Against All Odds

Excerpt

(I finished this manuscript the morning of the Stoneman Douglas massacre. I struggled with whether to change it or even to not release it, but these tragedies are something we face as a society. Exploring these issues through story is part of how I process difficult events and situations. I hope reading this novel helps you work through your feelings, too.)

Ava Fleshman leaned over the sink and studied her makeup in the mirror. She’d done a decent job of covering the dark circles under her eyes. Not that she cared what anyone thought.

She pulled out a tube of the darkest red lipstick she’d been able to find, and swiped it carefully across her lower lip. Halfway through her top lip, she froze.

Screaming sounded outside the middle school bathroom.

Probably just a group of kids skipping class, like her.

Ava finished her lipstick, then turned around.

The shouts grew louder. Frantic.

Footsteps thundered, sounding like a stampede.

Someone yelled the word gun.

Her heart skipped a beat, then raced. The lipstick fell from her grasp and bounced on the tile floor.

Ava couldn’t move. Did someone really have a gun? As in, a real one? Not just some stupid prank, like Connor Johnson pulled last year?

She crept to the door and pulled it open a crack. Just enough to peek out with one eye.

Kids ran in all directions, some yelling and others crying. Bags, books, and other items lay strewn about.

Boom!

It sounded like a firecracker echoing down the hallway.

Ava knew better. It was a gunshot.

No, this was nothing like what Connor had pulled a year earlier.

Someone ran toward the bathroom. He pushed on the door before Ava had a chance to move. The door hit her in the nose. Hard.

Blood gushed out and her nose throbbed.

“Watch it!” She shoved the football player and covered her nose.

“Hide!” Ryker pushed past her and jumped into one of the stalls.

Ava dropped her bag and ran into another stall, still covering her nose. Blood now dripped down from her palm onto her white shirt. She grabbed a bunch of toilet paper and held it up to her nostrils as she climbed on top of the seat.

The bathroom door opened and shut several times. Two girls cried.

“Shut up!” Ava demanded. “You want the shooter to come in here and find us?”

Bang!

Another gunshot. It was even closer than the first one.

The crying girls both screamed.

Those idiots were going to not only get themselves killed, but everyone else in the bathroom—including Ava.

Rage ran through her. She dropped the red wad of toilet paper into the water and marched out of the stall.

The two screamers were clinging to each other, makeup smeared all the way down both of their faces.

Ava clenched her fists and glared at them. “You have a death wish?”

Still sobbing, they both shook their heads.

“Then shut up! I don’t want to die today, either.”

They quieted, other than breathing heavily.

It was all Ava could hear.

Everything else was calm.

Too calm.

Terror squeezed every inch of her. Ava’s pulse drummed in her ears as she creeped toward the door. Her hand seemed to act on its own as she reached for the handle.

One of the girls behind her let out another cry.

Ava spun around and glowered at her. “Get ahold of yourself!”

She shut her mouth and buried her face against her friend’s shoulder.

Ava turned back around and pulled the door open slightly. Other than the abandoned items, the hall was empty.

“Is he out there?” whispered one of the criers.

Ava shook her head and opened the door a little wider. Everything was still silent. Even the two girls who were huddled behind her.

She pulled on the door until she was able to fit her head through.

Footsteps sounded from the hallway. One heavy, plodding step after the next. They echoed in the empty corridor.

Ava turned toward the noise.

The man wore all black leathers and brandished a rifle. He also had two pistols attached to his belt.

He hadn’t seen her yet. Ava needed to step back into the bathroom. But something stopped her.

She knew the man.

His gaze locked on hers. “Ava.”

Her blood went cold.

“I’ve been looking for you.”

She swallowed. “Get away from me!”

He laughed, then aimed his weapon at her.

Ava ducked back in and pushed on the door. “Someone help me!”

The two girls scurried into a stall.

“Help, Ryker!” Ava cried.

The gunman pushed on the door.

Ryker ran out from the stall and shoved his shoulder against the door.

Ava had never been happier to see a linebacker in her life. But even with the two of them pushing on the door, it still moved in toward them.

“Ava, give up before your friends die!” shouted the gunman.

Ryker turned to her, wide-eyed. “You know him?”

Her stomach twisted in knots. She couldn’t bring herself to admit the truth.

“Give yourself up, and nobody else has to die!”

Ryker continued staring at her, his face paling. “Is he really going to kill us if you don’t go out there?”

Ava’s stomach lurched. Her nose throbbed. The bathroom spun around her.

“Ava…” Something tapped the door. It was probably the rifle.

Ryker stepped back. “Sorry.” He fled back to his stall.

The door burst open. Ava stumbled back. She tripped over her bag and clung to a sink to keep from falling.

Her mother’s ex-boyfriend entered the bathroom and knitted his brows together.

Ava’s knees shook as she stared at the gunman. “Wh-what are you d-doing here, Dave?”

His nostrils flared. “You won’t be the one asking questions.”

“Does this have to do with my mom?”

Dave stepped toward her and shoved the gun against her chest.

Ava screamed.