CHAPTER TWELVE

Chris was red. Red, and in tears.

I rushed to him immediately.

"What's going on?" I asked, alarmed.

He turned to look at the voice's owner, and when he saw a familiar face, he seemed to go slightly redder. And he started crying harder. He pulled me along gently until we found the janitor's closet.

When we were properly settled in, ( thankfully, no one was in the hallways because it was the first period and classes had started, so no one else saw one of my best people's red faces) he began crying all over again.

"Ray", he sniffed, "I don't know what t-to do."

"I don't understand you. What exactly is going on?", I pressed, the heavy concern very obvious in the tone of my voice.

"Ray, Dad's in ER."

Hearing that, my heart skipped a beat.

"What?"

"Yeah, I can't believe it either. We were having breakfast this morning, all four of us, when he suddenly yelled and put his hand t-t-to his ch-chest a-and--", he sniffled heavily.