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The boy's head turned as Alice walked past them. Well, so did most guys'.
She was known in this High school - known for being unreachable and unapproachable, besides by her friends, of course.
“What are you lookin' at?” said John as his right eyebrow reached the grease on his hair.
The boy stared straight ahead. An uttered question barely escaped him: “Is she seeing anyone?”.
“Don't be stupid", said John, "she's too good for you. Besides, if you'd go for her, you'd have to deal with that Jock, and you don't want that, do you?”.
Chet stared into space. His friend had a point.
He usually did that, and people hated him for it. He acted as if time was his, and started and stopped according to his needs. Once he his eye lost focus, he was gone, and nobody could do anything to get his attention but wait. Although he was not the kind of guy to share experiences, people still hung out with him. Maybe they felt the urge to excite him because he always seemed so aloof.
In this case, the bell was enough to make him stand up and head for class.
The boy's desk was right by the door. He entered the room, sat down and watched as the other kids strolled into the class.
His eyes traveled from one kid to the next while stretching his legs and arms to settle down. His eyes lost focus. He was engaging his comfort mode. The best way to spend a class - travelling your own mind.
The warmth of the classroom made his eyelids heavy. His neck swaying forward as his consciousness faded. Colors began to swirl in his vision. Patches of neon turquoise and pink surrounded by the darkest black.
But no sooner that his dream began, his slumber was snapped in half by Alice, who, running late into the classroom, tripped over his feet.
And although the accident might've served as a way to get to know her, it didn't turn out to be as trivial as it seemed.
Because as the boy looked down, he saw her lying flat on her face. Her chest elevated more than the rest of the body, as if something was stuck in between her and the floor.
The boy rubbed his eyes.
She was still there. Running from the sides of her body, a dark pool of blood.
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Read round 1 [here](https://steemit.com/writing/@martin-stuessy/unexpected-things-happen)
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[Image via AK Rockefeller](https://www.flickr.com/photos/akrockefeller/14738159890/in/photolist-osmVt1-JxyHhq-hxT71C-m7ic5u-9sgfe9-7BDFb5-qu1qAe-7BzS78-gGdWTu-zMAc6d-h68f55-nwPBm8-kGMfDx-n18jtr-dyUsyj-n7B6V7-pi6cFY-8Cgznv-adSk3v-co7GoU-cHCZC9-3jau7j-6htV86-3jar9w-7v3XTW-gKX54i-cDMDc5-dyNZkc-fN5pBE-bNKqJZ-btWnmT-JbU7Hm-8X7nuf-bBJqBD-91n1eB-kEEjKV-6HCcV1-btVaQr-HZ4Bjx-qBLqZr-btVaCa-BZDiAg-bEwgJ4-qK7FR8-cZwkEj-akyJTj-bVaKrW-bxGaDP-q377sh-cZwk9h)
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steemit: @martin-stuessy
other: [Portfolio page](http://martinstuessy.com)
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