Bipolar

Dumbass

After about two hours Robin came back with two pieces of paper. One was blue and one was white. They were blueprints. "It is fascinating what 20 bucks can get you at the County Records office".

She sat both papers on the table while we all gathered around her. The white paper was on top and the blue paper underneath it. She grabbed a marker and started talking, "star court mall, the, complete blueprints" she said smiling. "Not bad" Dustin said. "So this is scoops" she said drawing a circle around a room on the map. "And this is where we want to get to" she said drawing a line to a different room.

"I don't see a way in" I said looking at her confused. "There isn't, if your talking exclusively about doors" she said smiling and looking at me. "Air ducts" me, her, and Dustin said in unison.

Robin started to walk around the room while we all staying focused on her. "Turns out, this secret room needs air just like any old room" she said walking back to the table and switching the papers. "And these air ducts lead all the way here" she said drawing a line between two squares on the blueprints.

✎

After we had somehow found a flashlight, a screwdriver, and a latter Steve started to unscrew the screws holding the vent shut. He tossed the vent where me and Dustin were standing. "Watch it, dumbass" I say after barely dodging the vent that was flying toward my face. "My bad" he said shrugging his shoulders and laughing.

Steve flashed the light into the vent and spoke, "yeah man, I don't know about this. Are you sure you can fit?", "trust me, I can fit, no collar bones, remember?"Dustin replied before Steve got down from the latter and Dustin went up. I moved next to Robin and Steve moved next to me. "Um, what?" Robin said confused as she turned to me and Steve. "Oh yeah, he's got some sort of disease,chry something" he said turubbing back to Dustin and walking toward the latter. "Cleidocrainial dysplasia" I say looking at Dustin getting into the vent.

Steve and Robin both turn to me with a concerned look I'm their faces. "What he's my brother" I say defensfully. "But anyway he can bend like gumbo" Steve said confidently looking at me and Robin. "You mean Gumby?" Robin said almost laughing. Steve was now looking at me while I laughed with her. "I'm pretty sure it's gumbo" Steve said rolling his eyes. I smile at him. He smiled back looking almost embarrassed.

"Steve, shut up and push me" Dustin said from inside the vent. "I am, I am, you little shit" Steve said turning around and climbing up the ladder. He grabbed Dustin's feet and started to attempt to get him in the vent. He was failing miserably. "Not my feet dumbass, push my ass" Dustin said almost screaming. "What?" Steve said startled. "Touch my butt, I don't care" Dustin replied.

Steve did as Dustin told him to while me and Robin watched laughing at their dumb attempt to get Dustin in the vent. "Dumbass" I said laughing but whispering to Robin. She had stopped laughing and was looking to the front desk.

"What's up?" I said turning to her then ag the front desk. I saw Erica Sinclair. Robin didn't say anything before telling the boys to stop. We all walked over to Erica.

We showed Erica the vent while we all leaned against the ledge of the wall. I sat on top of the ledge in between Robin and Steve with my legs dangling off of it. She looking in the vent with the flashlight and turned back. "I don't know" she said crossing her arms after getting down from the ladder. "You don't know if you can fit?" Robin asked Erica. "Oh, I can fit, I just don't know if I want to" she replied.

"Are you claustrophobic?" I asked in a high pitched voice. "I don't have phobias" she said almost giggling. "Then what's the problem?" Dustin asked. "The problem is, I still haven't heard what's in this for Erica" she said.

                                   ✎

We had sat at the booth all facing Erica. Except Steve he has to go make her Sundae. "More fudge" she said while Steve took the sundae back from the table to go put it on. "All right, you see this? This is the route your gonna take. Then we just wait till the last delivery goes out tonight" Robin said before I finished her sentence. "Then you knock out the grate and open the door". "Then you figure what's in this boxes?" Erica said. "Exactly" Dustin said.

"And this armed guard?" Erica asked. "Yea but he won't be there" Dustin said. "And booby traps?" She asked. "Booby traps?" Robin asked her. "Lasers, spikes in the walls" she said. "What?" I said almost laughing. "You know what your half baked plan sounds to me, child endangerment" she said taking a pause between the two words.

"We'll be in radio contact with you the entire ti"Robin tried to say before Erica cut her off. "Child endangerment" she said before Dustin turned to her and started to talk. She grabbed her strawberry float and started to drink whatever was left. "Erica? Uh, hi" he said trying to focus on the conversation but was failing due to her insufferable sips. "We think these Russians what to do great harm to our country, you love your country, don't you?" He said to her

She stopped sipping the float. "You can't spell America without Erica" she said smiling. Dustin thought to himself before speaking, "uh, yeah, oddly enough, that is true, so don't do this for us do this for your country, do this for America, Erica" he said finishing it off with a toothy smile. "Ooh, I just got the chills, form this float not your speech"

Dustin's smile dropped. "You know what I love most about this country. Capitalism. Do you know what capitalism is?" We all said yes before she spoke again. "It means this is a free market system. Which means people get paid based on how valuable their contributions are. I would say mommy ability to fit into that vent is very valuable. You want my help? This USS butterscotch better be the first of many" she said.

"And I'm talking free ice cream for life" she said. Me, Robin and Dustin all looked at each other. We officially had a plan in motion. I had a bad feeling about this plan though. I was scared. I couldn't lose anyone else. I didn't want to be lost either. Please lord. Please let me live this time.