Free Instinct by Mattie Dunman

entire room with her presence. Shane’s eyes follow her with unmasked
admiration as she goes by, apparently an equal opportunist when it comes to
ogling.
    “Stick your
eyeballs back in their sockets, Shane. It’s never gonna happen,” Megan
declares, but I can see the pleased tilt of her lips as she turns away. Shane
clasps a hand to his chest and moans.
    “Crushed
again. I guess I’ll just have to find comfort with Derry. Perhaps she will mend
my broken heart.” He mock-staggers over to me and collapses in the chair next
to mine. I laugh at him and pat his shoulder. I can’t believe that my first
impression of Shane was so negative; granted, he’s an outrageous flirt, but at
least he’s good-humored about it. There is something very open and guileless
about him that appeals to me.
    “My girlfriend
found my porn stash,” Shockey says as he joins us in the lab. My shoulders jerk
involuntarily. His eyes drift over the room and land on me, once again
reminding me of the cagey movements of a rodent. I have downgraded him from
mouse to rat now that I know his proclivities.
    “How’s it
going, Derry? Any story ideas yet?” he asks, his voice holding just the right
amount of interest for a teacher, but he leans toward me slightly, a little too
close for comfort. I can smell the slightly astringent note of his deodorant.
    “Not yet, but
I’m supposed to meet with the contact for the local paper tomorrow after
school. I’m hoping to get some ideas then. I did see an article on a health
inspection for a school in Shenandoah County that found asbestos in the gym.
Maybe I could look into the latest inspection results here and see what comes
up,” I say, reminding myself that outwardly, this man has done nothing wrong.
    Shockey nods
thoughtfully. “That might be interesting. Let me know what you turn up. We’ll
have to run it by the principal before it’s printed. He’s a bit of a stickler
when it comes to how this school is portrayed,” he warns me.
    I smile perfunctorily
and return my attention to starting up my computer. He lingers for a moment and
then moves on to talk to the other students. Cathy and Jake walk in together,
deep in muttered conversation that breaks up when they spot me. Cathy gives me
a cautious smile, but Jake’s gaze is as hostile as yesterday. I wonder what I
will hear him say today.
    By the time
the tone sounds, Shane and Megan are both out tracking down stories, and I am
continuing my research on the local happenings in Harpers Ferry. Cathy and Jake
whisper together, but are so quiet that I can’t make anything out. About a half
hour into the period, Cathy rises and puts her backpack on, collecting a camera
from the shelf in the corner.
    “My parents
are getting a divorce,” she says and gives me a quick wave. I feel a stab of
sympathy as I watch her hunched form slip out the door. It takes me a moment to
realize that I am alone with Jake in this small, isolated room. There are no
windows to the main classroom, only the wooden door which is now swinging shut
with an ominous click.
    The silence expands
into something almost tangible. The sound of my foot tapping against the desk
leg is deafening. I force myself still, practically holding my breath in
anticipation of the storm I sense brewing across the room. After a few moments
I hear a defeated sigh and the squeal of the chair as it rolls over toward me.
I stiffen my arms so my fists don’t clench in response to my pounding pulse, so
loud it drowns out the muffled lecture from the other room.
    “I have a
dangerous temper,” Jake says quietly next to me. I shift warily to face him,
braced for the hatred in his eyes, but he only looks tired.
    “Sorry?” I
say, leaning away from him imperceptibly. He sighs again and looks at me with
more focus.
    “I said I’m sorry
I was rude yesterday. I’m sure you didn’t know you were stealing my beat,” he
repeats, though he doesn’t sound convinced. I chew on the inside of my lip and
watch