"So like you coming or what?"

"Um sure."

In fact Drew sounded far from sure. This latest hare brained idea from Mad had sounded quite reasonable last night but in the cold light of day Drew really was having second thoughts. So okay they weren't gonna do anything really illegal well not badly at least but getting into school to retrieve his phone - well he could have managed till Monday. But no, Mad thought they should fetch it this morning even if it meant a bit of breaking and entering.

"Come on sluggard, the longer you take the more chance old Willis will be about."

"Okay already!"

Getting into the grounds hadn't been difficult, you just had to follow the beck from the bridge and cross over using the old willow. No that was easy; the difficult bit was getting inside the building and through to the lockers. But of course Mad seemed to know far too much about this stuff and they were now behind the bike shed worrying at a window.

"Let me have a go."

"Its alright I've got it."

"‘Bout time."

The pair scrambled through into one of the Biology labs, Drew carefully pulling the window down behind them. Mad meanwhile was already at the door.

"Sugar, it's locked!"

"Well duh, unlock it then, its only on a latch."

"Oh right." Mad replied sheepishly.

That was one thing Drew did know, all the classrooms had a Yale lock, you needed a key to get in but nothing to get out - after all they were to keep people out not in! However you could fix the latch open, which is what he did now, no sense in getting themselves locked inside.

Mad led the way, first out of the science block, past the gym and into the humanities block where they both had their form rooms. It didn't take more than a moment for Drew to recover his phone.

"Phew!"

"What was that?" Mad asked.

"What?"

"Didn't you hear it - there it is again."

Drew strained to hear but there was no doubt the third time.

"Someone's coming."

"Willis!" Mad exclaimed.

By my reckoning he was heading our way and was about two doors away.

“Quick, in here.” Mad hissed dragging me through a door.

I'm not sure if it was my heart or Mad's but there was to me at least, a heavy thump, thump which I think was my heart, I'm sure Willis would be able to hear it from wherever he was in the school! We both listened at the door hardly daring to breath. There was a loud creak followed by the ‘whump, whump, whump' of the door swinging closed, at the same time the tuneless tones of the caretaker came to us.

“ Mull of Kintyre, ooh mist rolling in from the sea, oh Mull of Kintyre – look at the state of this place, I'll have to have words with Mr. Woods.”

There was a return to some scrambled McCartney lyrics that accompanied some door rattling outside; he was clearly checking each room.

“Sugar! He'll be here in a minute.”

“In a cubicle, quick!”

We were soon both stood on a toilet bowl hoping Willis wouldn't be too thorough.

“Oh Mull of Kintyre! Have to get that tap fixed tomorrow – mist rolling in from the sea, oh my desire…”

The toilet door thumped closed cutting off his mangling of the lyrics. We stayed where we were for a minute more before either of us dared to speak.

“Phew! That was close.”

“No kidding Batman!”

“Lets get out of here, give us a hand Drew.”

Girls! I helped her down to floor level before heading over to the door just in time to hear the distinctive ‘whump, whump, whump' as Willis left the cloakroom.

“He's gone.” I sighed. “I need a whiz now.” It was only as I looked for the urinals that I realised we were in the girls' lav.

“Well put the seat down afterwards.” Mad chuckled.

“Whatever.”

“Which way did he go?”

“The way we need to go.”

“Bum!”

“He's got five minutes start on us, we just need to be careful that we don't catch him up.”

“What if he locks the door?” Mad started to panic.

Sugar, I hadn't thought of that.

“Maybe we can go round the other way.”

“Okay lets go then.”

We made our way cautiously along the corridors, listening out for the caretaker – of course ‘going round the other way' is okay if you know which way the other party has gone. We were so fixed on the idea that we never thought about that so we were taken by complete surprise when the doors to the science block swung open with Willis close behind.

“Oi! What are you kids doing in here?”

“Shit!”

“Run!”

“Stop you pair!”

All thoughts of stealth gone, we took off back the way we'd come with Willis in pursuit. There wasn't any plan, we just ran!

“Huh, huh, huh, what now?” I wheezed as we rested outside the drama studio.

“Dun, huh, no.” Mad gasped back.

“Do you think he recognised us?”

“We were pretty close.”

“Bum.”

Mad tried the door behind us, “I've got an idea.”

“That's what got us into this.” I grumped.

“And I'll get us out, come on.”

What have I to lose?

“You sure this is gonna work?”

“Hold still unless you want your eye poked out.”

“So?”

“Its worth a go.”

I sighed; it couldn't really get any worse could it?

“There, even your Mum won't recognise you.”

‘I hope not.' The drama club were doing some play thing, Jules mate Anna was in it, I've no idea what its about but my cousin thought we could ‘borrow' some stuff to throw Willis off our trail. That's why I was now wearing a long black wig, heavy makeup, fishnets, tartan mini skirt and a white frilly blouse. Mad herself was dressed in a Chavtastic white tracksuit topped off with a curly red wig.

“Come on, let's get outta here.”

We listened for sounds of our pursuer but he'd either given up or gone a different direction.

“What if he's gone for the cops?”

“Lets not wait to find out.”

We actually made it back to the lab without further incident, the door was still on the catch, we locked it behind us with a sigh of relief.

“So like how come you got the trackies and I end up wearing this stuff?”

“I didn't find it till you were dressed.”

Like I believe that.

“Anyway you look less like a boy dressed like that.”

No kidding.

We climbed back outside and I pulled the window back down. We crept around the building and were just about to make a run for it when we heard Willis quite close by.

“Bloody kids, I know they're round here somewhere.” He turned the corner; we were cornered with only one choice.

“RUN!”

“Oi hold it!”

We both dashed past him; luckily he's not too quick! We didn't stop to look back; we just legged it round to the front gate, clambered over and headed over into the Carrs only stopping when we had the cover of some bushes.

“Geez, that was close.”

I looked back towards the school, Willis had just arrived at the gate and was looking around for us, I dived back out of site.

“I think we made it.”

“Yeah” now all I have to do is get home dressed like a teenage tart, along the main road, past the church as the congregation are arriving then get in doors without anyone seeing me! Maddy Peters, you'll be the death of me!

Maddy Bell 13.04.08 © 2008

Back to Chapter 5.34 On to Chapter 5.36 Back to The Library