One Night

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

My hands shot to my pockets searching for my phone. I was about ready to hit the ignore button when I saw it was my mom calling. I didn't mind ignoring calls from my mom, but I knew what would happen if I did. She would call me at least another four times in a row and then she would get suspicious and send me a few texts, threatening to ground me and what not, then she would check the tracker on my phone.

I clicked the green answer button then realized my phone was no longer the only noise sounding in the house.

Jay and Nalia slid under the bed and I jumped into the open closet, squeezing myself into the corner as the footsteps neared the bedroom.

"Mackenzie? Hello? Are you there?"

I put the phone to my ear as I pushed clothes in front of me.

"Yeah, Mom. I'm here," I whispered as I heard the door to the bedroom squeak open.

"Why are you whispering Mackenzie? Is there something going on?" My mom asked with a tinge of suspicion in her voice.

"I uhh, I'm...in the library. They don't want me to talk on the phone here so can I just..." I stopped talking as the shadow of a person paused in front of the closet.

"Mackenzie it's almost your curfew. Come home within the next 30 minutes. Come see me when you walk in."

Ms. Lynch began shuffling through the clothes, searching for a hooligan like me. I held my breath as she stopped in front of the long coat that separated me from her. After a moment, her shadow moved from the closet and the ice began to melt from where I had been frozen.

"Umm hmm," I sighed as the line clicked off.

My mom would surely be calling me again soon if I wasn't home within the next fifteen minutes.

We waited for what felt like forever before we crawled out from our hiding spots.

"Lets change out the figurines and get out of here! This place is giving me the creeps," Nalia whispered as she grabbed a figurine of a cat trying to catch a butterfly.

She took our replacement figurine and put it right in the front of all the cats. It was only then that we noticed the sound of grunting coming from outside the window. The other team was about to come into the house.

I quickly snapped a picture of the three of us then we ran for the window to climb out before they could get in.

We received a few nasty glares from them, but they must have sensed the need to stay quiet as well because that was all we received.

We bolted for the car and only then did I spill the bad news.

"Hey guys...So my mom called and said that I need to be home in thirty minutes-"

"Which actually means fifteen," Nalia interrupted with a sigh.

"-and we've already used about seven of that so..."

"We can't finish this without you Mac," Jay promptly replied, as he started the car.

"I know, but I think I can sneak out," I said as I began to formulate a plan on how I would escape the lockdown I was almost always put under at night.

"Yes!! That's my girl," Nalia laughed as she patted my shoulder from the back seat.

I could do this. I mean if I could sneak into a country club, steal Holt's name tag, kiss said boy, play a strange trivia game, and break into crazy old Lynch's house, surely I could sneak out of my own house.

****

The task proved to be the most difficult one yet.

I knew the code to disarm the doors and windows in my house so I could sneak out through mine. Nalia and Jay were going to wait in the car a few houses down so I could

One, my mom was unknowingly keeping guard over the alarm keypad in the living room. Two, my next door neighbors were old people who loved to keep watch over my house and would instantly call my mom if they saw me leaving my house at this time of night. Three, I was scared.

I had never snuck out of the house and I had never blatantly disobeyed my mom's rules. Sure I went on this Sevenger, but I wasn't the one who initiated the disobedient part. I merely followed my friends until I was enjoying it. I wasn't sure I had the guts to do what I needed to do to win this thing.

I unlocked my phone, ready to send a text to Nalia and Jay that I was done, when I saw the pictures from tonight. I slowly examined each one and smiled at the crazy memories associated with each one. I loved my friends and letting them down would crush me immensely, but...

I sighed and plopped down on my bed.

"Why? Why must life be so hard?" I groaned.

My phone beeped signaling a text.

Nalia: Check Holt's insta

Puzzled, I opened the app and searched for Holt's profile. I tapped on the most recent picture he posted and experienced what must have been a heart palpitation.

It wasn't the cheesy picture of Holt frowning as he looked at his tag-less Jason's vest, but the caption.

"For the girl that stole my name tag, I'll see you at the finish line"

Me: He doesn't know it's me right?

Nalia: I guess we'll soon find out

Between the insta post by Holt and the strong urge NOT to let down my friends, I caved.

"I'm going to bed," I yelled from the top of the staircase.

I heard the shuffle from the living room as my mom walked to the bottom of the staircase. My mom liked to see my face, and know that I was home before I went to bed. That would be part of her downfall for tonight.

"Okay Mackenzie. I have a big day tomorrow so I'll come wake you up before I leave. I need you to do some things around the house before you start your homework," she responded before shooting me an almost smile and walking back to the living room.

I waited until she walked away then shut my door. She never thought to check inside my room for the night and I never thought to sneak out. Until tonight.

I snuck down the staircase with my phone clutched in my hand. It let out into the living room, but I knew if I was quick enough, I could duck into the kitchen before my mom saw.

Once I was at the bottom, I peeked around the wall and made sure she wasn't looking directly at me. Just as I had hoped, she was flipping through a home organization magazine on the couch.

I took one last deep breath then darted for the kitchen. I tiptoed over to the patio door, unlocked it and opened it just enough for a signal to be sent to my mom's phone. I quietly closed it again as I heard her phone bing and more shuffling as she stood up to come check the door.

I bolted through the kitchen, past the dining room, and around the back wall that led right back to the living room. Mom would turn off the security, check outside to make sure no one was trying to get into the house (or more importantly trying to get out) and I would make my escape out of the front.

I felt a smile creep onto my face as she turned the system off on cue and I silently opened the front door letting myself free into the night.

"Mackenzie, are you looking for something?"

I froze as my mom's voice drifted over me.

Oh no. I was done for.