fair/unfair

14.

lots of spelling and continuity errors. i hope u like it anyway.

       The best thing about being sentenced to an entire summer of community service at his rival school was that they’d entrusted him with the keys to the buildings. Big mistake.
      
       Reid fingered the keys in his palm as he shoved Jax’s truck into park, cut off the engine, and hopped out of the driver’s seat. He took the courtesy of shutting the door quietly, knowing some of the staff still lived on campus over the summer. Not because he actually gave a fuck, but because he didn’t want to get caught and consequently hauled home in handcuffs by his older brother before he even got a chance to confront Mal.

       He tugged his hood up over his head as he walked, keeping his head down so none of the cameras that pointed towards the parking lot could catch his face. Going through the front door was a no go — this was an expensive ass private school, of course there were alarms at the main entrances, and no one on this planet was stupid enough to entrust Reid with those kinds of codes.
      
       Fortunately he didn’t need them. There was a maintenance door on the west wing, towards the back of the school. It was a bit of a walk, considering how ostentatiously and unnecessarily massive the entire building was — clearly overcompensating for something. After about a ten minute trek in the dark and shying away from any strategically placed streetlights, he finally reached the door. It was  hidden away behind a couple of overwatered bushes so none of the students would accidentally stumble upon a free way in and out of the school, sans disciplinary action. He fumbled with the keys, trying to find the right one.

       It took a bit of trial and error, but a satisfied smirk lit up his face when the right key finally clicked in the lock and opened with a twist of the doorknob.

       He was in.

       Working here almost a month guaranteed that Reid could now navigate the building with his eyes closed. He knew where all of the cameras were, which halls to avoid if he didn’t want to get caught being in the building past dark. It being the summer, there weren’t that many security guards crawling campus. Just three — he’s counted — and they generally patrolled their main areas. One stationed at the front door, another manning the security feeds, and the final one walking a loop from the lobby to the cafeteria down to the classrooms and then back. Wash, rinse, repeat.

       Thankfully, there were no cameras in any of the dormitories, so by the time he successfully made it to the stairwell and managed not to make a ton of noise jogging up it, he didn’t have to worry about hiding anymore. The Foxes all stayed in rooms on the third floor, so Reid slipped through the appropriate door and shook his hood off his head. He tapped a rhythm into the side of his jeans as he walked down the hall.

       Three. Three. One.

       He scanned the room numbers as he walked, even though by now walking to Mal’s room was practically second nature to him. It was like walking to the practice field after a long school day without even having to think it about it or walking to his room after a particularly grueling day, navigating with his eyes closed and relying on memory. That’s how well he knew it — it was instinctual.

       He didn’t even hesitate once he reached Mal’s door, just brought his fist up and knocked on it loudly. It was about three in the morning by now, which was why it was surprising when the door swung open almost instantly.

       Mal was standing there looking the most disheveled Reid’s seen him. His white hair was flattened on one side and sticking up on the other. He was sans shirt and shoes but his pajama pants were a crumpled black and white plaid. In fact, all of him look crumpled — and surprised. An expression Reid never expected to see on his face.