The Usual Rules

Chapter 21

Rachel sat as still as she could, the Wizard of Oz resting in her lap, and the phone clutched in her hands. The curly haired little girl hadn't moved in almost thirty-five minutes. An eternity to an impatient seven year old. Rachel's eyes were glued to the phone, willing it ring. Instead, the walkie-talkie on her bedside table cracked to life.

"Scarecrow? Scarecrow are you there? Over."

Rachel reluctantly rolled over and grabbed it, pressing the button, but keeping the phone in her other hand. "Yeah Jack, I'm here."

"No! The code names remember! And you have to say over at the end. Over." Jack reminded her.

"Sorry, yeah, Tin man, I'm here, over."

"Guess what? Over."

"What?"

"You forgot over again. Over."

Rachel groaned. "What? Over."

"My daddy called. Over."

Rachel pouted. If Mr. Hotch had called Jack, then Emily should have called her. It wasn't fair. "So what?" She said angrily. "Over." She remembered to add.

"So what!" Jack exclaimed. He couldn't understand why Rachel wasn't as excited as he was at this news. "So, he said that they have gotten almost all the clues to get the bad guy! They were gonna go get him and make him go to jail tonight! They win again!" Jack cheered loudly as he danced on his bed a little. Rachel looked longingly at the silent phone in her hand. "They might be home later tonight or tomorrow when we get done with school! How cool is that? Over."

"Really cool." Rachel mumbled unenthusiastically. Jack frowned. His best friend should be much more excited about this.

"You forgot over. Over." He chastised again.

"Jack, we're best friends right?" Rachel asked shyly.

"Tin man!" He yelled. "And say over, but yes we're best friends. Over."

"Tin man." Rachel said with a huff. "Can...well best friends help each other no matter what right? Over."

Jack smiled. "Of course they do! Over."

"Well...do you wanna help me with something tomorrow? Over." Rachel asked at almost a whisper. She didn't like asking people for things, but she didn't think she could do this by herself. Plus, Jack wasn't people, he was Jack.

"Sure, after school when Daddy, Aunt JJ and Aunt Emily get home?" He asked.

"You forgot over." Rachel said with a smirk. "And no, before that. Over."

"Before that we have school. Over." Jack said confused.

"I know, I'm taking a hookey day. I need to go on a trip, do you want to come? Over."

"A hookey day? Like skip school? That's not allowed! Over."

"We don't have to tell anyone. Over."

"I don't...I don't get it Rachel." Jack admitted.

Rachel sighed. She ignored all the stupid walkie-talkie rules. Emily hadn't called her and this was important. "I need to see my dad and ask him a question. I'm going tomorrow if you want to come with me."

"But Rachel, we're seven the jail is a long ways away, how are you going to get there by yourself?"

Rachel smiled. Maybe she was incompetent so far in school, but she knew things other kids didn't. Rachel knew how to take a bus places. She knew how to hit strangers who bothered her, she knew how to sneak away from grown ups, she knew how to sneak into places without grown ups seeing her. This was the easiest part. "We take the bus. I already looked on the maps and I know which bus we have to take and how long it will take us. If we go to school, then we sneak away after your Aunt Jessica drops you off, we get on the bus and ride to the jail, then we tell the warden we need to speak to Frankie Gallagher and then I ask my dad my question, we get on another bus and we're back at school by the time we get picked up. Easy! Over!"