Chapter Twenty-Three: Midnight Mischief

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Dylan lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, fresh from his shower and dressed in the soft, green camisole pajamas everyone at Crestwood wore. His mind wandered back to how different his life had been just a week ago. He couldn't decide if the direction his life had taken was better or worse—it was certainly nothing like he had imagined.

The knock on his door snapped him out of his thoughts. He sat up as Marcus stepped inside, glancing over his shoulder before closing the door softly.

"Emily and Sophie want us to sneak into Sophie's room," Marcus whispered, a grin playing at the corners of his mouth.

Dylan frowned, taken aback. "Wait, they want us to sneak in? Like, break the rules?"

Marcus nodded. "I thought the same thing at first, but they swore it's not a test. They do it sometimes, I guess."

Dylan hesitated, his mind running through the possible traps. It didn't seem like Sophie or Emily to put them in that kind of position... or did it? But Marcus seemed sure, and after a moment, Dylan shrugged. "Alright, let's do it."

The two of them slipped out of Dylan's room, moving one at a time down the quiet hall, careful to avoid being seen. When they reached Sophie's door, Marcus knocked lightly, and she let them in quickly, shutting the door behind them.

"Lock it," Sophie whispered, a playful glint in her eyes.

Dylan did as he was told, still trying to figure out what was going on. "What's this about?"

Sophie motioned for them to sit closer. "Okay, so... we can't tell Olivia about this. She's too by-the-book. But sometimes, Emily and I like to bend the rules a little."

Dylan and Marcus exchanged glances, unsure of what was coming next. Sophie reached under her mattress and pulled out a joint, holding it up with a mischievous smile.

Dylan's eyes widened. "No way."

Emily, who had been sitting by the window, cracked it open and took the first hit, blowing the smoke outside. Sophie nudged Dylan. "You're not chicken, are you?"

Still unsure, but not wanting to back out, Dylan took the joint from Sophie, hesitated for a second, then took a small hit. The smoke burned his throat a little, but he managed to keep from coughing, passing it on to Marcus.

They took turns, trying to suppress their laughter, the absurdity of the situation dawning on them more and more as the joint grew smaller. When it was nearly finished, Emily flicked the remainder out the window, where it disappeared into the bushes below.

The four of them sat in a haze, giggling uncontrollably. Everything suddenly seemed funny—the rules, the week, even Aaron's obsession with his nails and ballet class.

"I mean, I kinda wish I could get my nails done as punishment," Sophie said, laughing.

Marcus, still chuckling, nodded. "Honestly? Same."

Emily turned to him, her expression shocked. "Wait, are you serious?"

Marcus looked down at his camisole pajamas, gesturing to his outfit. "What difference does it make? I already look like this."

The group burst out laughing again, and Sophie suddenly jumped up, running to her closet. She returned with a small box and opened it to reveal a handful of nail polish bottles. "Alright, how serious are we talking?"

Marcus shrugged. "Why not?"

Sophie giggled. "Okay, let's do this. You get green—it matches the school uniform."

Emily looked at Dylan. "You in?"

Dylan, feeling relaxed and in a good mood from the weed, smiled. "Sure, why not."

Sophie and Emily quickly got to work, filing and painting Marcus and Dylan's nails as the boys tried to keep from laughing too hard. The girls were focused, taking the task seriously, while the boys struggled to keep still.

When they were finished, Emily fanned Marcus' fingers to help the polish dry. "Look at that—perfection."

Sophie looked at Dylan's nails with pride. "Not bad, huh?"

As the polish dried, Sophie had another idea. "Wait, we should put our initials on each other's thumbs! It'll be like... a secret pact or something."

Before Dylan could protest, Sophie grabbed his hand and carefully wrote a small 'S' on the corner of his left thumbnail. Emily did the same for Marcus, painting a tiny 'E' on his thumb.

Once they were done, the girls painted matching initials on their own thumbs—'M' for Marcus on Emily's and 'D' for Dylan on Sophie's. They held their hands up next to the boys, giggling at how silly but fun it all was.

Marcus, still laughing, changed the subject. "So... can one of you help me pick out my outfit tomorrow? I'm useless with this stuff."

Emily's eyes lit up. "Absolutely! That's what mentors are for."

Sophie turned to Dylan. "Do you want help too?"

Dylan smiled, amused by how excited she seemed. "I guess so."

Sophie clapped her hands. "Yes! We'll come to your rooms tomorrow morning."

The four of them sat there for a while longer, laughing and talking until Sophie finally suggested it was time to sneak back to their rooms.

Dylan slipped back into his room quietly, his nails still tacky from the polish. He collapsed onto his bed, a smile on his face, and quickly drifted off to sleep, still chuckling to himself about the absurdity of it all.

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