ꜰʟɪɢʜᴛʏ

✂︎Chapter Two✂︎

ROBIN SLAMMED HIS LOCKER and glared at Matt. "Would you just listen?" He snapped.

Matt scoffed. "You sound crazy, Robin! Why would I listen to a crazy person?"

"Because I'm your best friend!"

Matt shifted and looked at the people now staring that them. "Just get your shit and come on," Matt hissed under his breath.

Robin reached down and grabbed his bag, pulled it on, and began walking down the hall. Matt followed his friend closely. "There was a report of police shooting these two people somewhere in L.A a couple of days ago," Robin started, turning sharply down a quiet hall. "There was a protest after the first guy went down and a whole riot started after the second."

Matt was quiet. Robin led him to the janitor's closet which had a loose lock. He wiggled the knob and rammed his shoulder into it a couple of times before it swung open. Matt stared into the dark closet. "I don't know," Matt trailed off.
Robin grabbed his sleeve and dragged him into the closet, closing the door behind them.

Time seemed to stretch on as they waited. Outside the door came laughter, idle chatter, and the rolling of a janitor cart being pushed by one of the friendly janitors, tending to the classrooms and bathrooms.

The janitor's closet was hot and the air felt damp and reeked of cheap cleaning supplies, cigarettes, and mildew. After twenty minutes, Matt chirped up in a quick whisper, "It reeks in here, dude."

Robin smiled in the dark and slid down to sit on the floor, sighing. "You know," Robin began, "This stuff freaks me out, too." He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "I mean, I have zero fucking idea what's actually going on. Zero. Fucking. Idea. I'm acting like I have some clue as to what's happening but it's just theories and guesses right now."

Matt felt around with his foot then sat down in the space between Robin and the back wall made of cool white concrete. He was quiet, pulling his knees up and staring ahead.
Robin yawned and closed his eyes for just a moment.

///

Matt shook Robin, dragging him out of his sleep.

Robin hummed and brushed Matt off, rubbing his eyes as he sat up and yawned. "What time is it?" He asked when his surroundings- the smell of cleaning supplies and the sticky darkness- registered in his groggy mind.

Matt clicked a button on the watch he got from his father. The little gadget gave a little beep, as the face of the small clock lit up with a dim blue light. "5:57. 27 minutes after when you wanted to start the plan."

Robin got up quickly, alarm shooting through his body. "Well, why didn't you wake me up sooner?"

"I kind of fell asleep, too..."

"Oh my god, Matt. Let's just get this done."

Robin unlocked the door and stepped out, squinting a little at the sunlight streaming in from the windows. He stretched his arms above his head and stretched out each leg, groaning as he did so.

Matt followed, shutting the closet door. "Aren't there cameras all over?"

Robin looked up and just a few feet away was a camera. "I don't think it'll matter in the end."

The two boys ventured through the halls and headed straight for the cafeteria. They ducked past the rooms that were still occupied by their teachers or slipped into a dark classroom when they heard the soft tapping of shoes against the tile floors.

At last, after nearly fifteen minutes of ducking and running, the friends made it to the cafeteria. Robin led the way directly to the kitchen's open door and stuck his head in. He held up a hand for Matt to hold still and listened, straining his ears for even the slightest hint of movement within the kitchen.
Matt tiptoed closer and leaned over Robin's shoulder to peer into the kitchen as well. There was a faint banging every couple of seconds within the room.

Robin slowly stepped in and stepped around a shelf of pans, peering past the rows of canned food and cooking supplies at what could be making the noise.

The closer to the back that Robin ventured, the louder it got.

bang...

Bang...

Bang...

Robin caught some movement a few shelves back, squinting to try and make out what was moving.

BANG!

Robin jumped and stumbled back, stepping on the feet of someone and tumbling to the ground.

Matt was under Robin, his hipbone digging into the back of his thigh. He got up and quickly crawled forward, looking past some shelves.

A large fan hummed and spun one way then went in the opposite direction, only to repeat the cycle. It spun to the right and a deep pot began rolling toward the corner of a counter. Robin launched himself forward and put his hand in front of the pot, the air leaving his lungs in a quick huff.

His fingers closed around the rim of the pot and pulled it up as he pushed himself to sit on his knees, placing the pot upright to avoid the loud banging from happening again.
Matt came around the corner, his backpack forgotten where he had fallen. "Why'd you do that?" He asked, pulling Robin up.

"We could be caught if someone came to check out what was making that noise," Robin explained simply, pulling his empty backpack off and opening it, pulling out another, cheaper, backpack. "Get your bag. We need to get as much as we can possibly carry."

Matt disappeared around the shelf and returned, his own bag opened and the duffel bag stuffed inside also out.