Chapter 11: Friends Need Love Too

Leila's POV

It's been two weeks since the school shooting. In total there were eight bodies found. Five died amongst those eight and three injured. Thankfully, Peter wasn't one of those who died.

Two teachers and three students lost their lives, all because of one person. We were informed that one of the teachers who died was partially responsible for the shooting.

The teacher was involved in a business that he should not have gotten himself into an owed the shooter a mass amount of money. When he didn't pay up they threatened to kill him but he didn't take it seriously and brushed it off.

So he planned to shoot the teacher on campus but then students got caught in the crossfire because -- well obviously that man wasn't in his right state of mind so he didn't care who got hurt.

We haven't been to class in two weeks seeing as everyone was too traumatized to sit and learn so we've been given work to complete in our dorms until it was time to get back to normal.

All students and professors were given schedules to see a psychiatrist if they chose to help them cope with what happened. I didn't go because quite frankly I don't like expressing my feelings to strangers, whether they can help me or not.

I still have nightmares though, but not as drastic as when they first started.

Blake seems to be warming up to me but we never faltered from the name-calling. Because if we did then that would mean things really did change and nothing was normal anymore. My normal here, in this dorm room, was glaring at my controlling professor who couldn't stand me.

But even so our normal has shifted a bit. We both know things have changed between us. . . between everyone.

I couldn't tell how Blake felt about the shooting. He has been leaving the dorm room more often and I asked him what he was doing so regularly and turns out he's been working out excessively. I guess that's his own way of coping with it.

Within those two weeks spent indoors I grew closer to Midge and Sam and even Drake and Damien. We've gone to see Peter at the hospital multiple times and it was such a relief to hear he only got shot in the shoulder. The bullet didn't fracture anything, it just went through his flesh so he should be able to heal in a shorter period of time.

News of the shooting has now been globalized. A handful of news outlets has swamped the campus looking to speak with witnesses and survives. Social media outlets has have also jumped on the bandwagon of trying to understand what happened.

However, we did give the world a chance to hear things from our point of view. Survivors and witnesses all spoke up about it on the news. Including Blake who was deemed a hero for stopping the shooter. He put his life at risk but he received the thank you he deserved from the police department and the school.

I was currently sitting on my bed, dressed in my pyjamas as I watched Spong Bob on the television. Blake always complains that I'm sulking around and that I need to do something productive and active but I always respond by flipping him off.

He takes it lightly but I know he hates seeing me sulk around.

"Who lives in a pineapple under the sea," I mumbled dryly as I swayed my head from side to side. I was exhausted, I didn't get proper sleep last night because of my nightmares so at this moment I had no life in me what so ever.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when a loud knock on the door echoed through the room. I rolled off the bed with a grunt and sauntered towards the door.

My heart still skipped a beat whenever I heard a knock. I'd always think it was the shooter even though he's in prison right now after recovering from Blake's Shot.

He got the death sentence and frankly I want him to die.

That may seem dark but for all the lives he took without mercy, I want the same thing for him. I want him to feel the pain as he slowly dies.

I want him to feel the fear of losing his life as he did to us.

With a sigh, I opened the door and poked my head out. A gasp escaped my lips at the sight of Peter leaned against the wall beside the door. His shoulder was wrapped in an elastic bandaid and his hand was propped up onto a shoulder sling. Despite that, he still managed to look handsome.

"Peter!" I squealed loudly as I enveloped him in a hug. I tried not to touch his arm to roughly in case I hurt him but he still seemed to appreciate the fact that I showed him even a little amount of affection.

Still, there was a slight disappointment that settled in my chest. I wanted it to be Reese, I wished he were the one who was here right now. We only met once after the shooting and I was so relieved to finally be in his arms but. . . the energy just felt off.

Something in me was nagging. Telling me that Reese and I were going to be over. How can a boyfriend neglect his girlfriend when she needs him the most? Even when they only live three hours away from one another?

"Hey." He sighed into the crook of my neck, snapping me out of my thoughts. I pulled away and smiled in embarrassment as his eyes trailed down my sponge bob pyjamas. My hair was a mess seeing as I haven't gotten out of bed since morning and surprisingly I didn't smell of perspiration.

"What storm hit you?" He chuckled softly and I hit his chest playfully before pulling him into my room. "Shut up, I'm glad you're back." I sighed as I slumped down onto the couch.

"Yeah, me too." He mumbled as he lowered himself down beside me.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you, no one deserves that."

He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and turned towards me, "Sam told me you had a really bad panic attack. Are you okay now?" He asked in concern and I frowned deeply as I stared back at him in confusion.

"You were shot and you're worried about me!?" I inquired and he nodded his head slowly as if he didn't understand what I meant. "I'm a caring guy Lei, just gotta deal with it." He smiled and my lips twitched upwards slightly before they fell into a thin line.

"Why'd you come over?" I asked as I peered up into his eyes. He leaned down until our noses touched and smiled, "why I came for you, silly."