SHADES OF COOL, original

03| MODERN TALKING

THE YOUTHFUL MINDS STILL DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO MAKE OF THE HAPPENINGS OCCURRING NOW. The boy, they had found out, went by the name Fitzgerald. The stern voice returned.

"You should know. You've been here every day, you must've seen every month on that calendar," the voice said tiredly.

Because the desk had a border underneath it, they couldn't see who the voice belonged to. But they all took a (not so) wild guess it was the principal. Dean looked at Nick and Alex, almost asking, "Should we peel?" But it wasn't safe. Nick shook his head no. They waited for the supposed principal to leave and planned to sneak out of the office. There was probably a secretary outside, but that wasn't important. They had to get out somehow.

"So am I to understand you were disturbing class?" their heads whipped back up. It only took a few silent pats for Aurora and Nadine to realize that their phones and other personal belongings were missing. Meanwhile, Dean's brain was working overtime. Fitzgerald... He only knew one Fitzgerald in this whole area.

"A little," the guy replied, with a bit of giddiness in his voice.

"Look. I'm too tired. You're getting off with no detention, but the next time you come in here, you're doing hours, son," the principal scolded him, his voice desperate.

"Alright, alright. Pleasure doing business with you." He stood up, extending his palm to shake hands. As the principal declined, the guy stepped aside and pushed the chair out of the way.

As they crawled over and stood in the secretary's office, blending in as best they could with the other students milling about, they couldn't shake the feeling of being out of place. Dean leaned against the wall, his leather jacket adding to his rebellious aura, while Alex adjusted her Rosie the Riveter bandana, trying to appear nonchalant. Aurora stood nearby, her outfit a mix of casual and chic, giving off an air of effortless coolness. Giovanni, with his confident demeanor and stylish attire, seemed to fit right in with the other affluent students but his Koio Capris weren't of help. Nadine's eclectic ensemble with her cowboy tassel jacket and Nick's laid-back shy stoner appearance helped them blend into the crowd, while Stevie and Paige kept a low profile, avoiding drawing too much attention with their different hairstyles.

Despite their efforts to blend in, they couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. The air felt heavy with uncertainty, and they exchanged nervous glances as they waited for some clue as to what was happening. As they watched the other students go about their day, they couldn't help but wonder if they were the only ones experiencing this strange phenomenon.

"You mess with the bull, you get the horns." The principal quoted.

The mention of "The Breakfast Club" brought a collective cringe from Alex and Dean, who shared an exasperated glance.

"Really? Quoting 'The Breakfast Club'? That's the best you've got?" Alex muttered under her breath, unable to hide her disdain.

Dean shook his head, suppressing a laugh. "Man, this just keeps getting weirder."

The principal heard the commotion and looked through the glass. Sensing the tension, he raised an eyebrow. "Is there a problem?"

Nick stepped forward, attempting to defuse the situation. "No problem, sir. We just... got a lot on our minds."

"Yeah, we're just... a little disoriented," Stevie added, nodding in agreement.

He studied them for a moment before nodding slowly. "Alright, well, get yourselves together. I don't want to see any more trouble from you lot."

With that, he turned and sat back down in the chair, leaving the group to exchange bewildered glances.

"What the hell is going on?" Paige whispered, her voice tinged with confusion.