Panic

The door to Miss Matthews’ classroom closed heavily as Joey hurried into the hallway. He had hoped that leaving, that running away from the madness he had just experienced, would ease his mind, give him a moment to think, but that was not the case. Her words, softly whispered in his memories, chased him down the hall. His breath came too fast, heart hammering in his chest, his panic attack once again returning.

He had done it! It was him!

The other students milling about might as well have been in another school, so barely noticed were they. “What did Joey care about their lives, their problems? Who cared about who liked whom, or what so-and-so wore, or what what’s-his-face said? Problems of the average person seemed tiny. Something had happened to him and he had inadvertently ruined people's lives!

It's my job to help you succeed, to build you up, to nurture your confidence, to help you become a man.

Miss Matthews’ words had seemed absurd when she first spoke them, but now they chased him like a predator hunting its prey. Over and over they repeated, louder and louder, their significance swelling with each echo.

Joey needed to be alone. At the end of the hallway was a little-used stairwell, and he ducked into it. No thought of making his next class, no thought of seeking help. What Joey needed was space to calm down and think. The stairwell was cool and empty. Brain full of adrenaline, his heart raced. The walls seemed to tilt, pressing inward. His breath came in short gasps as he sat on a cool step. Trying to calm down, he put his head between his knees, and tried to regulate his breathing.

What’s happening to me?

There had to be a reason. There had to be some sort of answer to why his world had suddenly turned on its head. The day before he'd had the confrontation with Madison. Then she started acting weird. What had he said?! He racked his brain trying to think, his brain still rattled by the encounter with his teacher. She'd been yelling at him... something about she was so much better than him... and then he'd snapped, saying something about...

No.

What had he done?

Joey Granger had told Madison Ashford, the hottest girl in the school, that she'd be lucky to be with a guy like him.

Shit.

There had been more. Joey tried to think, but the memory wouldn't shake free. Maybe it wasn't important. What he did remember was damaging enough. What if she believed it? Would that be why she had followed him home the day before?

And then there was his mom. Still rattled by Madison, he'd told her off too. Something about how she should be ashamed of how she saw him as a loser, and how hot high school girls liked guys like him. It had all been bluster, obviously, and he couldn't see how any of that would be too damaging. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad.

But then again, he couldn't exactly remembered what he'd said.

Then there was the fact that Madison and his mom weren't the only people he'd spoken to that day. How come other people weren't being changed by his words? Joey had spoken to his dad, a couple of his friends, and his other teachers. None of them were suddenly acting weird. None of them were following him around like lost puppies, or trying to hold his hands after class.

Maybe the whole thing was in his head. He could feel his heart start to slow down. Maybe the problem wasn't him. Maybe Miss Matthews was having a nervous breakdown or something. Seriously. It would make more sense than suddenly having magic powers. Magic powers! Joey chuckled for a second, his heart feeling normal. He'd almost lost his mind over nothing!

Feeling more stable, the walls no longer closing in, his breathing normalized, Joey lifted his head from his knees, thinking that his next step would probably be to speak to the school administration to let them know that one of the teachers had gone rogue, when he noticed that he was no longer alone.

Madison.

She standing silently ahead of him, staring at him, waiting for him to be ready for her. She looked different, not her usual preppy to-the-nines look. Instead, she wore a pink hoodie over a pair of jean shorts that hugged her hips in a way looked casual but sexy at the same time. Her hair was tied back, her face fresh, almost free of makeup, an effortless look that somehow made her more striking than ever.

He wanted to speak, but no words came. He stared at the girl who had yelled at him the day before, thought about the strange fantasy he had almost believed a moment before, and wondered why she would be there.

“Hey Joey," she said meekly, "can we talk?"