worse part is I don’t feel any pain.

“Jeez! Who did this to you ?”. Jason muttered stepping back to look at me.

I furrowed my eyebrows confused. “What are you talking about?”.

“It looks like you got scratched in the neck “. He replied. “Like someone with long nails scratched your whole neck in anger because this right here on your face looks serious “.

“But it doesn’t look humanly “. One of the boys said contradicting Jason’s statement. “It looks like a cat scratched you or a dangerous person “.

“Can someone get a mirror so I can see it ?”. I asked panicking.

Harper brought out his phone from his pocket opening up the camera app and faced it in a way I could see my neck.

My hand trembled as I saw the horrible scratches on my neck. “Oh God!”.

“But I-I didn’t get into a fight with anybody. And these scratches, it weren’t there this morning while I checked myself in the mirror”.

I was getting paranoid right now.

Which means I could either have a panic or anxiety attack.

“Hey, hey, hey”. Jason held me. “Breathe, Ace. Don’t think too much of it. Maybe, you accidentally gave yourself this while sleepwalking “.

I nod trying to think of that suggestion as my heartbeat rate went faster.

I do sleepwalk, yes.

But if I hit myself in the night, I usually wake up.

I exhaled trying to calm myself down as I looked around avoiding everybody’s eyes on me.

But then I paused noticing something.

Owen’s left hand.

The same hand he put around me.

Is that blood on it?

I looked at his fingernails but they weren’t long, instead, they were cut short.

My eyes glanced to him and he gave me a smile.

That same suspicious wide eyed smile but this time, it gave me goosebumps and made me edgy.

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TBC