The Donut Shop ✔️

'S' Stands for 'Solidarity'

"Are you sure we're supposed to be here?" Ethan asked Tweed, who was using bolt cutters to remove the locks on the door to the archives in the basement of their school library.

"If we were meant to be here, then they wouldn't have put chains on the door," Tweed pointed out with a grin as the chains snapped loose with a metallic jolt. They swung the doors open.

"Ladies first," Ethan said, mocking his friend, and Tweed guffawed, but nevertheless descended into the basement, leading both of them into the dark and musty ambiance of a room frozen in time.

Ethan coughed with all the dust particles circulating, but he trekked on, sticking close to Tweed and occasionally bumping into the random objects.

The room was musty and filled to the brim with filing cabinets, loose papers stacked upon them. One stack, in particular, teetered underneath the strong currents of the air vents. It was dark with just the light from outside, but Ethan knew that the room most likely had the same white walls as their school, except more aged. 

"See anything?" Ethan asked Tweed, who held the flashlight aloft as he scoured the stacks upon stacks of books that had been foregone for newer ones and files.

"Nope. Wait... try checking the yearbook boxes, maybe we can find his yearbook photo and one of those cheesy senior quotes?" Tweed suggested, and he sprang open the box, a new cloud of dust and age lifting into the air and clinging there, causing Ethan to have to cover his nose.

After a few moments of relentless searching and sifting through pages upon pages, Ethan almost passed Thomas, but as soon as he saw that perfect smile,  full set of perfect teeth, and self-satisfactory grin, he swatted his friend's shoulder and turned back to the page.

"Tweed, I found him!" Ethan shouted, and Tweed pointed to his ears, reminding him to be quieter. He nodded and continued to thrust the page into Tweed's face like an eager puppy. 

"This is his sophomore yearbook," Tweed said and flipped the book to its cover to see the year, resuming his rummaging through the box of old yearbooks, until he pulled one out published two years after the one in Ethan's grasp. Ethan put the yearbook he was holding down and shined the light on the newer yearbook.

Just as they were about to open the cover to take a gander at the pages, the light above them flicked on, and on the first step before the library door, Mara stood with her arms folded across her chest.

"Just what do you two think you're doing?" she asked them with a smug grin. Tweed just scowled and tucked the book out of sight from her

"Nothing that concerns you," he said as Mara approached them in a victorious saunter.

"As a volunteer in the library archives, you two breaking and entering school property is definitely one of my 'concerns.' Now 'fess up, before you get turned in to the school librarian. They glanced at each other, and Tweed just cleared his throat, stepping toward Mara.

"Mara, Mara, no need to be rash. We can work this-"

"Tell. Now."

"We were looking at the old yearbooks," Ethan said with a sigh, and Tweed turned back to him with a chagrined look that turned into a glare. Awkwardly, Ethan cleared his throat as Mara stepped past Tweed and focused her attention on him.

"Because we wanted some inspiration. You know, for the banners for the school dance. Nothing riles up the student body like yearbooks," Ethan said, trying to justify their actions. He could tell that Mara didn't believe him, but she seemed to ignore his obvious lies and turned back to Tweed.

"Please don't tell me you're thinking about joining the student council's planning committee," she said with a loud groan. Tweed's eyes gained a sense of renewed mischief.