Chapter 5 Hall pass

Throughout their journey to their next class, the girls come across a crowd of students all rushing to their next destination.

"You know I can get to my class on my own." April G said.

"You said that already," June said. "Besides, I'm not in any rush to get to my class."

"By the way, that's a nice bracket, June," Madison said.

"Thanks," June said as she fondled it. "It feels a little loose though."

The bracket snapped off and rolls away from her.

"No."

June leaves the others to chase after the bracelet, frantically trying to retrieve it.

The piece of jewelry continues to escape her grasp as June constantly pursues it.

"You got to be kidding me."

Eventually, the bracelet reaches the end of the hall. Stopping against a wooden door.

"Gotcha." June said as she picked it up."

"There you are," Madison said as she and April G caught up to her.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to leave you guys." June said.

"I get it. I had a pearl necklace that my mom gave me before she passed away."

April G said. "I would do anything to get it back."

As the three girls were conversing, the school bell rang and the wooden opened.

"What do we have here?" Brother Baxter said."

"We were just on our way to class, Sir," Madison said.

"Let us see your hall passes."

The girls gave Brother Baxter their hall passes.

After a glance, Brother Baxter ripped the hall passes into pieces.

"Those were our hall passes," June yelled.

"These passes were only meant to pardon you from missing one class. As you heard, that was the second bell, making you tardy for two classes."

"We were just..." April G said before being interrupted.

"I told you all before. Tardiness is not acceptable under any circumstance." Brother Baxter said. "I'm afraid. I will have to punish you three."

"Look, it was my fault. I lost my bracelet an..." June replied.

"I said no excuses. The three of you will come to my office after your last class. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Sir." The girls said with an aggravated tone.

"Now get out of my sight." Brother Baxter said.

The girls left Brother Baxter as he shut the door with a loud shout. Making their troubled day even worse.

As the final bell rang, the three girls beardly walked to Brother Baxter's office.

"This is so stupid." April G said. "We shouldn't have to be here."

"Tell me about it." June agreed. "Maybe we should leave before he remembers..."

Just as June uttered these words, Brother Baxter opened the door and stared at the three students.

"Follow me," Baxter said.

The girls begrudged followed Brother Baxter to the gymnasium.

As they approached the door, Madison heard an unusual noise.

"Was that a cat?" Madison asked.

"Don't be observed. You know that there are no pets allowed on campus." Brother Baxter answered.

The strange feline purred once more but remained out of sight.

"Okay. I heard it too." April G said.

"Same here," June added.

"If you girls are trying to delay time from your punishment, I'm afraid that's not going to work."

"Sir, we heard a cat," June said. "Maybe there's a..."!

"That's enough." Brother Baxter said as he pushed the door open.

The gymnasium laid empty with its floor riddled with footprints and dirt.

The foul stench was enough to force the girls to cover their mouths.

"I instructed the janitor to take them right off." Brother Baxter said.

"I expect this entire gymnasium to be cleaned by midnight."

The girls walked into the room as they came across buckets of water, brushes, and soap.

"Be sure to make this place spotless on I'll be sure to make a greater punishment for you."

The faculty member slammed the door and locked it behind them.

"Perfect." April G said. "Didn't expect to work till my birthday."

"Tomorrow's your birthday too?" June asked.

"My sixteenth."

"Mine too," Madison said.

"Ditto," June added. "Small would."

"Guess we won't have a sweet sixteen after all," Madison said as she picked up a mop.

"At least we'll be miserable together," said June.

"Yeah us." The three girls said in ancient before sharing a laugh.

"Come on, Birthday girls." April G laughed. "Let's get this over with.

The girls cleaned every corner of the gymnasium.

After spending several hours of cleaning, the floors, the girls laid on the bleachers.

"God, that was awful," June complained.

"Just be glad that Baxter didn't make us polish his statue." Said April G.

"He has one of those?" Madison asked.

"With his ego, I wouldn't be surprised."

As the girls unwounded from their labor, a strange meow came from the other side of the gymnasium door.

"That noise again," June said.

"Let's check it out." April G said.

The girls ran to the door only to discover that the door was still locked.

"Almost forgot. Baxter kept us stuck here."

"He can't seriously keep us here all night, can he?" June asked.

"I'm sure, he'll be back soon," Madison added. "Eventually, we will..."

Before she finished her sentence, Madison noticed a strange object on the bleachers that was not there before.

"Is that a cake?"

"What?" April G asked as she and June looked at Madison.

"Look. It's a white cake with three lit candles." Madison pointed to the bizarre pastry.

"Where did that come from?" June said.

"No clue," Madison replied as she ran to the cake.

"Wait up."

The other girls ran after Madison, climbing up the bleachers as they all sat around the cake.

"This is weird," April G said. "How did this thing get here?"

"Maybe Baxter left it for us as a reward while we weren't looking," Jun said.

April G looked at June with a blank too.

"I know. I thought it sounded stupid too."

"Whatever brought it here, at least we have something to eat," Madison said as her stomach began to growl.

"Should we eat a cake that just popped out of nowhere?" asked April G.

"Well, it is our birthday in the morning," June said.

The girls stained at the cake with a sense of hunger. The white frosting sat on the pastry, invoking their taste buds of the orphans.

"Fine. But at least we should blow out the candles." April G said.

"Of course," June said.

The teenagers blew out the candles, snuffing the flames out.

"Now where are the forks?" Madison said.

"Who needs forks?" June replied. We have our hands."

"Weirdest birthday ever." April G said.

"Bon appetite" Madison smirked.

The girls each took pieces of the cake and ate the frosted dessert. The scarlet complexion of the inner caked intoxicated the girl's taste buds as they consumed the last crumbs.

"That was delicious," June said.

"Got to admit. I never hate a cake that good." April G said.

"Same here and I don't even like cherry," Madison added.

"Cherry?" said April G.

"I thought it was red velvet."

"I thought it was raspberry," June added.

The lights began to flicker, and the girls looked around in fear.

"Guess Baxter didn't pay the light bill." Said April G.

The lights turned off completely and the girls noticed the door was wide opened. Allowing the lights from the hallway to enter the gym.

"Hey. The doors open." Madison said.

The girls climbed off the bleachers and made their way out of the gym.

As they left, the white cat appeared in the crack of the doorway.

"It has begun." The cat said.

The girls walked through the hallway as Madison and June unwrapped their lollipops.

"Can't believe we ended up having to clean the auditorium," April complained as she folded her arms.

"At least he was nicer than Baxter," June said as she put the lollipop in her mouth.

"Why is it that the three of us are always getting into trouble?" Madison asked.

"Beats me. I can't wait till I'm eighteen so I can leave this stupid orphanage."

"Same here." April G said. "My life here has been a living hell."

"Because of Roxy?" Madison said." Why does she hate you so much?"

"It's... you wouldn't understand."

"Does it have something to do with that Jerome guy?" June asked.

"Kind of."

"Or maybe it's about that pearl necklace." Said Madison.

April G stopped in her tracks as Madison brought up the necklace.

"How did you...."

"I saw her play it every time she bullied you."

"Is that yours?" June asked.

"No, it was my mom's."

April G explained. "It's the last thing I have of her."

"How did Roxy get her hands on it?" Madison asked.

"She and some of her friends jumped me a few weeks ago and stole it. Jerome has a thing for me, and she noticed."

"So, it's payback," June said. "Steal her boyfriend, she steals your necklace."

"I didn't like Jerome that way. He's just a nice guy who always seemed friendly to me."

"So, if you told the teachers about the necklace...." Madison said.

"Roxy and her friends would tell them I was lying. She a straight student and captain of the debate team. April G said. "The school is so desperate to have star students like her to get more notoriety."

"Why's that?" Madison asked.

"Money" June answered.

"The better the extracurricular, the more funding the school will get."

Their conversation continues until the lights exploded throughout the hallway, causing the girls to freak out.

"What the hell?" June asked.

April G dropped her lollipop, shattering it on the floor.

"I see why the school needs funding." Madison criticized. "The lights are terrible."

"Kind of like last night when we had to clean the gym," June added.

As they discussed this strange phenomenon, April G's hand began to twitch while looking around the pitch-black hallway, her hand glowed green and the lollipop reformed.

The lights fund back on and the girls regained their sight.

"This is getting weird," Madison said. We should head to class."

"Good idea." April G said.

"Hey, is that your lollipop?" June asked.

"Oh yeah." April G picked up the lollipop "Funny, I thought I heard this thing break when I dropped it."

The girls went their separate ways as the dean appeared from the shadows with suspicion on his faces. Those three maybe be connected to Zai." Dean Trask said. "But how?"