Nibble part 17

I walked up to my locker and Lindsay was already standing there, waiting for me, an expression on her face that said I have something to tell you and it can not wait. "Hello, Lindsay," I said with a sigh as I spun the lock and opened my locker. "So?" she said impatiently. I glanced at her through my peripheral vision, "So?" Her expression changed to one of shock, "You didn't hear?" Now I turned to face her, "Hear what?" She rose an eyebrow, like she was having a really hard time believing that I hadn't heard whatever it was she knew that I didn't. "Hear what, Linds?"

"About Nick!" My pulse quickened. I couldn't help it. It was an automatic response. "What about him?" I asked, trying to sound casual, turning back to my locker. "He's in the hospital!" she exclaimed, her eyes huge and her eyebrows high. Now I spun to look at her again, "What?!" She nodded vigorously, "Has been since last night! You really didn't hear?" I sighed in irritation at her and pressed, "What happened to him?!"

"That gang." My breath caught in my throat. I swallowed and inquired, "What do you mean, that gang?" She rolled her eyes, "It really was the fault of no one but himself. Well, I mean, not literally, but-"

"What happened?!"

"He was like chilling in an alley or something at like four in the morning and then, big shocker, that gang going around town got him. Like, seriously, what the heck was he expecting? That is like, so what not to do at four AM, like, period, let alone when there's this freaking gang paying your town a little visit." She rolled her eyes, and I was once again caught speechless. Nick got attacked by a gang, waiting in an alley at four in the morning just in case I showed up. Lindsay rose an eyebrow at me, "Remi? Are you Ok?" Now the other eyebrow went up, "Um, you're, like, super pale. Did you eat anything today?" I swallowed and took three deep breaths, steadying myself. Lindsay stared at me, wide-eyed. "What hospital?" I asked suddenly, looking up at her with wide eyes. She wrinkled her nose in that way that made countless guys drop all defenses and give in to her powers. "'Scusems?"

"WHAT FREAKING HOSPITAL IS HE AT?!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. She almost fell backward in shock and then said, hurriedly, "Oh, um, uh, St. Calvin's, I think." I turned toward the entrance of the school, "I'm going."

"What?! It's, like, a five hour drive!"

"I don't care."

"Remi! Geez, what's up with you? We barely even know the guy!" she stood in front of me again as she said this, and then her expression went blank, and then immediately switched to one that asked, That's true, right? I felt only slightly guilty for lying to her-it wasn't that big of a lie, after all- as I tried to get past her. "Remi, stop! At least wait until after school!" I tried to push my way past her, but she was strong. "NO! I have to go now!" She tried harder to hold me back as I put my back into her. "Remi! Come on, you're being pyscho! What the frick, Rem! Come on! You can't ditch!" I kept pushing against her hands until she said, "That'll be two hits, Rem. On your permanent record." I stopped for a minute and my brow furrowed, and then my determined expression came back and as I finally broke away from her, I said, "I'll bet he took more than two hits for me." And with that, I hurried out to the parking lot to drive to St. Calvin's.

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