Rayston Point Road || Editing

Chapter Twenty-Four

My shoulder burned as Isaac began to spring forward, pulling me with him so suddenly my arm felt as if it was going to disconnect from my shoulder. I stumbled forward, unprepared for the force with which he would pull me forward, jostling into some of the others as we all fought to fit through the narrow metal doorframe at the same time. I angled my body, slipping past Connor and Andie, tightening my grip around Isaac's hand so I wouldn't lose him as Mac tried to worm his way in the door between our grips. I felt Isaac do the same as he made it through the doorway, moving more quickly once he was past the narrow frame, pulling me with him. I picked up my pace as I jerked out of Mac's way, passing through the door frame and following where Isaac's arm pulled me.

Laughs, cheers and shouts echoed through the vacant, metal-lined halls, the multitudes of rapid footsteps creating a surprisingly loud sound as a dozen of us started to take various routes in the direction of the gym. Isaac was still pulling me behind him, his longer legs and lifetime of athletic training making it harder for me to keep pace with him no matter how hard I tried. Beside his hand tightly gripping mine, the only thing that spurred me forward and kept me moving was my overwhelming desire not to be it.

Isaac and I barreled into the gym just seconds before Lee came sprinting through the second set of doors on the same wall, jogging to a stop with us and the rest of the group crowded around the center of the gym, huffing out heavy breaths with grins on their faces.

"You're a goddamn cheater, Mac," Lee blew, one hand on his hip as he pointed at Mac across the circle. When we all glanced at him, he continued with, "He ripped me away from the door so I couldn't get in ahead of anyone else!"

"Hey, you didn't specify a hands-off rule," Mac defended himself, holding up his hands. "If you wanna officiate, do it before the game starts. Besides, I'm not the only one who got a little handsy." When Mac's eyes flashed between Isaac and me, others slowly turning in our direction, I realized our hands were still intertwined. I pulled my hand out of Isaac's, slipping both of mine into the pockets of my zip-up.

"Whatever, but I'm coming for you first," Lee pointed at Mac again, who started to egg him on even more.

"Can we just go over the rules, please?" Diego called out over them. "We've got a couple first-timers who need to know how the game works." When he slung his arm over Sasha's shoulders and smiled at her, I realized she had never joined them before, and that made me feel marginally better.

"Alright, they're pretty simple," Lee started, taking a small step forward. "One, you can't leave the building. All hiding must take place within the school's walls. That includes the courtyard. It's off-limits, and automatically disqualifies you from winning."

"The first one found is it for the next round," Andie chimed in from beside me. "And if you're found, you have to help the person search for everyone else."

"There's a timer that will be set up over the loudspeaker in the main office by whoever is it. You get two minutes to hide on the count of the person who's seeking, then the round lasts for fifteen minutes. If you're still hiding when you hear the timer, you're in control of the cash. If there's more than one person, you share it. It'll get divvied up at the end." Lee held out his hand towards Isaac, waving his fingers slightly. Isaac frowned down at his hand. I looked between them, confused.

"Why my hat?" He pouted, reaching up and resting his hands on his head protectively.

"No one else wore one, dude, it's the only one we've got. Come on," Alex said, standing across from me in the small circle. I glanced between him and Isaac, who was rolling his eyes and huffing overdramatically as he pulled his hat from his head and dropped it upside down into Lee's hand. I watched as Lee rotated his hand slightly so it was more towards the center of the circle, reaching into the pocket of his jeans with his free hand. Around me, everyone shifted and shuffled as they did the same, and I turned to look at Andie.