By the following week, things were starting to get back to normal. The school corridors were crowded once more, and it seemed like the bug that had taken everyone down had mostly run its course. I still counted myself as one of the lucky few who avoided it completely.
I hadn’t seen Veronica since our encounter on Saturday, but I was intrigued to see if anything had changed between her and Noah. When I’d overheard her phone conversation in the kitchen, it really had seemed like she wasn’t all that into their relationship. But when Monday morning came, she was still sitting at his side during breakfast.
Nothing was different, and I had to wonder if she’d only said those things to her mom and to me because she’d been in some kind of sickness-induced delirium. Still, I found myself keeping a closer eye on her. I wasn’t sure why she’d opened up to me, but I was beginning to realize there was more to Veronica Cordeaux than I first thought.
It was probably silly, but I started noticing her more in class. I began to analyze her interactions with other students. I found myself wondering what she was thinking. It felt like so many questions had been raised on the weekend, and I couldn’t let it go until I got some answers. Veronica was like a little puzzle box I needed to solve.
She wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary though, and I wondered if perhaps I’d lost my mind and had imagined our entire conversation. I was questioning her every move—I really needed to get a better hobby.
But, even on Tuesday, when she was slow to pack her books up at the end of math class, I was asking myself why. She seemed to be waiting for something and kept giving surreptitious looks around the room as she watched everyone leave. Was there a reason she wanted to be the last person out the door? What was she waiting for? Or was I just searching for answers in places there weren’t any?
Once Veronica had finally left the room, I gathered my stuff. But as I went to leave my desk, I tripped over the leg of my chair, and my books went sprawling across the ground.
I swore under my breath and knelt to pick them up. Maybe this was my karma for turning into a stalker.
“Hey, Isobel, do you need a hand?” I glanced up as a guy bent down to help me. He hadn’t been in math with me, so he must have just entered the room for the next class.
“Thanks, uh…”
“Eric.” He introduced himself with a grin. We’d never spoken before, but when I looked at him properly, I realized I recognized him from my economics class. He was quiet and studious, and he always seemed to have the answers when called upon.
“Sorry, I probably should have known that. I’m still learning everyone’s names,” I said as he helped me pick up my books.
He gave me a wonky smile that pulled a dimple from his cheek. He was cute when he smiled, and he had kind eyes. “That’s okay,” he said as he ran a hand through his shaggy dark hair. “You’ll get to know everyone eventually. I guess I’m one less person now.”
“I guess you are.” I smiled. He passed me the books he’d retrieved from the floor, and I gathered them in a pile in my arms as I stood up. “Thanks for your help. I’m not normally so klutzy.”
“I tend to get butter fingers after math too.”
“Maybe it’s a universal condition.”
“Oh, I’m sure of it.”
I laughed. “Okay, well, I’ll see you around, Eric. It was nice to officially meet you.”
“You too, Isobel.”
I left the class with a smile on my face. Eric seemed sweet, and given how difficult I found economics, he probably wasn’t the worst person to have met from that class. I guessed my Veronica stalking hadn’t been a total waste of time.
THAT NIGHT, right before light’s out, Anna came to our bedroom. She cracked the door open and poked her head in. “It’s happening tonight,” she whispered.
“What’s happening?” I asked as I lay on my bed.
Anna checked up and down the hallway before she snuck into the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
“Why are you acting so stealthy?” Cress asked.
“Because it’s happening,” Anna repeated. “Operation: Revenge Prank is on tonight.”
“Really?” Cress sat up a little straighter in bed.
“Yep. So, set your alarms for 3:30 A.M., dress in black, and be ready to meet outside at 3:45. Then it’s revenge time.” Anna’s eyes were dancing with anticipation.
“That’s so early,” Cress groaned.
A little of Anna’s enthusiasm dimmed too. “I know, but it’ll be worth it.” Anna started to open the door again. “Remember, we’re meeting outside the boys’ dorm at 3:45. Don’t be late.”
“Okay, but what’s the actual plan?” I asked.
Anna simply smiled though. “Just be there,” she replied before dashing out into the hallway.
Cress and I turned to look at each other before we shook our heads and laughed.
“Why do I feel like Anna gets a kick out of being mysterious?” I asked.
“Probably because she does.”
“What do you think the prank is?”
“No idea,” Cress replied. “But if we’re waking up at 3:30 A.M., there’s no time to worry about it. I need to get some sleep.”
I nodded in agreement.
“Whatever it is,” she said as we turned out the lights, “I just hope it gives those boys the payback they deserve.”
WHEN OUR ALARMS buzzed at 3:30 A.M, Cress and I forced ourselves to climb out of bed and dress all in black as Anna had instructed. Cress was moving about like a zombie, and I wasn’t doing much better. I’d always been a morning person, but this was too early even for me. I sincerely hoped we became a little more alert before the prank. Whatever the plan was, I felt certain we’d need our wits about us.
We crept out of our room and made our way along the hallway and down the stairs, staying as quiet as possible so we wouldn’t risk waking up our dorm mom, Lisa. When we got outside, we could just about see the group of girls huddled by the entrance to the boys’ dorm. It was dark out, but as we got closer, I realized how many people were involved in this prank. It wasn’t quite every girl in the senior class, but it couldn’t have been far off. The boys had clearly made a lot of enemies with their prank this year.
Anna bounded over to us as we reached the group. She was brimming with excitement. Now I was outside in the fresh air, I was much more awake, and I found I felt the same way.
“Isn’t this fun?” Anna whispered.
“I guess so, but we still don’t know what we’re doing,” I said.
“Oh, yeah,” Anna replied with a laugh. “Gather round. Veronica is about to explain.”
Anna led us through the group of waiting girls until we reached the front. Veronica was standing before the crowd next to two large boxes. When she cleared her throat, everyone turned to listen to her. It seemed she wasn’t just the queen of our school; she had also delegated herself as the captain of our revenge team.
“Okay, listen up, everyone,” she said, keeping her voice low. “It’s time to give the boys a taste of their own medicine.”
She pointed to one of the boxes. “All these alarm clocks are set to go off at the exact time the boys woke us up—4:00 A.M. That gives us plenty of time to sneak into their dorm, hide as many of these alarms as possible, and get out before they go off. The clocks might look small, but trust me, they’re loud, so you don’t want to be nearby when they go off, or you’ll be caught for sure.”
Veronica sounded like she was preparing a bomb disposal unit for a dangerous mission rather than a high-school prank. As murmurs of approval vibrated around the group, I was distracted by the other box next to her. On second glance, I realized it was larger than the other one and covered by a dark sheet. What could she be hiding in there?
As if she could read my mind, Veronica stepped closer to the mystery box and picked up a corner of the sheet. “If any of the boys don’t get woken up by the alarm clocks, Barry will take care of the rest,” she said before she whipped away the covering to reveal a metal cage. Inside was the biggest rooster I’d ever seen.
“Barry…is a rooster?” I whispered to no one in particular.
“Yep,” Anna laughed. “Hopefully, he’ll give the boys an even ruder awakening than they gave us.”
“It’s brilliant,” I agreed. “But…he’s called Barry? Really?”
“Well, I didn’t name him.” Anna shrugged.
“Where did we even find a rooster?”
“From the kitchen garden,” she explained. “The school keeps chickens down there. And Barry, of course.”
“Of course,” I replied with a shake of my head. Was there anything this school didn’t have?
Veronica snapped her fingers to put an end to our conversation. She was really serious about this whole thing. “Okay, let’s go,” she ordered “Get your alarm clocks, make sure you hide them somewhere those boys will never think of looking, and don’t get caught.”
She waved us toward the dorm like a commander leading her troops into battle. One by one we all hurriedly plucked an alarm clock from the box and followed her. A few of Veronica’s friends picked up Barry’s cage and carried him inside.
“Veronica sure did go to a lot of effort for our revenge prank,” Cress said as we made our way up the stairs. “There must have been a hundred clocks in that box.”
“Uh, have you met Veronica?” Anna scoffed. “I’m pretty sure revenge is her middle name.”
“True.” Cress laughed. “I guess I’m impressed. Do you guys know where you’re going to hide your clocks?”
“Outside the twins’ room for sure,” Anna immediately replied.
“Yeah, those boys need some payback,” I agreed, grinning as Anna lifted her hand to give me a soft and silent high-five.
“I’m going to put mine outside Kaden’s room,” Cress said. “He’s down this way, so I’ll find you guys after.”
“Okay, good luck,” I said.
“Don’t get caught,” she added before taking off down one of the corridors.
Anna and I continued together, and when we reached the hallway the twins’ room was in, we found a few girls were already there as well as Veronica’s friends with Barry’s cage. The place was only dimly lit by a few low-hanging lights on the ceiling, but we could see the girls slowly carrying the cage to the far end of the corridor, doing their best not to giggle when the rooster flapped his wings or made soft noises.
‘Perfect.” Anna grinned when she saw the rooster. “I really hope Barry wakes up the twins.”
“They’re going to hate us,” I said with a soft laugh.
We made our way to Wes and Sawyer’s bedroom door and looked for a place to hide our clocks. There wasn’t much in the corridor, so it wasn’t easy even though the clocks were only about the size of my palm. I glanced around to see what other girls were doing. One dropped theirs into a trash can while another hid hers behind a heater on the wall. I wished we could have snuck into the twins’ room and found somewhere to hide them in there, but I wasn’t nearly brave enough.
The girls managing Barry at the end of the hallway started laughing a little harder as they tried to release him from the cage. They weren’t doing a very good job of keeping quiet, and Barry didn’t seem to be cooperating. I really hoped they weren’t going to get us all caught.
“Okay, I’m done,” Anna announced as I turned to see her burying her clock in the soil of a leafy pot plant. “We better go, Isobel.”
“Okay, I’ll be one more minute…” I scanned my surroundings for a suitable hiding place and smiled when I looked up. The low-hanging lights in the corridor were protected by semi-translucent shades in the shape of a shallow bowl. If I was accurate enough, I might be able to throw my alarm clock up so it landed right inside.
“Oh no, what are they doing?” Anna hissed, and I followed her gaze to the end of the hallway. Barry was starting to flap and squawk as the girls tried to coax him from his cage. They weren’t giggling anymore and were starting to look a little worried the rooster was going to blow our cover.
“I’ll go and help them,” Anna said. “You hurry up and hide that clock. We’ve got to go.”
“Okay.” I nodded and returned my attention to the light fitting above me. I swung my arm back and forth a few times in preparation and then gently tossed the alarm clock up into the air. I smiled as it came down right inside the light fitting. Mission accomplished.
I looked down the corridor and laughed as I saw Barry strutting around on the carpet, finally free from his cage. All the girls were looking at Anna in awe, so she must have taken charge of the situation.
I was just about to walk toward them when the sound of shouting echoed from somewhere in the building. It seemed like it was coming from the floor above.
One of the girls swore. “That sounds like a teacher. Let’s get out of here.” The girls turned and rushed past Barry’s cage and out the door that led to the stairs.
“Isobel, hurry up, someone’s coming!” Anna was waving to me from the door. I sprinted after her as she slipped out of the hallway and into the stairwell.
When I reached the door, I burst through it but then stopped in my tracks on the landing. There were stairs leading up to the next level and down to the exit in front of me. Anna was already halfway down the stairs, and almost to the ground floor. But she’d stopped to look back at me, and her eyes were wide with panic. She was waving her hands and pointing upward.
I looked up and saw a set of slippered feet coming down from the floor above. When the man came fully into view, I realized it was the boys’ dorm dad, Adam. He had his back to me, but in a few seconds, he would reach the landing, turn around, and see me.
“Go back,” Anna mouthed to me.
I nodded and quietly slipped through the door and back into the hallway.
“Anyone else I find out of bed is in serious trouble.” Adam’s voice boomed through the building. He sounded far closer than I expected, and my heart began to race. He must have already caught some of the girls on the floor above, and I didn’t want to be among them. Lisa had said she’d make us clean the boys’ bathroom for sneaking a boy into the girls’ dorm. I dreaded to think what Adam would do if we were found in their dorm after curfew.
I started to race down the corridor as quickly and quietly as I could. There was another exit at the far end of it, so if I could just make it there without being seen, I would hopefully be able to escape. I’d only taken a few steps when I heard the door open behind me.
Adam had been headed this way, so I knew it must be him. There was no way I could make it to the other exit in time. I was screwed. I frantically looked around me for somewhere, anywhere, to hide. But there was nowhere to go. I glared at the tiny alarm clock I could see nestled safely in the light fitting.
In a moment of desperation, just as Adam was about to step into the hallway, I reached out and tried the handle on the nearest door. To my surprise and relief, it was unlocked. I threw myself into the bedroom and closed the door quickly behind me.
I held my breath and squeezed my eyes tightly shut as I listened to the sounds in the corridor. I prayed Adam hadn’t seen me. That he hadn’t heard me open and shut the door.
“What are you doing in here?” A low voice growled behind me, and I slowly turned to look into the room. It was almost pitch-black, but as my eyes adjusted, I saw a boy standing by the bed. He was shirtless, and his gray sweatpants slumped low around his waist. Through the darkness, I could see his intense green eyes narrowed on me. I’d stumbled into Noah’s room.
“Isobel?” His eyes widened with shock. It lasted only a second before he quickly suppressed it. “You can’t be in here.”
Noah strode toward me and reached for the door handle, but I pressed myself against the door, stopping him. I was probably better off out in the corridor and facing Adam’s punishment than in this room with Noah. But despite everything, for some reason, I felt like I could trust him to help me.
“Don’t,” I said. “Your dorm dad is in the hallway. I’ll get caught.”
Noah glared down at me. I was just inches from his bare chest, and I could see how tense he was by the way his arm flexed as his hand gripped the door handle.
“How is that my problem?” His voice rumbled through me.
“It’s not,” I snapped back. “Trust me, I didn’t mean to come in here. But surely you can stand to be around me for a few seconds. I’ll go when the coast is clear.”
He briefly looked me up and down. With my back forced up against the door and Noah’s arm stretched out beside me, I felt encased in his presence. If he really wanted me gone, it wouldn’t have taken much for his strong arms to ease me out of the way so he could open the door and kick me out. Instead, he released the handle, but he didn’t step back.
“Clearly you don’t understand how difficult it is for me to be around you,” he muttered, his eyes flicking back to meet mine. But he didn’t move to throw me out.
I stared up and into his eyes, wondering what he was thinking. I knew he wanted nothing to do with me, but why did it feel like there was more to his animosity than he wanted me to know? Why was the air between us thick with tension? And why, if he hated me, were his eyes on my lips?
I gasped as the high-pitched ringing of the alarm clocks pierced the air, and Barry’s squawks echoed down the hallway. I could hear growing commotion outside the room as doors opened and boys spilled into the hallway to see what was going on. Thankfully, Noah looked away, abruptly breaking the brief but intense focus he’d held on me.
Noah moved slightly closer as he went to wrap his hand around the door handle again. I felt my breath catch in my throat when his familiar scent hit me. There was barely any space between us, and when he spoke the vibrations from his low voice sent a shiver dancing up my neck. “I’ll check there are no teachers, then you need to get out.”
I edged myself out from the small space between Noah and the door, allowing him to open it a crack so he could look into the corridor. The noise of the rooster and the ringing alarm bells became so much louder especially when combined with the yelling from the boys as they emerged from their rooms
“They’re distracted by the rooster,” Noah said. “You can go.” His voice wasn’t quite as harsh or demanding as I’d expected. As our eyes met once more, I found myself questioning both of us. Why hadn’t he kicked me out of here immediately? Why hadn’t I turned and left as soon as I realized where I was? I held his gaze for a second that stretched longer and longer as I tried to find some answers in his swirling green eyes. But then the cold expression he usually reserved for me shuttered back into place, and he gestured for me to leave.
I ripped my eyes from his and quickly pushed through the narrow opening in the doorway. As I stepped back out into the hallway, the door slammed shut behind me. None of the boys gave me a second glance as they rummaged around looking for the ringing alarm clocks. A few boys, along with Adam, were trying to get hold of Barry, but the bird was flapping around them and dodging their attempts to grab him with ease.
Amid all the chaos, it was the perfect time to slip out. I hurried along the corridor, down the stairs, and out into the brisk night. I rubbed my arms, trying to warm myself up as I ran across the courtyard and back to my dorm. I couldn’t be sure if the tingling on my skin was caused by the wintery air or the memory of my brief intrusion into Noah’s room and the lingering sensation of his closeness as I pressed my back against his bedroom door. I hoped it was just the cold.
