THE LAST BELL

The Secret crush

The classroom was quiet except for the sound of pages turning. Professor Grant stood at the front, holding a book in his hand. His sharp eyes moved around the room.

“Lena,” he said suddenly. “Please read the next passage.”

Lena froze. Her fingers shook as she picked up the book. Her heart raced, not because of the professor, but because she felt Axel’s eyes on her. Axel sat near the back, silent as always, his messy dark hair falling into his face.

Lena took a shaky breath and started reading, but her voice broke.

“Lo… love is… like—” She stopped, her cheeks red. She could feel Axel watching her.

Damian, who sat two seats away, smirked. “Hey, Lena,” he said loudly, so the whole class could hear. “Why are you stuttering? Oh, I get it. You’re staring at the loser.”

The class laughed. Lena’s face burned.

Sophia, with her perfect smile, leaned forward. “Aw, isn’t it cute? Our little Lena has a crush on Axel.”

“I don’t!” Lena said quickly, her voice trembling. “I don’t like him!”

But her denial only made it worse.

Damian laughed louder. “Of course you don’t! Who would like him? He’s useless.”

Axel’s chest tightened. He lowered his head, pretending the words didn’t matter, but inside, he felt crushed.

Chloe, the smallest girl in class, clenched her fists under her desk. She wanted to stand up for him, but her voice wouldn’t come out. Ethan, sitting near the window, looked away. He didn’t want trouble.

Professor Grant sighed and told Lena to continue, but the bullies weren’t done. When class ended, Damian blocked the door.

“Prove you don’t like him,” Damian said. “Say something. Say he’s trash. Say it in front of everyone.”

Lena’s lips parted. “I… I can’t.”

Sophia smirked. “Do it, or we’ll tell everyone you write his name in your notebook.”

Lena shook her head. “I don’t—”

“Say it!” Damian shouted.

The crowd of students stared. Axel’s eyes met hers, full of silent pain.

“I’m sorry,” Lena whispered. Then louder, with tears in her eyes, “You’re nothing, Axel. You’re nothing but trash.”

Axel’s heart broke. He turned away before anyone saw the hurt in his eyes. He walked out, silent as always.

Lena felt like she had been stabbed.

---

Later, in the restroom, Lena leaned against the sink. Tears slid down her cheeks.

“I didn’t mean it,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean it…”

Suddenly, the door creaked. Sophia stepped inside, her smile cold.

“Oh, poor Lena,” Sophia said. “Crying because you insulted your little crush?”

Lena gasped. “You heard?”

“Of course I did,” Sophia said, stepping closer. “And if you ever tell anyone we forced you, you’ll regret it. Do you understand?”

Lena nodded quickly, fear in her eyes.

“Good girl,” Sophia said. Then she left, her heels clicking against the floor.

---

That night, strange things began happening. In the dorm hallways, a student collapsed. His body shook with fever. He coughed, and blood splattered on the tiles.

“Help!” someone screamed.

More students fell one after another, coughing blood, their skin pale and cold.

Nurse Evelyn rushed from room to room, her hands shaking. She found Rowan, the head of the school.

“Please,” she begged. “We need to quarantine the school. This sickness—it’s spreading fast!”

Rowan’s face was hard. “No. We can’t cause panic. Keep it quiet.”

“Quiet?” Evelyn cried. “They’re dying! They’re—”

Before she could finish, the fire alarm blared.

RIIIIIING!

Everyone ran into the hall. Smoke drifted from the science lab.

“Fire!” someone shouted.

But when Rowan arrived, he froze. The smoke was thick, but the heat was wrong. Something wasn’t burning—it was breaking out.

The glass windows in the lab shattered. Inside, dark shapes moved.

Back in her room, Lena sat on her bed, hugging her knees. She couldn’t stop thinking about Axel’s face when she insulted him.

“Why did I say that?” she whispered.

A soft knock came at her door. Chloe peeked in.

“Lena?” she asked softly.

Lena quickly wiped her tears. “What is it?”

“I saw what happened today,” Chloe said. “You didn’t want to hurt him.”

Lena’s eyes widened. “You… you know?”

Chloe nodded. “I know how Sophia and Damian are. But you need to tell Axel the truth before it’s too late.”

“I can’t,” Lena said. “If Sophia finds out—”

“Do you like him?” Chloe asked suddenly.

Lena’s face turned red. She looked down. “I… I don’t know. Maybe. But he hates me now.”

Chloe gave her a small smile. “Then prove to him that you don’t.”

Meanwhile, Axel sat alone in the school courtyard. The night air was cold, but his chest felt even colder. Ethan sat beside him silently.

“You saw it too,” Axel said quietly. “She hates me.”

Ethan looked down. “No. She doesn’t.”

Axel turned his head. “Then why did she say it?”

Ethan didn’t answer. He felt guilty for staying silent earlier.

Axel’s fists clenched. “It doesn’t matter. No one ever means what they say to me. I should get used to it.”

But deep inside, he wasn’t. Her words cut deeper than any wound.

Suddenly, a scream echoed from the hallway.

“Something’s in the lab!”

Students ran past, terrified. Nurse Evelyn rushed into the courtyard, her white uniform stained with blood.

“They’re changing!” she screamed. “The sick students—they’re changing!”

“Changing?” Ethan asked.

Before she could explain, one of the infected students staggered into the yard. His eyes were clouded white, his mouth dripping blood. He growled like an animal.

“Stay back!” Evelyn shouted.

The student lunged at her. She screamed.

Axel grabbed a broken chair from the ground and swung it hard, knocking the creature away.

Everyone gasped.

The infected student stood back up, blood dripping from his mouth, his body twitching unnaturally.

“What… what is happening?” Lena whispered, running into the courtyard with Chloe.

More infected students stumbled out of the building, their skin gray, their eyes empty.

“They’re not sick anymore,” Rowan said grimly as he appeared. “They’re something else.”

Panic filled the air. Students screamed and scattered. The infected moved fast, faster than anyone thought possible.

“Run!” Evelyn cried.

Axel grabbed Lena’s hand without thinking. “This way!”

Lena’s heart raced at his touch. She looked up at him, shocked.

“You’re holding my hand…” she whispered.

“Just run!” Axel said, pulling her along.

They ran through the dark halls, dodging shadows. Behind them, the sound of growls grew louder.

“Axel!” Ethan shouted, running after them. “They’re coming!”

Axel pushed open a door, leading them into the gym. He slammed it shut.

Lena fell to her knees, panting. Axel still held her hand. Slowly, he let go, his eyes meeting hers.

“Why did you do it?” he asked quietly. “Why did you call me trash?”

Lena’s lips trembled. “I… I didn’t mean it. They made me. I’m sorry, Axel. I’m so sorry.”

His chest ached, but he saw the truth in her eyes.

Before he could answer, a loud crash shook the gym door. The infected were pounding on it, their growls filling the air.

Ethan’s eyes widened. “They’re breaking through!”

Lena grabbed Axel’s arm. “What do we do now? Do we fight… or do we run?”

The gym door cracked again. The growls grew louder. Something sharp pushed through the wood.

Axel stared at the door, his heart pounding.

But the real question was—

What had been set free inside the lab, and was it already too late to escape?