Prodigies

Chap. 3

 We headed up stairs after lunch and I asked Morgan about her puppy, whom she adopted two weeks ago. He was a cute little mountain dog that Morgan had named Aster.

"He's super cute, cuddly and loves bacon. This morning he cuddled up to me while I was eating and snatched my bacon off my plate," she tells me.

"A prankster, who does anything to get bacon... hmm... sounds like someone else I know" says Reina who is listening in, looking right at Morgan.

As I'm listening to her talk about her puppy, I open my locker and to put my stuff away. Mine is locker 1241. It is on the second floor and is across the hall from Morgan's locker, 1227, and right next to Reina's, 1242, on the other side. As I turn around after taking my books out, I notice someone standing by Morgan's locker. I tap Reina on the shoulder and point. She looks over and she smiles. I tap Morgan too. Morgan looks and giggles.

"Hey check out Mr C's snazzy new pants" Morgan whispers, indicating to our substitute teacher's new blue pajama pants that were supporting our school's logo, five yellow paw prints that make up a bigger paw print.

"He must have gotten them from the school store," said Morgan.

"Wait," says Reina. "He has a class starting right now. He shouldn't be here..." she pauses for a bit before saying, "I'll go get Tyler." And with that she takes off sprinting for the fourth floor where Tyler's locker is.

Morgan and I make small talk and try to look natural as we wait for Reina to get back with Tyler, the whole time keeping an eye on Mr Crowell who hadn't noticed us yet in the crowded halls. Soon Reina returns practically dragging Tyler down the stairs. Morgan and I close Reina and my blue lockers and walk over to hear the last of Reina's explanation.

"-just standing there nonchalantly." Tyler turns his head to look at Morgan's locker. He bursts out laughing. Morgan, Reina and I look at each other confused. Then Tyler says,

"Oh very funny Morgan. I thought you actually had a stalker." Reina seems to understand what's going on but Morgan and I are both still puzzled. Reina scans the hallway and then mutters "ah-ha" Then she says,

"No Tyler, this isn't a prank. Mr Crowell is right there." All four of us turn and look where Reina is pointing. Mr Crowell must have left Morgan's locker and he was walking down the hall.

"Okay then," says Morgan. "Should we follow him? Or just pretend we didn't see him?" I had been watching Mr Crowell's retreating figure as he walked down the hall. Then he turned around looked right at me and did the 'follow me' motion.

"Uh guys," said Tyler, who had been watching Mr C too, "I think he wants us to follow him."

"Yeah," I said "Let's just see where he is going, Okay?" Mr C watched to see if we were coming and then turned around and walked around the corner. When we got there all we could see was the janitor's closet being closed.

"Um do the janitors even use that closet anymore?" asks Morgan.

"I don't think so," said Renia, "He must want to tell us something privately."

"Should we go?" I asked.

"No you don't go into a small dark room with a strange man," said Reina always the voice of reason. "Safety one-oh-one guys."

"Well I don't see why not," said Tyler. "We out number him four to one and he's just a substitute teacher. The worst he could do is give us lunch detention."

Oh how wrong he was.