crazy kid | r. buckley

17. actually russians

ACTUALLY RUSSIANS

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ Gina's vision fades in and out, she sees a blurry blue and white figure hovering over her face until it fades back into black.

She hears Robins muffled frantic voice over the high pitched ringing in her ears.

"She's...passed out!...what do...do?!...hit...head!"

Gina's feeble attempt to roll over catches the attention of Robin, who rushes over and immediately starts saying words as fast as a rapper. Gina holds the back of her head and stabilizes herself by holding onto the shelves as she sits up.

"Are you okay?" Robin asks, more clearly and less muffled. "Gina? Is your—you hit your head."

"No shit, sherlock. Why else would I be on the ground right now?" Gina furrows her brows and brings her hand forward only to find warm blood coating her fingers.

Robin lets out a light gasp and starts stuttering. "Well now we have to get out as soon as possible. What if you have a concussion? What then?"

"It's not a concussion," Gina assures the girl, standing up while trying to act like the room isn't spinning in circles. "I've had worse. I'm fine. Let's just find a way out."

"'Had worse' what are you, a kickboxer?"

"Yeah, I'm part of Fight Club, actually," Gina lies, resting her elbow on the shelf.

Steve looked genuinely confused. "I thought the first rule of Fight Club was to not talk about it."

"I'm not in Fight Club, idiot."

"Oh."

After a few awkward seconds of silence, Dustin speaks up for the group. "So, how do we get out?"

Steve runs over to the button panel, frantically pressing every button on the wall.

"I think we've clearly established that those buttons don't work." Robin sighs from across the room.

"They're buttons," Steve turns around, the sweat on his forehead shining in the light. "They have to do something."

Robin lectures Steve about electronic locks and keycards and loading docks but Gina can only pay attention to the pounding in her head.

"Just so you nerds are aware," Erica butts into the waves of stress in the room slash elevator, "I'm supposed to be spending the night at Tina's, and Tina always covers for me. But if I'm not home for Uncle Jack's party tomorrow and my mom finds out you four are responsible, she's gonna hunt you down, one by one, and slit your throat."