In Your Arms by Becky Andrews Page A

down the hall.
    Sam found herself alone with Chris’ body. She peered out from around the fountain, holding her hand to her mouth as she saw the huge pool of blood spreading out from where Chris lay. She couldn’t believe he was dead, or that she’d seen it happen. If she told the cops what she’d seen, Josh and Billy would deny it. They’d stick to their story, that Chris had been the one who’d had the gun. In fact, the cops might even think she had helped him. Who would they believe, the popular kids, or the social freaks?
    What should she do? She couldn’t walk out the front door. The cops were out there.
    She remembered the utility room Phillip had shown her the other day. If she went out that door, no one would see her. Then she could just join the crowd outside and pretend she’d been there all along. One thing was certain, she couldn’t tell anybody what she’d seen, or Josh would kill her next. The look in his eyes as he’d pulled the trigger had been so cold. He hadn’t felt anything when he’d taken Chris’ life.
    She pushed herself to her feet and ran down the hall, hearing the police sirens grow louder and louder as more and more units arrived. Red and blue strobe lights flickered throughout the halls from outside, making her feel as though she were running in a kaleidoscope.
    At last she reached the utility closet, and she pushed her way through, stumbling several times and cringing at the loud noises she was making. She had no idea where Josh and Billy had gone and could only hope they weren’t still lurking around where they could hear her.
    When she got to the exterior door, she cracked it open and looked outside. There was no one on this side of the school. With a sigh of relief, she slipped out and headed around to the parking lot, where everyone seemed to be congregated in a chaotic bubble of sound and movement.
    She joined the fringes of the crowd, keeping her head down until she finally spotted Alex and Michael. Relieved, she made her way toward them, trying to control her racing heart. She couldn’t let them know anything was wrong. This was her problem, and the last thing she wanted to do was drag her best friend into it. If Alex knew what had happened, she’d be in danger too, because Sam had no doubt Josh would do whatever it took to keep himself out of jail.
    He’d already killed one person. He wouldn’t hesitate to kill again to cover it up.
    “There you are!” Alex cried, throwing her arms around Sam and hugging her tight. “I was so worried about you. I couldn’t find you anywhere.”
    Sam hugged her friend back, taking comfort in her embrace, trying to control her trembling. She couldn’t believe she’d made it out of there alive, and the sight of Chris’ lifeless body would be forever imprinted in her mind.
    “Are you ok?” Alex asked, pulling back to look at her. “You’re shaking.”
    “I’m all right,” Sam said, hugging her arms to her chest. “It was just scary. I heard the shots, and I couldn’t find you either.”
    Michael shook his head. “This is crazy. I guess this is one thing you don’t have to worry about when you’re home schooled.”
    Alex gave him a worried look. “Hopefully your parents won’t pull you out of school when they hear what happened.”
    “We still don’t know what did happen,” Michael said, casting a worried look at the school. “This could all just be a false alarm.”
    Sam remained silent, staring blindly toward the school, knowing her life would never be the same.
    “Hey, Sam,” said a voice behind her, and when she turned around, Phillip was there, staring at her in concern. “Are you all right? I’ve been looking for you.”
    Sam looked at him, all too aware that Josh was his best friend. Had he known what they were planning to do? Had he been a part of it? As much as she wanted to throw herself in his arms and let him hold her until she wasn’t afraid anymore, she knew that would be the stupidest thing she