Chapter 11 of Fangirls, book three!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D:D:D

 

Chapter 11, Race against the clock

“Lexi!” Thaddeus exclaimed in a panic as he immediately threw off his glasses and his heavy coat and Breanna caught them and Thaddeus ran toward the lake and dove in. He hastily spelled himself so he would be able to breathe under water and swam to where he saw Lexi last. But the current was so strong and Thaddeus found that strange because lakes don’t usually have currents. He was swimming all around but he had yet to find her! But something gave him the strength to persevere. He was just about to lose hope when he spotted her at the bottom of the lake! But then something else that’s strange happened. She started to float away. No! Thaddeus thought and swam a little bit faster. And a little faster. It took all of his strength, but Thaddeus managed to catch her and wrap his arms around her and get her to the top of the lake. It was difficult swimming her back to the shore as she was unconscious but he did it with all the strength he had left. Once he got her to the shore, he took the knife he had in his coat pocket and untied her from the ropes that bound her. But he found that Lexi wasn’t breathing! As Lexi’s parents and everybody else that was there started freaking out, Thaddeus started doing CPR.

Come on Lexi! Stay with me, don’t leave me! I can’t lose you again! Thaddeus thought franticly. After a couple of minutes of Thaddeus doing mouth-to-mouth and chest compressions, Lexi started coughing up water and eventually she threw up because there was so much pressure there. But all the same Thaddeus sighed with relief and slapped her back to help get it all up. Once Lexi got over her coughing fit, she started sobbing hysterically because, well, who wouldn’t after a near-death experience? Thaddeus immediately took her in his arms after grabbing his heavy warm coat and wrapping it around Lexi, even though he was freezing. She had been down there longer than he had, she’d almost died, and do you want to be comfortable or a gentleman? “It’s alright, Lexi, it’s alright,” Thaddeus whispered in her ear consolingly as he stroked her hair. “Nothing can hurt you as long I’m here,”. Lexi didn’t answer, but she did snuggle right into his chest, wrapping her arms around Thaddeus, her head against his pounding heart. Everybody then came around Lexi and Thaddeus created the most epic group hug in existence. Mal conjured up a steaming, extra-large, soft towel and wrapped it around Lexi and Thaddeus so they would be warm. For a moment, they were all just wrapped in each other’s arms and soaking up each other’s relief when something caught Thaddeus’s eye: Karen and Adam were walking in the woods, probably trying to escape without getting caught. Well, Thaddeus certainly wouldn’t let them get away with that after what they did. He passed Lexi into her parent’s arms and she looked at him as if begging him not to leave.

“I’ll be right back,” Thaddeus told her as he conjured a sword and a sheath for the sword to go in. As soon as Adam saw him, he smirked.

“Well, if it isn’t that pathetic little nerd from high school,” Adam said snootily. Thaddeus rolled his eyes.

“Got anything new?” Thaddeus said exasperatedly. Adam looked like he was caught off guard for a moment like he always did when the math teacher asked him to answer the question. “That’s what I thought,” Thaddeus shot back.

“Oh, please,” Adam said as he blushed red with embarrassment. Thaddeus drew his sword and wrinkled his nose at the sight of Adam.

“Remember the last time we faced each other?” Thaddeus said, sounding cold as ice. Adam fumbled with his sword. “En guard,” Thaddeus said softly and menacingly. And the swords clashed! Thaddeus and Adam moved back and forth, Thaddeus tricking Adam by swishing his sword by Adam’s cheek! Breanna, being the epic person that she was, pulled up on Spotify the Pirates of the Caribbean theme and showed the other girls.

“Should I, do it?” she whispered.

“Oh, do it!” Gabrielle replied quietly. Breanna didn’t need much approval. She hit play. As Thaddeus moved by them, he noticed the song.

“Really, Breanna?” Thaddeus said.

“Um, yes!” she exclaimed. Thaddeus was secretly pleased, though. This was one of the best moments of his entire young life. He had just rescued the fair princess and now was defending her honor! And to an epic soundtrack too. Adam was surprisingly good at fencing, though. He was good at athletic stuff and he was pretty quick. But Thaddeus was faster. Thaddeus made Adam trip by putting his sword close to the ground and made Adam fall to the dirt. Then he placed his sword under Adam’s chin.

“Yield?” Thaddeus whispered menacingly. Adam nodded fervently as he panted. The fangirls including Lexi, who had calmed down more, were applauding him. Thaddeus turned, smiling at them. But Adam clutched his sword and tried to kill Thaddeus! Kaylee noticed this and cried out.

“Thaddeus, look out!” she screamed. Thaddeus swiftly turned around and using his powers to amplify it, punched Adam and sent him flying to a tree that was five yards away!

“I wanted to do that so bad in junior year,” Thaddeus admitted. Lexi smiled a little bit at him. But then there was Karen. Thaddeus turned around to face her, sighing.

“Oh, Thaddeus, hi,” Karen said, her voice getting higher and more innocent as she started twirling her hair around her finger. Thaddeus scoffed and rolled his eyes. But he slipped his sword back into his sheath.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll sit down and mind your manners,” Thaddeus whispered and went to sit down next to Lexi. Karen growled at the sight of them sitting together and glared at Lexi. Then, Audrey, who had come along for the ride, came over to her.

“You’re Karen, right?” she asked. Karen nodded, still not looking very pleased at how the situation turned out. “Okay, look. I get it, okay? Your lifelong crush proposes to somebody else, that hurts! Nobody understands that better than I do. But, taking your anger out at the person he proposed to, believe me, that does not feel as good as you think it will,” Audrey explained to her gently. “But, trying to put that behind you and forgiving, that feels amazing!” but Karen just glared again.

“Please,” she scoffed. “What do you know?” Audrey blinked a couple of times, taken a back and slightly offended.

“I know plenty, thank you,” she said, sounding annoyed.

“Just leave me alone!” Karen yelled. Audrey rolled her eyes.

“Fine. But don’t ever say that no one ever tried to help you,” she said icily. Karen snarled in anger and started to walk off. But, before she could, Ben grabbed her arm.

“I think you better come with me,” Ben commanded.

“Why?” Karen asked.

“Uh, let me see,” said Ben in mock puzzlement. “Kidnapping, illegal, attempted murder, also illegal, plus pretty much traumatizing Lexi, not illegal, but still way past rude,”. Ben and Jay took her by the arms and dragged her away. Lexi smiled up at Thaddeus.

“Thank you,” she said softly. “For everything,” Thaddeus smiled back at her and kissed her forehead.

“Anything for you,” Thaddeus whispered back. But they were both still shivering from the freezing lake.

 “Would you two like some hot chocolate?” Mal asked them.

“Yes, please,” Lexi and Thaddeus replied in unison. Mal smiled and conjured up two steaming mugs of hot chocolate. Mal bent back down to where she put the mugs down on a tree stump to conjure some marshmallows, grabbed them and brought them to Lexi and Thaddeus. Thaddeus took the first mug and handed to Lexi before being handed his own.

“Cheers,” Thaddeus said to Lexi as they clinked mugs.

“Cheers,” Lexi replied, smiling as she took the first sip. But after she took another sip, she started feeling nauseous. “Huh. I’m not feeling too great,” she said. Thaddeus looked at her confusedly.

“Are you okay?” Thaddeus inquired. Lexi started to answer, but her words were cut off by a coughing fit and she started convulsing on the ground!

“Lexi!” Thaddeus cried. Thaddeus moved his hands to her back and sat her up, but she had started foaming at the mouth!

“We need to get her to the hospital!” Lexi’s dad said. Thaddeus nodded fervently.

“We’ll teleport!” he exclaimed and before anyone knew what was happening, Thaddeus had created a portal and got everybody to the hospital.

 “We need help!” Thaddeus cried desperately.

“What’s wrong with her?” the receptionist asked urgently as she paged the doctor.

“She drank a few sips of hot chocolate and this happened!” Lexi’s mom said in a panic.

“That looks like poisoning!” the doctor that just arrived said and then he put her on gurney and quickly wheeled her out. And Thaddeus, who had been holding all of his emotions in for everybody else for the past hour and a half, this new situation pulled the pin on the emotional grenade and he broke down on the floor, sobbing