𝐎𝐍 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐄 - 𝐡𝐬𝐦𝐭𝐦𝐭𝐬 (𝐢𝐢) | ✔

twelve

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twelve: a miracle in the snow
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     Their kissing was, however, interrupted by a well-known cough that made them break apart as if a lightning had struck them both. They could feel their cheeks becoming hot at the sight of who had interrupted them.

     "Oh, hey, Mr. Mazzara," Juliette tried to keep it cool, miserably failing, of course.

     "I need everyone in the rehearsal room, pronto," he ordered, thankfully ignoring what he had just witnessed, "it's the closest thing we have to a bomb shelter. Because it's a bomb shelter."

     "We..."

     "The less I know, the better. Where are the others?" and with that, he left, leaving both teenagers completely embarrassed but amused, nevertheless.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

     Soon, everyone but E.J. (once again. They were starting to question whether he was in the building at all) and, surprisingly, Gina and Carlos, was sitting in the bomb shelter. They had already ran out of things to do: they had played Charades four times, they had told stories, they had played truth or dare, they had even tried to rehearse without any kind of success...

     "You guys," Big Red interrupted, "if we eventually run out of food, you can eat me first." Such a statement worried Ashlyn, who put an arm over him. They were starving, "I probably taste like pizza."

     "You guys, this cabin fever isn't good. What would Miss Jenn do right now?"

     "I wanna say hog-tie a stranger," Kourtney replied, referencing the previous story told by the blond-haired woman and making all chuckle.

     "Where are our choreographers? Shouldn't we be rehearsing a song?" 

     "Maybe they are calmly talking about their differences somewhere."

     "Have you met Carlos, Juliette?" 

     "I need to get out of here or else I'm gonna take Big Red's offer," Juliette continued. They had been there for hours already and the storm continued outside. She really did not want to spend the night at school. Plus, she could not contact her family to tell them she was fine. 

     She was already starting to freak out when an unknown figure appeared through the door, as Big Red had anticipated. "Ladies and gentlemen, we present you: a miracle in the snow!" Carlos and Gina announced.

     "Howie!" Big Red practically yelled as everyone got up from their seats and approached the boy, who was holding five pizzas. They did not even think about introducing themselves to their saviour but instead they opened the boxes as if they had not seen food in year and everyone began to eat, not even stopping to choose their favourite pizza. 

     "E.J.! You're alive!" Ahslyn called everyone's attention at the boy walking through the door. It was obvious that something happened, so Juliette simply shot a look at him, trying to signal that they would talk later.

     Seb's phone mooed, his Farmer's Alman-app announcing that the storm was finally over and the roads were clear already, so they could go home. Just as he finished, as if everything had been planned, part of a huge theatre play, the lights came back and all the phones began to receive the notifications of a whole afternoon without reception. Suddenly, the bomb shelter was a mess of sounds. 

     "Pizza?" Juliette aproached E.J. with a couple of slices on her hands, which the boy took with a sad smile. "Is everything okay, Eej?"

     "I think so. At least it is now," he replied, but quickly changed topics, "have you eaten?"

     "Oh yeah, I ate a slice. I'm not that hungry, actually."

     The chatter continued for some more minutes, everyone eating pizza and waiting for the snow to harden a bit so they could walk, or drive, home safely. By the time they were out, it was already dark outside and all their parents were waiting for them at the front door of the school, wanting to make sure that their offsprings were well.

     Most of them brought blankets to cover their children in, to ensure that they would remain warm in the way home. However, when Juliette noticed that nobody had come for E.J., she approached him and hugged the senior, covering him with her blanket as well.

     E.J. laughed at the sudden gesture, hugging the small frame of the girl too, "thank you, Jules."

     "What are best friends for?"