loping along through the cosmos

29: THEODORE'S FIRST FIST FIGHT!

"I'm hearing gunshots, Theo!" Jade yelled just as her bodyguard closed the bathroom door behind him.

"Keep it down." He placed a hand over her mouth. "I don't have any gun with me right now. you better keep quiet so we won't be found."

Jade removed his hand angrily. "Like you know how to use one."

"I know how." He climbed up the sink to peek through the long horizontal window above. Outside, he saw a man nearing the boys' bathroom, a gun in his hold. Theodore immediately jumped down. "There's someone outside. Get inside a stall," he said in a hushed tone. He pushed her inside the farthest stall out of three and closed it.

"What about you?" Jade asked in concern.

"I'll distract him. Stay alert and keep quiet."

Before Jade could protest, the main door opened, revealing the man with a gun. Instantly, the man pointed his gun at Theodore.

"Let her out," he commanded.

Theodore was standing in front of the second stall with his hands raised. He pretended to look around. "I wasn't with anyone here."

"You kept the door locked and I'm supposed to believe you're alone here while the others are in the forest?" The man clicked his gun. "Bring the girl out!"

"I did number 2. I don't want anyone smelling my business," he acted as if he was disgusted just with the thought of it. "Besides, why would a girl be inside a boys' restroom?" he added, slowly moving closer to the man. The restroom was just composed of two sinks which were 3 feet away from the 3 stalls. Jade's stall was at least 7 feet away from the door she was hiding behind. "And why do you have a gun?"

Theodore sounded scared, his acting getting more ridiculous from what Jade could imagine behind the stall door.

With a final step towards the man, Theodore tried to convince him once again. "Let's just take this outside. It reeks in here, don't you think?"

"Stop dilly-dallying!"

Theodore saw the man about to pull the trigger so he did what the Prince instructed him to do while they were having their disraming techniques class.

Before the trigger was pulled, Theodore quickly grabbed the man by the wrist, twisting the gun away from him as he did so. He directed the gun to the right, facing away from where the criminal was initially positioned. With all his might, he flipped the gunman on the ground while he spun to the right, his hand still holding the gunman's arm.

Taking the gun, Theodore made sure that his leg was on the man's attacking him as he continued to pin him on the cold floor.

Outside the bathroom, another gunshot was heard.

The sudden sound made Jade whimper inside the stall, confirming the gunman's suspicion that she was indeed inside the room.

"You-"

"That was me." Theodore almost choked at his own statement. Pushing the man's left cheek to the ground, Theodore continued pinning the man's arms using his leg. "Who are you working with?"

"Like I would tell you!"

He pressed his bent arms deeper. "Tell me."

The man groaned in pain. "I don't know. I don't know! I was just passing by a convenience store when someone asked me if I wanted money."

"Are you telling the truth?"

"Yeah! They told me to threaten Leila Sinclair's daughter and gave us a picture and her location."