• "Oh shut up," Becca hissed, "there's no doubt he'll hear you if you keep chattering on like that."
    "I can't help it," Ari said quietly, "it's so cold. You know I'd stop if I could. You know that I want to stay out of trouble just as much as you do. You know."
    "Stop whining and be quiet," Becca snapped. She peered over the desk at the doorway. The sound of the footsteps echoed from the hall. She pressed a finger to her lips and Ari's eyes got wide.
    "Becca," she said with terror, "you're bleeding." Becca held her hand out to look at it. A single bead of blood had dripped down from the tip of her finger to her wrist.
    "My God Ari, I've just pricked my finger," she said. "Now hush, he'll be walking by here soon." The footsteps were right outside the door now and Becca ducked as close to the floor as she could, the dirty linoleum against her cheek the only thing colder than the air. She could hear Ari shiver, but said nothing. The footsteps passed right by the door and then up the stairs. Becca was almost disappointed. The unused adrenaline continued to rush through her veins. No big scene, no running for theirs lives, no marks on their spotless records, no excitement. She sighed.
    "Let's go before he comes back," she whispered. Ari nodded. Becca stood up and stretched. Her shoulders and knees were stiff and achey from crouching for so long. She walked out into the hall with Ari following. They walked in silence towards the big double doors through which they would escape from the locker-lined hallways. They passed through and paused on the steps, staring at the foreboding facade of the school.
    "And we'll never have to go back again," Becca said.
    "Until tomorrow," added Ari with a smile.