Or Else

You think your town is suppose to keep you safe from harms way, right? Well not my town, my little town of Valdez, Colorado was a run down town that no one knew about. Yeah, we had the usual town rule to prevent it from getting worse, but there is this one rule that doesn’t make sense. “Or Else” is one of the new rules the mayor created. Okay, I didn’t get it at first either….well I still don’t get it, but I’m not the only one. My friends and I are still trying to figure it out.
“Jim! Get up before you’re late to school.” I heard my mom say before my phone vibrated to let me know its time to wake up.
I started to get up and notice that someone texted me recently. It was my best friend Lucy. I look at the txt message to read that and I quote ‘where are you? Schools about to start…get you butt down here.’ I just shook my head; she always sends that text to me even though she knows that I live right by the school. I got my black shirt on, comb my mess of short brown hair and got my jeans on. I finally slumped into my living room to find my mom with a stern look on here face.
“What?” I asked smirking at her
“Jim, why are you always late to school when we’re five minutes away.” She answered looking at her watch.
I just shrug at her and head out the door with my Ipod in, to the most boring school in the world. You would literally die of boredom in this town. There is nothing really to do than school, jobs, and the only thing those of us teens have…..The pizzeria. I got to my class three minutes before the bell; I slide into my usual spot in the back. All of a sudden all I see was blonde hair dangling at my desk. I look up to see Lucy with her piercing blue eyes staring at me. I took my earphones out and smirk at her.
“I see you were almost late again.” She stated
“Nah, I always know that I will get here three minutes before the bell.” I answered back
I was lucky enough to have the bell today before she started to ‘lecture’ me about how I’m suppose to be responsible with time. I put my headphones back in and tuned everyone out. Well, at least until lunch, which came fast today? I took my usual spot between Lucy and Tom, but Tom wasn’t there at the moment. Tom was a videogame nerd, Well, he obsessed with it lets just say.
“Jim, I’ll trade you my pudding cup for your apple.” I heard Lucy say. I nod at her and steal her pudding cup before she changes her mind. Just as I was about to open my pudding cup, Mouse grab it form me and started eating.
Mouse is just a nickname for him. Well, nobody actually knows his real name and he doesn’t talk that much. Once in a while we get him to join in the conversation, but he usually keeps to himself.
“Hey! I rightfully won that pudding cup.” I stated chuckling
“And I rightful grab it and ate it.” He answered snickering. I playfully punch him while laughing.
“Hey what I miss?” Tom asked while taking his seat in his usual spot by me. “Sorry teacher held me longer than I thought.”
“You missed the most amazing thing.” Mouse joked
“What?” believed Tom
“I stole Jim’s pudding cup.”
We all started laughing, Tom is really gullible sometimes. Lunch ended quickly and I headed for history. Of course I went into the back and put my ipod in tuning out Mrs.Rosell lecture on about something that happened history. I say Lucy raise her hand and I decided to pause my ipod this time.
“Mrs.Rosell, I always wondered this.” Lucy said “What is ‘Or Else rule’ ”
Everybody including me gasp at Lucy’s question. Nobody is aloud to question the or else rule. If someone does….well, they mysteriously disappear for a long time and then just come back. I mean, No one cares for the person and when they come back everyone ask like its normal.
“Ms Anderson, come with me please.” Demanded Mrs.Rosell “Class turn to page fifteen and read about the enlightenment.”
I didn’t know what to do. My mind told me to go follow her, but my body was frozen in the chair. How could I just sit here and let them take my best friend? I put my ipod back in giving me time to think to myself.
School finally ended and I ran to Tom and Mouse to tell them about what happen to Lucy.
“Guys, Lucy question ‘Or Else’” I started “No one know where she is.”
Mouse and Tom just stared at me like I had three heads. I can’t believe they don’t believe me. Well, I don’t blame them… they don’t want to get in trouble. What did they do to Lucy did they lock her up in a jail cell and let a rabid dog attack her? Or did her parent give the town permission to rape her? Or…..Why am I thinking of this? I know that I shouldn’t question “Or Else”, but no one ever said that I couldn’t stop it.
“Jim” Tom called breaking my out of my thoughts “So… Could we hang at your house today?”
“Uh, Yeah… I mean you guys basically live there.”
After we got to my house and in the kitchen for something to eat, Tom finally understood what I said earlier about Lucy
“Wait, didn’t you go and at least go and try to save her?” Asked Tom
“No. I was frozen in my seat. I didn’t know what to do.” I answered quietly. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Mouse shakes his head.
“Well, are you going to do something?”
“Tom, I don’t know, what if I get in trouble with the ‘Or Else’ rule”
Everybody fell silent, we are just teenagers, and I mean what can we do? Get in trouble, become the future, no one really pays attention to us. We are just there to fill in the hole of our town. How am I supposed to save my friend?
I couldn’t sleep that night. Images of what could happen to Lucy keep popping in my head. Did her parents agree to kill her? Did they send Lucy to an island to fend for herself?
“Mr. Peterson” Mr. Yang called “Please pick your head up and pay attention ‘Or Else’.”
After he said ‘Or Else’ my stomach turned inside out. It never bothered me before, but after seeing Lucy go, it made me sick. When I got to lunch I completely lost my appetite.
“Jim you haven’t eaten you pudding cup.” Tom stated with a worried look on his face
“Im not hungry Tom” I hesitated
“Is it because you keep thinking about what happened to Lucy?” My face went pale and I felt like I was going to be sick. Usually, these things don’t make me sick, but the fact that my friend is going through the Or else rule I can’t live with it.
“Jim” I heard Tom say “Maybe you should go to the nurse?”
“Nah, I’m fine.” I lied
“You look like you saw a ghost” Mouse chimed in.
“Im fine, okay.” The rest on the school day couldn’t go any slower. I kept having thought on what they did to Lucy. Some of which got me sick to my stomach. I got back home and went straight to my room, I didn’t want to talk to anyone today and I just want to go asleep.
“Jim, someone’s on the phone for you.” I heard my mom yell
“Ugh, I’ll be down in a minute.” I answered. I slumped out of my room and headed for the phone.
“Jim?” a familiar voice said
“Uh…who is this?” I asked
“It’s Lucy.”
“Lucy. Are you okay, what they do to you?”
“I am fine Jim, I just wanted to call you and remind you not to be late tomorrow at school. You don’t want to get in trouble with the teachers.” Then she hung up, I was happy that she was alright, but she didn’t sound like her self. Usually, Lucy calls me and we hang out the same day not to tell me to get to class early. She usually does that in the morning jokingly?
The next morning was the same. I got up a minute before my alarm and got to class three minutes before the bell.
“Jim, you were almost late again.” Lucy stated sounding robotic
“Uh...But I didn’t because I know that I get to class three minutes before the bell” I answered with a smirk, but this tome she didn’t smirk back like she used to. Lucy just turned around and sat like she had something stick up her back. Before I could ask her what was wrong the teacher came in and started to lecture about the American Revolution. Something was up with Lucy… she wasn’t acting like herself; she was acting like a behaved child that probably got abused every time she or he slack off.
At lunch, Lucy wasn’t there which made me wonder. Does she have to be watch twenty four seven now?
“Jim” Mouse said breaking me out of my thoughts.
“What” I responded
“Did you see Lucy? I mean she acted all weird today… she called me yesterday just to tell me to do my homework.” Mouse started “Who does that anymore other than you parents who are stuck at work or something.”
“Uh…yeah, she called me just to tell me to not be late to school today.”
“Jim I think Lucy isn’t the Lucy we know anymore.” Chimed in Tom
“No...Duh stupid what gave that away.” I answered sarcastically. At that moment I had the idea of a life time. “Guys we should try and stop what is happening to people with the rule we know of.”