Time Bomb(39)

“I can tell I’m not exactly who you were hoping to see,” Frankie said, looking at Diana. His eyes flicked up at the hole in the ceiling and then swept over the massive metal air conditioner wedged into the floor. Frankie went completely still and the cocky smile he always seemed to be wearing disappeared as he spotted Kaitlin under it.

“Oh, God,” the girl with the bandaged arm said. “Is she dead?”

“Not yet,” Kaitlin answered for herself.

“Not at all.” Z knelt down next to her. “Once the firefighters decide to do their job, we’ll get you out of here.”

“What are you talking about?” Frankie asked.

“Look outside.” Z pointed toward the window he’d shattered. “The firefighters and police and everyone are just waiting around out there for the building to collapse. They aren’t doing anything.”

“That makes no sense,” said the girl with the sling as Frankie hopped over a desk and followed Z to the window. While Frankie yelled and waved at the people below—because clearly he believed she and Z must not have done it right in the first place—the new girl asked, “What are they waiting for? An invitation?”

“Little Miss Princess here gave them one. She seemed to think they’d trip over themselves to help if they knew she was in the building.” Z sneered. “Must sting to know they care just as little about you as they do about the rest of us.”

It would if it were true.

“I guarantee you that dozens of politicians are on the phone right now demanding action and threatening anyone who will listen with hearings and investigations to make something happen.”

“And yet nothing’s happening,” Z said, kneeling down next to Kaitlin, who had started to cough. “Kaitlin needs help now.”

“And I told you, they must think there are more bombs,” Diana said. She walked to the window. “Look at how far back everyone is standing.” She took her phone out of her pocket and said, “I don’t have cell service. Does anyone else?”

Frankie pulled his out and frowned. “You think they turned it off?”

“But that would mean they don’t want us to be able to use our phones to call for help. They wouldn’t do that,” said the new girl Diana had almost forgotten about.

“Yeah—they would.” Frankie shoved his hands in his pockets. The cockiness that Frankie was known for and that Diana once found fascinating—until she realized he wasn’t as confident as he pretended to be—was gone. “Because they think there could be more bombs.”

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m not waiting around for the people out there to get their crap together.” Z grabbed the long board he’d pitched to the ground earlier. “I’m getting this thing off of Kaitlin, and I’m finding a way out of this place.”

He shoved the board under the side of the air conditioner that was pinning Kaitlin’s legs down. It wasn’t going to work, but Diana found herself almost hoping it would as she said, “Wait a second. Before you do anything, let’s find bandages so we can make a tourniquet for her legs when we pull her out. She’s going to hemorrhage, and we have to stop that as fast as possible or she’ll die before we ever have the chance to leave this room.”

Frankie nodded. “She’s right. See what you can find in this room. I’ll check the ones down the hall.” He turned toward the dark-haired girl and said, “Hang here, Cas. I’ll be right back.”

Frankie gave Cas’s shoulder a gentle squeeze, then hurried out of the room. He ignored Diana, and she didn’t care. Frankie wasn’t anything more than a guy she had kissed twice. No big deal. Right now, none of that mattered, she told herself as she did a slow turn, taking in everything that was in the room.

Z was rummaging through the teacher’s desk. Cas was still clutching her bag close to her while leaning on the door frame as she looked down the hall—probably watching for Frankie, just like every other girl at this school.

“We could use the straps of your bag,” Diana said to Cas. “We can use them to tourniquet Kaitlin’s legs and try to stop them from bleeding.”

“Good.” Z slammed a drawer shut, making Cas jump. Kaitlin remained still as a stone. “Because there’s nothing in here to use. Here, give it to me.”

Cas stepped backwards into the doorway, shifting so Z couldn’t grab her bag.

“Over my dead body,” the girl shot back. She looked as if she might collapse at any minute, but she still had fight left in her and tugged the bag back toward her—surprising Z, who let go. He started to reach for it again, and the girl almost tripped going backwards through the door as Frankie called, “I’ve got something.”

He appeared behind Cas, juggling several rolls of duct tape and a bunch of paper towels. “There’s a lot of smoke coming down the hall. Once we get Kaitlin free, we’re going to have to find a way down to the first floor and out of here—fast.”

Diana kept her eyes on Cas as Frankie stepped into the room and started explaining how the bandaging would work once Kaitlin was free. Cas leaned against the doorway again and looked down at the bag she was hugging against her chest.

“Whatever’s in that bag must really be important,” Diana said quietly as the boys circled the air conditioner, discussing their options.