The moment Jon heard the word "action," a shiver wormed its way up his spine.
"Hey, Jon-boy?" the nervousness in Karyn's voice reflected the same fear that Jon suddenly, inexplicably, felt permeating every fiber of his being.
A simple case of nerves, however, ballooned into a full on panic when Jon saw her face, twisted in agony, but staring straight at the box that Jon held in his lap.
"What's... what's in that box, Jon?" There was a hint of accusation in the tone.
Adrenaline took over, as Jon leapt off of the wall, making sure to secure the stone and his bookbag as he did so, and ran as fast as he possibly could, hands balled in fists and level with his shoulders as they swung back and forth.
Jon could hear Karyn's footsteps behind him as she followed in pursuit, but he blocked out the sound, blocked out everything, and just ran as fast as he could.
Until he found himself colliding with the chest of an overmuscled football player.
All thoughts left Jon's head as he found himself lying on the ground, gasping to reclaim the wind that had been knocked out of him, while a small crowd of people slowly circled around him.
It was as he was finally able to breathe once again and propped himself up on his elbows that Jon noticed two things: first of all, he was completely surrounded by the Lake Point High School football team, with Sarah McMillan glowering menacingly down at him from her place of honor at the head of the oval, and secondly, he was no longer holding the box with the stone.
