My first instinct was to immediately run to the boy’s restroom before Hector could even spot me. I quickly hid into a stall, locked the door, and stood on top of the toilet seat so nobody could see my legs as they walked by. I just stood there thinking, thinking, and thinking… What am I going to do now? I have to save Eden Calloway from the wrath of Principal van Dooren, save my two best friends, and escape the torments of Hector Markowski with only two pieces of ammunition!

I quietly reached into my pocket and pulled out the two rubber controllers. I could still read, “I will forgive Eden for everything” on one of them. This meant two things: one, I only had one free rubber controller left. Two, I only had one bullet to save two other people! This was impossible! How can I save two best friends with one bullet? How?

Suddenly, a scratchy, static sound boomed right above my head. It was the announcers turning on, loud and in poor audio quality. About three seconds of static ran, and then the dark, baritone voice spoke, “Mr. Andrew Nilson, please come to Principal van Dooren’s office immediately. Mr. Andrew Nilson, please come to Principal van Dooren’s office immediately, thank you.”

Principal van Dooren couldn’t have chosen a worse time to finally call me into his office! Why couldn’t he have called me earlier when I was ready, why?

My legs were shaking and my calms felt clammy with the two rubber controllers still tight in my grasp. After about a minute, I finally decided to release the tension within my body and let my feet touch the ground. I listened carefully and the restroom was completely quiet with the exception of the leaking faucet. I unlocked the bathroom door, slowly opened it, and then let even more tension release when I was assured that the coast was completely clear in the restroom.

I peeped my head outside the bathroom corridors and looked both ways. I could still hear the loud chatting of the other students in the cafeteria, but otherwise, it looked like I was the only one in the hallways. I began walking quickly in the direction of the principal’s office. As I was passing by A Hall, I finally noticed that my hand was still gripped so tightly it felt like a few ligaments in my wrist were spraining. I lightened my grasp and looked once more at the two controllers. I stuffed the blank one back in my pocket and kept the other one set to stick it on Principal van Dooren.

Before I could even look back up, a forceful thrush pulled me backwards. My back made a strong collision against someone’s chest. Two arms were hooked around my armpits. I turned my neck slightly and saw an arm wearing a few black bracelets and a dark sleeve still hooked on me. I looked back forward and saw a dark figure wearing a baseball cap heading towards me. The lighting became slightly better as the figure approached me and I could distinctly see that it was a Chicago Cubs baseball cap.

“Brett! Avery! What are you doing? Let me go!” I yelled at both of them.

Neither of them answered me. Avery still had me locked against his chest and Brett just stared into my eyes with his dull, blank eyes. Brett walked to my right side and tightly grasped his arms around my right arm. Avery let go of my right side and wrapped his arms around my left arm. They made me turn into 360 degrees and began dragging me in the opposite direction.

“Brett! Avery! Stop it! Let me go! Please! I have to save Eden! Please!” I kept thrashing and begging them to release me, but to no avail. They were both strong, very strong. I had never realized how tough my two best friends actually were.

“Okay, if neither of you are going to talk to me, at least tell me how you knew where to find me!” 

They both still kept quiet. I kept thinking for a few moments and I could answer my own question: everyone in school heard me getting called to the principal’s office, so of course they knew that I was heading towards that direction.

That briefly reminded me to check my right fist. I could still the rubber controller within my palm. I looked at a slightly sharper angle and studied Brett’s arm. I could see it clear as daylight; the rubber stopper Hector placed on him. The controller had the sentence, “I will be Hector’s slave” written on it.

I see it now, this is Hector’s new way of torturing me: stealing my best friends, making them betray me, and now he’s going to turn me into his slave. Brett and Avery were obviously dragging me back to the cafeteria to confront Hector. We were getting closer and closer.

“Help! Help!” I cried out, but no one answered me.

I kept struggling, thrashing, and whipping myself around. Every single attempt I made to break free was in vain. I even tried kicking at their legs. That only slowed them down a bit, but their grasps were still surprisingly tight.

The chattering of the students in the cafeteria was getting louder and clearer. It was no use…I was already bracing myself at the thought of being an eternal slave to Hector Markowski. What was he going to make me do? Give him horseback rides to school? Force me to do all his homework until college? Make me clean his dishes with my tongue? No matter what, pure torment was awaiting me.

My train of thought came to an abrupt halt as a tall figure standing right in front of the cafeteria corridors stood its ground and yelled, “Stop!” in that familiar, soft, whispery voice that resembled the voice of Jennifer Tilly.

“Mrs. Swanson?” I whispered aloud.

“Yes; you two gentlemen let him go immediately!”

Brett and Avery stopped in their tracks. They both just stared with their blank eyes at Mrs. Swanson. After a few seconds, she lunged forward and pulled me out of their grips. I looked back at them. They were both still standing like statues with no expressions on their faces.

“You come this way,” said Mrs. Swanson as she pushed me in the direction of Principal van Dooren’s office. I looked back once more and the two of them were still standing still.