Unlikely

11. Storm

[Sasha]

"Hey Sash," Saniya turns to look at me with a forced smile and tears staining her cheeks. "Honey you should sit down." She pats the seat next to her though I refuse it and look at the police officer standing before me. 

"What wrong? Tell me what's wrong, right now." I demand. "It is Shad? Is it my Dad? What is it?" I begin to panic and tears gather in my eyes. 

"Maybe you should sit." The short Latina female officer tries to push me down into a seat but I resist. 

"Tell me now!" I look around at the different faces in the office. The guidance counselor, the officers, my sister, the office secretary, and the principal's faces are all flooded with emotion. "Tell me now." I say in a softer tone and planting my feet underneath me preparing for the worse.

"Your father and brother were walking to the school when rival of a gang members got into an argument and began opening fire," The tall, white male officer begins. "They were caught in the crossfire and your father...well...he did not make it and your brother is in critical care..." He says something else but it all sounds like whomp, whomp, whomp to me. 

I begin backing out of the room snatching from anyone trying to grab at me. Everything is a blur and all I hear is my own breath in my ears. Finally, I collapse near a locker and look up to find Saniya standing before me. 

"Come on baby, lets go. We have to be there for Rashad." She says through chocking on her own tears. 

"Daddy promised me...he promised that everything would get better. He made us breakfast this morning." I look at Saniya as she pulls at my arms. "Where is he?"

"Sasha, they told you...he's...gone." Her euphemism upsets me but for once, I have no words and just let out a scream.

[Leon]

There was a strange feeling in the room after Sasha was called out. I could read it on Ms. Vasquez face that something was wrong then a few minutes after class actually started there was a blood curdling scream that came from down the hall. Nosy students immediately ran out to see what was going on. As the crowd formed around the door, I got up as well and pushed through.

Sasha Campbell was in a heep on the floor, blubbering unintelligibly as a girl who wore similar features to hers tried to pull her up. My peers stood around with their cameras, murmuring to one another until a police officer came and scooped the girl up off the floor. I  watched as my classmates stood behind their phones mumbling and giggling and stood there until Sasha and the officer are out of sight. 

"Hey, Ms. Vasquez, what's wrong? What's going on?" I question her at her desk as students file back to their seats in loud commotion.   

"Mr. Bradfort, I can't tell you that right now. Please have a seat." She tells me without looking me in the eye. "Everyone, have a seat and quiet down!" She shouts at the class. Once everyone is under control she simply resumes teaching though clearly distracted. Instead of paying attention, I text Marrisa: Wht's wrng wit ur grl, Sasha?  but I get no reply.

On my way out of Vasquez's class, I run into Justin, who was in the classroom next door. "Did you see what went down in the hallway?" He gives me a confused glance as we slowly shuffle down the hall.

"Nah, all I know is that she got called out of my class before it started. I tried to text Marri but I never got anything back." 

"Weird, bruh." He shakes his head as we stop and rest against a locker.

"Move it guys, either go to lunch or to class." The loud, boisterous AP history teacher who doubles as the boys soccer coach shoos us just as we stop.  We slowly walk and talk until we get to the commons area, the halfway point to the cafeteria, when Marrisa runs up to us. Her face red and flustered as tears streamed down her face. When she gets to me she immediately throws her arms around my torso and cries into my chest.