Sam noticed, too.
And of course, he had to urge me on.
“Hey, Cory! Why don’t you run through Finch’s office? I don’t believe you when you say you made the curse. Like, you have the brains, but not the guts. Maybe if you run through it, I’ll be nice to you.”
Oh, I was definitely going to run through it. And not just to make Sam stop bullying me.
But to get to Felix.
I took a deep breath, glancing behind me and nodding at Sam to acknowledge that I was going to do it.
“What! Really, Cora?!” Ruby said, emerging from behind Dylan.
“Yes, really. Now shut up before I change my mind,” I snapped.
I looked at Dylan. He had a small, hopeful smile on his face, as if making me run into fifty-six booby traps would make me a reckless, arrogant pinhead- just like him.
I glanced at Sam. He had his familiar sneer on his face, but it was more pronounced than ever this time. It was like he was sure I couldn’t do it.
Finally, I looked at Ruby. She wasn’t smiling, sneering, or looking worried. Her face was impassive. But then, she gave me a tiny nod.
I gave them all a grim smile, thinking of the person I had been three days ago and the person I was becoming now, just to save my best friend.
I turned back around and almost gasped. A whole crowd had formed to watch me do this.
Okay. Deep breath.
I ran straight at the door, sprinting as fast as I could. The side exit, sensing my presence, instantly caused the hallway to become very, very long.
I raced faster, everything becoming a blur. Nobody really knew it, but I was really fast. I wasn’t an expert at sports, but I was a pro on my feet.
After a few minutes, the door was just a few meters away. I shut my eyes tight, waiting, waiting…
There was a deafening explosion, and everything stopped and turned into darkness.