The Weird Travels of Aimee Schmidt: The Curse of the Gifted by J.A. Schreckenbach Page B

conversation. Dylan quickly grinned at Aimee before he spun around and jogged down the hall, and the few remaining kids in the hallway started to sprint to make it to class before the bell ended.
    Aimee escaped into the restroom and nervously searched under the stalls to make sure she was alone. She flipped open her cell phone, checked the time, then decided to wait five minutes before going to Mrs. North for her migraine - an ailment from her usual repertoire of illnesses; anxiety, depression, delusions. A couple minutes later she checked her phone again. Nine thirty-four. Okay, show time. This didn’t feel right, but she knew she had to get home to prepare. Cautiously, she cracked open the door half a foot and surveyed the hallway. It looked deserted. She hurried out, and like a rat, she scampered along the wall towards the nurse’s office. Keeping her eyes affixed to the floor, she sped up.
    She sharply rounded the final corner of the hallway. Two bodies blocked her path. Before she could stop, Aimee slammed into one of them; Brandi Peters, Dylan’s ex-girlfriend. The force knocked Brandi back towards the trophy case. Nicole Weber, Brandi’s best friend, jumped sideways to keep Brandi from crashing into her. Nicole let out a gasp. She stretched to grab Brandi’s arm, at the same time Brandi caught her balance. Nicole held her friend’s arms tightly with both hands, using every ounce of her tiny frame to keep Brandi pinned. Brandi’s face was distorted. Her eyes tapered into dark slits, then her voice spewed out venom.
    “Watch yourself, bitch!”
    “I’m…I’mmm sooo sorry!” Aimee spit out while she teetered forward quickly to pick up Brandi’s designer purse off the tiled floor.
    Brandi yanked the purse from Aimee's grasp. Aimee backed up against the brick wall, every nerve in her body on fire, and stared into Brandi’s eyes. Brandi shot daggers at her. Sweat dewed up on Aimee's forehead. Her fists clenched at her sides. Aimee didn’t know if her hands balled to defend herself or if it was the adrenaline pulsing through her body, but she couldn’t pry them open. Nicole kept her iron-clad grip locked around her friend’s arm, and both gave Aimee one final death stare before they slithered past.
    With her body frozen to the wall, Aimee shut her eyes and felt tears well up behind the lids. Her heart pounded furiously inside her chest. It prepared to explode. The thumping crept up to her temples and migrated behind her eyes where the incessant beating settled into a steady drone. A couple of students sauntered past her. She heard one of them mouth a snide comment about her appearance and the other one snickered. A few seconds later her limbs finally began to melt and she managed to peel herself from the wall. Feeling like a limp mess, Aimee practically fell into the nurse’s office. The pain behind her eyes seemed all too familiar, not exactly like one of her migraines, but more menacing. Oddly, she knew the signs. She didn’t have much time left now.

Chapter 5 Destiny
     
    Mrs. Krause, the office assistant, looked up when the door chime beeped. It took one second and her smile faded. She sprang from her chair to grab Aimee's arm.
    “Miss Schmidt, please let me help you. Excuse me for saying so, sugar, but you don’t look so well,” she said in her deep Georgian drawl with her eyebrows scrunched tightly together. “Here, have a seat. I’ll go get Mrs. North right away.” She paused at the door and turned back. “Will you be okay for a minute until I get back? You don’t feel like fainting, do you?”
    Aimee shook her head once. “No, just let me sit. I’ll be fine,” she said before crumbling like a rag doll into the chair. Her backpack spilled from her shoulder to the floor. The little catastrophe with Brandi had completely unnerved her. Every ounce of fortitude drained from her body. She hated confrontation, and clearly Brandi was out for blood; Aimee's blood. Of all the things she needed