Carved Into My Skin (Heroes of Olympus AU)

12: Talking Trashcans

The title is like, my secret name from TKC. :)

LAST TIME:

Piper and Will have a heart-to-heart about musicals, Jason Grace, and their rocky friendships.

THIS TIME:

Katie and Travis try to find their way out of the janitor's closet after finding out everyone knows where Piper is. (aka TRATIE'S SHIP SAILS A BIT)

_________________________

(Katie's POV)

Travis banged on the door for the millionth time. "Anyone? Anyone! We're stuck!"

"I keep trying to tell you that's a bad idea. If someone asks how we got in here, we're screwed," I chastised.

"But we've gotta get out. Otherwise the entire school will think we've been screwing in here for the past twenty minutes. Lunch is almost over! We only have ten minutes left!" Travis protested. "Anyone out there?"

I rolled my eyes, and my iPhone lit up. I took it out of my sweatshirt pocket and noticed a text from Will.

Resident Gay: Found Piper

Me: Seriously?? Where was she??

Resident Gay: Theater room. Don't come. Having a little chat. She's shaken up.

Me: I would be 2 if the guy I liked just FZed me

Resident Gay: Mad at Leo. Explain why l8er.

Me: Got it. Anyone else know?

Resident Gay: Frank, Haze, Rach. Telling every1 else but not where.

Me: Ok, wut are u going 2 tell them?

Resident Gay: Hallway or somethin. Idk. Don't spill. If u must, u didn't hear from me.

Me: Got it.

"Will found Piper," I announced.

Travis turned to me. "Seriously?" he asked. "Where?"

I opened my mouth to answer him, but I then shut it. What should I tell Travis? "Uhh...he didn't say."

Travis scoffed. "Figures," he murmered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I sassed.

"Nothing, nothing," Travis waved it off. "Now we still have to get out."

"No duh," I rolled my eyes and looked around. Maybe there's a key somewhere?

"We could got through the vents. We could be all Kim Possible. You be Kim and I'll be Ron," Travis suggested.

"You know Ron and Kim date, right?" I asked through a blush. I tried to calm myself down.

Travis blushed. "Oh yeah. I-I haven't watched the show in years."

I nodded awkwardly and continued to look around the small room. Multiple mops, brooms, cleaning spray bottles, and vomit buckets cluttered the room. I had no clue what to do. "We are so  screwed," I muttered.

Travis sighed. He took something out of his pocket and handed it to me. "Have a Snickers, Katie-Kat. You need it."

I face-palmed. "Travis, you are not  a Snickers commercial!" I rolled my eyes. I almost dropped the Snickers bar and smushed it with my foot, but I changed my mind. "I'm only eating this thing because I had little to no lunch today and I'm starving. Don't feel special." Travis snorted.

I started to eat the Snickers bar as Travis messed with the doorknob. "I'm usually so good at this! Why is the janitor's lock so hard to pick?"

"Why do you know how to pick a lock?" I asked. "And when have you used said skill?"

Travis made a zipping-his-lip motion. "Can't say. I will say, however, that if you're a pranking king like I am, it comes in handy."

"Shut up," I swatted at him.

He shrugged. "You asked, Katie."

I continued thinking of a way to get out, continuously asking myself, what would Annabeth do?  I didn't panic until the bell rang. Travis and I cursed at the same time.

"The janitor will be coming back to clean up the lunch room," I pointed out. "What do we do now?"

I heard a familiar boot stomping down the hallway. I met Mr. Bob, the janitor, in detention once (I wasn't even supposed to be there. Mrs. Dodds is just a jerk). I remember his odd boot-clomp.

"Mr. Mars," Travis realized. "Katie, we gotta hide. Now!"

I nodded and dove into the thing nearest by: a bright yellow trash can. It's one of those that you find in middle school gymnasiums for dodgeballs and in school cafeterias. Travis jumped in next to me.

Good news: there's no trash in the can.

Bad news: Travis and I are literally a decimeter apart.

Well, that isn't necessarily bad news if I have a crush on him.

I hear Mr. Bob open the door and I hold my breath. I'm conflicted on whether or not I wish Travis would too, because I can feel his breath. For the most part, it's distracting. Maybe that's just me.

Mr. Bob whistles the tune of a song. Travis taps my shoulder rapidly. Count of three, look over, Travis mouthed to me.

Are you crazy?  I mouth back.

Travis shrugged. Probably. I sighed in annoyance. One, two, three!

We peeked over the edge to see Mr. Bob's back turned to us as he shuffled through some things. He had earbuds in, thank God!

When Mr. Bob turned around, we flew back down into the bottom of the trashcan, praying he wouldn't see us. After about three minutes, we assumed we were safe, but we were wrong.

A minute later, Mr. Bob's hand became visible on the rim. We started to move.

Travis and I looked at each other with a "you've gotta be kidding me!" mixed with an "oh, come on!" face. 

After five minutes, I accepted my doom. We'd be suspended, Travis would be mad and never like me, my family would kick me out, forcing me to become a stripper, but then getting fired because I'm not hot whatsoever and I'm super clumsy, so I'd become homeless, never graduate college, never find my soulmate, never get married, never have kids, and die alone with 87 cats I found on the streets!

The can swerved, and fell over. Travis and I tumbled out, trying to be inaudible as possible.

"Oh, man. How does something like that happen?" Mr. Bob questioned. 

Travis shoved me into a nearby empty classroom quietly. When he shut the door behind us, he forgot to turn on the light, and tripped. He landed right on top of me, we're face to face.

I can see him clearly through the light of the window. His freckles, his dimples, that curly brown hair that you just want to run your hand through.

I noticed him getting closer to me, just barely, every second. Our lips are a centimeter apart when I hear a familiar voice.

"Travis? Katie? What the hell?"