Locked Up Together

1: "What A Wonderful World."

1: Locked Up Together
        I was locked in the library trying not to panic. Literally locked. As in, no way out. Ever single door, every single window, every single air vent. Okay, I hadn't tried the air vents, but I was seriously considering it. I wasn't desperate enough to try them . . . yet. My friends would soon realize what had happened and come back for me, I assured myself. I just had to wait.

        It all started when I had to go to the bathroom. Well, before that there had been a lot of lemonade—a-two-liter of Minute Maid Lemonade that Vivian had smuggled into the library. I had drunk more than my fair share of the bottle when Liam sat down next to me, smelling like the forest, gingerbread crackers, and ocean every time he leaned over to ask my opinion.

        It wasn't until the windows of the library darkened to black, the librarians asked us to leave and we made it all the way to the underground parking garage where the fifteen of us were dividing into four cars that I realized I wasn't going to make it down the street, let alone all the way to the campfire in the middle of the woods.

        "I have to use the restroom," I announced after I set my bag into Liam's trunk. Callie rolled down her window. Her car, parked next to Liam's, was already running. "I thought you were coming in my car, Aurora." She gave me a knowing smile. She knew I wanted to go with Liam.

        I smiled too. "I'll be back in a second. There's no toilet at the bonfire."

        "There are a lot of trees in the woods," Liam said, rounding the car and slamming his trunk shut. It echoed through the nearly empty garage. In his car, I could now see three heads in the backseat and a fourth in the passenger seat. They'd all beat me to it. I would have to go with Callie after all. No big deal, I'd have plenty of time to talk to Liam at the bonfire. It wasn't in my nature to be bold in my declarations of affection, but with my limbs all jittery from nearly two litters of sugar and Callie's warning about Aalika stealing Liam from under me buzzing in my head, I felt powerful.

        I rushed back down the long hall, up two flights of stairs, and through the glass walkway that overlooked our courtyard. When I made it to the main floor of the library, half of the lights were already out.

        The library was too big and needed more bathrooms, I decided by the time I made it there. I pushed open the heavy metal door and quickly found a stall. The box holding the paper seat covers was empty. Looks like I'd have to hover.

        As I zipped my pants back up, the lights went out. I let out a yelp then laughed. "Hilarious guys." Morice, Liam's best friend, had no doubt found the breaker. It seemed like something he would do.

        The lights remained out, though, and no laughing followed my scream. They must've been on motion detectors. I waved my hands. Nothing. I inched forward, feeling along the door for the handle, trying not to think of all the germs currently clinging to it, until I found the lock and slip it open. A streetlight shone through an upper window, so I was able to see just enough for a thorough hand washing. It was an eco-friendly bathroom, meaning only air dryers. I wiped my hands on my black jeans, opting for speed over the most inefficient way ever to dry hands. My reflection in the mirror was only a shadow, but I leaned forward anyway to see if my makeup had been smudged. From what I could tell, it looked halfway decent.

        Out in the hall, only a few random overhead lights illuminated the way. The place was completely shut down. I picked up my pace. The library was much creepier at night than I thought it could be. The thirty-foot-long enclosed glass hallway sparkled as snow began to fall outside. I didn't linger like I was tempted to. Hopefully, the snow wouldn't affect the bonfire. A perfect night for confessions. Liam wasn't going to freak out when I told him, was he? No, he'd been flirting with me the entire night. He'd even picked the same era as I had for the history essay. I didn't think that was a coincidence.