Cross School

5 - Escape

The rest of the day was boring. Tyler wasn't big on the campus as a whole, though his new acquaintances weren't as jaded. The bridges connecting the separate buildings were a particular treat for the four of them.

They even sat in on an Introduction to Fashion Design class. It looked harder than any of them thought. The girls were ultra-focused on their work, sewing, stitching, and modelling with all their heart.

Tyler knew he couldn't do anything like that. That wasn't him.

Eventually, the school day ended, and they were sent off to their dormitories. It was on the far side of the school and wasn't as fancy as the girls dorms. It was cramped, dingy and ugly. There were three bunkbeds, and Tyler made it certain that he would claim one alone.

Zach and Spencer paired up while Charlie forced himself onto Sam's bunk, stealing the top when Sam went to brush his teeth.

That night the five of them couldn't sleep. Whether out of excitement, exhaustion, or some medical problem called Chubitis that Zach claimed he had, none of them could get any shuteye. But all of them knew tomorrow would be different from any other day. The Co-ed project would begin, and their lives would change forever.

-

As the week progressed, the boy's once childlike excitement for their new school quickly transformed into hellish animosity.

They were worked to the bone. Every subject was hell. English, Math, Science, Drama, and especially Fashion Design. None of them knew how to sew, and Ms. Childs wasn't keen on teaching them. Tyler stormed out after pricking his finger for the umpteenth time.

Recess and lunch weren't much better. Private school girls weren't the stuff of dreams all of them thought they would be. Most of them ended up being pretty nasty. Not only to one another, but to the boys. Tyler and Sam found Spencer crying in the toilet after a girl called him fat, even though Spence was anything but. But the insults continued. None of them could handle any more of this school.

Tyler hoped that seeing his sisters would be the saving grace, but Alicia or Bella never found the time to see him, and vice versa.

It was Thursday night now, and all five of them were through with the school. They were going to escape.

'That's a stupid plan,' Sam said. 'We can't escape. It's against the law.'

'We don't have a choice!' Zach yelled. 'They're driving us insane!'

'Why don't we just talk with Tyler's mom,' Spencer suggested. 'She seemed nice. She might listen.'

'Maybe...,' Tyler thought, but he knew it was unlikely. She wouldn't go easy on them. She would force them to adjust. They had two choices: adjust or escape. Tyler was used to doing things the easy way, the plan to escape was a no brainer.

'Okay, so we escape, but what happens after,' Charlie said from atop his bunk. 'Do we just run around the city, lost and afraid. Potentially naked?'

'Who cares,' Zach said, ignoring that last part. 'We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. First, let's just focus on getting out his hellhole.' Charlie shrugged and hopped down.

'I'm down to escape. Who else is with us?' Charlie put his hand in with Zach, waiting eagerly for the others.

Tyler put his hand in as well. They all looked at Spencer.

'I hate peer pressure,' he said and put his hand in.

Sam sighed. 'Fine. But you guys owe me.'

'Now for the plan!' Zach said. 'And what a plan it is!'

-

'This is the worst plan I've ever been a part of!' Tyler hissed as he hid behind another locker. Zach's plan, while sound, fell apart quickly after he failed to mention the detour through the girls dormitories.

In order to fully escape, Zach wanted to erase their files from the school's computer. Said computer was located in the principal's office, which was located at the top of the girl's dorms.

This is why the five of them were hiding in the girls changerooms. Hiding for their lives. They hadn't anticipated anyone to be using the showers and bath at this hour, but here they were. Four girls, all buck naked.

'We've hit the jackpot fellas,' Zach whispered. Tyler punched him in the stomach.

'We've hit nothing but rock bottom dickhead! We'll be killed if any of them find out.'

'And they won't. We're hidden safely behind a locker. They're not gonna finish showering that quickly.'

Unfortunately, Zach hadn't told the rest of them about his knack for jinxing everything. It was a bad habit, and one that he couldn't shake even if he wanted.

The sound of the showers faded. All four of them.

'That felt nice,' a soft voice said. Her accent was unmistakably American. The Southern twang was strong with this girl.

'See what I mean, Lou,' another girl said. 'Having quick showers before we go to bed always makes us feel better. It's why Rose here looks so gorgeous.'

Another girl laughed. 'C'mon, I'm not that good looking.'

'You're too modest,' the main girl said. 'You're easily the hottest girl at this school. Just look at your breasts. They're twice the size of all of ours.'

Zach was practically salivating at the mouth now. 'I. Have. To. See.' Tyler pulled him back. Zach was stronger than he looked, but Tyler was stronger. His attempts at bulking up paid off, even if they weren't apparent from looking at him.

The girls then walked into the locker room. All of them had towels wrapped around their lower regions but their upper halves were bare. Tyler averted his eyes. He was no pervert. He was sure Zach's were open and not blinking.

They were safe, but the others were a different story. Dickweed had somehow managed to hide on top of the lockers, so they weren't likely to find him. Sam was nowhere to be seen, but Spencer was in the worst position out of all of them.

He had squeezed himself into one of the lockers. He was a thin boy, so he was the only one able to, but it was by far the most dangerous hiding place. It could belong to one of the girls showering. The odds were low, but not impossible.

And Zach's jinx may have affected more than just himself this time. A short, curly-haired girl walked up to Spencer's locker. She opened it up and screamed.

Spencer was stuck inside, screaming back. 'I'm not a pervert! I'm not a pervert!'

Before he knew it, Tyler was running. He left Zach behind to save Spencer, which he was sure wasn't going to happen. The girls knew they had been watched. The boys were done. Charlie bounded off the lockers, prompting more screams. Sam came out from behind another locker and ran alongside Tyler.

They sprinted into a hallway. Doors were opening left and right. Everyone had heard the screaming. Everyone knew.

'What now?' Charlie yelled, dodging a door flying open towards him.

'We run!' Tyler yelled. It was all they could do. Run, run some more, then run again. Run. Run. Run. But they weren't the only ones running. One of the showering girls was after them. And she was angry. She sprinted along the wooden floor. She was almost upon them when Charlie had the brilliant idea of slowing her down by throwing something.

That 'thing' in question was Sam. The girl dodged the boy and continued running, letting Sam get caught by a flood of angry girls behind her. So Charlie tried again. He couldn't make Tyler move, so he grabbed the object nearest to him. A purple vase. She dodged it as well and it smashed against the floor.

The girl jumped and drop-kicked Charlie in the chest, bringing him down. She grabbed Tyler's leg before he could leave and brought him down too.

'I'll kill you all!' she yelled.

'Make sure you leave some for us as well.' Tyler looked up and immediately wished he hadn't. Alicia, Bella, and his mother were standing over them, glaring.

'Hi, mom,' he said, wincing. 'April Fools?'