Midnight Mischief

The Boys of St Augustine's Academy

To understand why we were so desperate to escape that night, you have to know who we were.

We weren't just a group of random boys stuck in the same boarding school. We were outcasts, each sent here for our own reasons-some deserved, some not.

We had been thrown together by circumstance, bonded by boredom, and now, by the shared thrill of breaking the rules.

Let me introduce you to the six guys who were crazy enough to sneak out with me.

1. Jamie - The Mastermind

Jamie was the brains of our group. A natural schemer, he always had a plan-whether it was a harmless prank or a full-on escape attempt. He had bright green eyes, messy brown hair, and a permanent smirk that said, Yeah, I know I'm about to get into trouble, but it's worth it.

He wasn't at St Augustine's because he was a bad student. Far from it. He was too smart for his own good and got expelled from his last school for hacking into the system to change his grades-not to pass, but to fail as a joke.

His parents, both high-powered lawyers, had enough of his antics and sent him here, hoping the strict rules would "straighten him out." It didn't.

Jamie saw St Augustine's as a game, and tonight? He was determined to win.

2. Lucas - The Charmer

Lucas was the pretty boy, the smooth talker who could get away with almost anything. He had dark, wavy hair, sharp cheekbones, and the kind of smirk that made teachers suspicious and girls weak in the knees.

He was at St Augustine's because he had a habit of sleeping with the wrong people-specifically, the headmaster's daughter at his last school. Her father found out, and instead of dealing with the scandal, his rich parents sent him across the ocean to St Augustine's.

Lucas didn't care. As long as he could find a way to charm his way out of trouble, he was happy.

And if tonight went well? He'd be charming college girls instead of stuck in this dull excuse for a school.

3. Caleb - The Athlete

Caleb was built like a tank-broad shoulders, thick arms, the kind of guy you wanted on your side in a fight. He was the only one among us who actually liked sports and probably could've made it big if he wasn't such a hothead.

His problem? His temper.

Back home, he was a star athlete, but he got expelled after breaking a guy's nose in a fight. His parents thought St Augustine's discipline would help. It didn't.

Caleb wasn't afraid of getting caught tonight-he was just itching for some action.

4. Ethan - The Cynic

Ethan was the quiet, sarcastic one. He had this way of looking at you that made you question your life choices, always armed with a dry remark that could either make you laugh or make you rethink your existence.

He was here because he hated authority. He got kicked out of his last school for writing an exposé on the administration's corruption and posting it online. His parents were furious, so they dumped him at St Augustine's.

Ethan didn't necessarily want to sneak out, but he also didn't want to spend another night in this place. His motto was simple: If we're going to suffer, we might as well do it on our own terms.

5. Nathan - The Quiet Genius

Nathan was the mystery. He was quiet, observant, and always thinking two steps ahead. While the rest of us were talking, Nathan was watching.

His backstory? No one really knew.

All we knew was that he was insanely smart-like, the kind of smart that made teachers nervous. He barely spoke, but when he did, you listened. He never bragged, never sought attention, but you always got the sense that he knew more than he let on.

He wasn't here because of trouble-he was here because his parents wanted him out of the way.

St Augustine's was just a waiting room for him until he turned 18 and could do whatever the hell he wanted.

For now, he was coming with us.

6. Mark - The Rich Kid

Mark didn't belong here.

Unlike the rest of us, he wasn't at St Augustine's because he was reckless or brilliant or a troublemaker. He was here because his billionaire father wanted him out of the way.

Mark was obnoxious, arrogant, and completely out of touch with reality, but he had one thing we all appreciated-money.

When we needed fake IDs? Mark paid for them.

When we needed an excuse for why we weren't in class? Mark bribed people.

He was our ticket to making this escape smooth.

I wasn't supposed to be here.

Not at Saint Augustine's Academy, anyway. Not on this lonely patch of land on the coast of England, surrounded by the crashing waves and grey skies that seemed to mirror my mood. The school was a fortress, towering above the cliffs like some ancient prison, its stone walls cold and unwelcoming. The only thing that ever seemed to move was the wind-whistling through the narrow windows of our dorms or howling across the grounds when it felt like tearing everything down. There wasn't even a real escape; the nearest town was miles away, and the path to the outside world was guarded by nothing but relentless waves and an endless stretch of rough terrain.

I should've been home-back where the sun actually shone, where the air didn't taste like salt and old books, where life had color. But I wasn't.

I was stuck in this mess of a place, sent here after a string of expulsions from schools back home. I'd always been trouble, but I never thought it would lead to something like this. My parents were done. They couldn't handle me anymore, not with the fights, the pranks, the endless detention. So, in an effort to "straighten me out," they shipped me off across the ocean to this dull, soul-crushing place. Saint Augustine's Academy-a name that promised wisdom and discipline, but delivered nothing but misery and isolation.

Sure, they promised if I behaved for a year, they'd take me out. But how could I be expected to behave in a place like this? Surrounded by nothing but guys, no girls to distract me, no freedom to do what I wanted. This was a prison, not a school.

And on top of that, I'd lost everything back home.

Leah.

She was supposed to be my escape. My reason for everything. We'd been together for over a year, long enough that I thought I could trust her to stick it out while I was away. I even thought I could handle the distance. That's what she told me, right? That she'd wait. But the night I got the message from her-out of nowhere, with no warning-my whole world came crashing down.

A picture. Of her and my best friend. The one I trusted more than anyone. Wrapped up in each other. Not just in a friendly hug, but with a kind of intimacy that was supposed to be reserved for me.

It hurt more than I'd admit, and I didn't even let anyone see it. Not even the guys here at school. They probably thought I was tough. Unbothered. After all, I was the one who never played by the rules, the one who didn't care about anything. But inside, I was broken. I'd lost my girl, my friends, and any semblance of a normal life.

Saint Augustine's Academy was my punishment. My exile.

And every day felt like I was living someone else's life-someone who didn't care, someone who was content with just existing.

But then, last night, something changed

The Plan: Escape Route and Risks

This wasn't some half-baked plan we were throwing together at the last second. If we were going to sneak out of Blackwood, we needed to be smart.

Jamie had spent weeks studying the security system, watching when the cameras rotated, when the guards did their rounds, and which areas had blind spots.

The main gates were out of the question. There were cameras, guards, and an alarm system that would go off if we even tried.

But the east wing roof?

It was our best shot.

The plan was simple but dangerous:

1. Wait until lights out.

2. Climb out the east wing window.

3. Use the maintenance ledge to get to the roof.

4. Drop down past the outer wall.

5. Run to the town before anyone noticed we were gone.

It sounded insane.

It was.

But we had no choice.

The Last Escape Attempt (And Why We Failed Last Time)

I had already been caught trying to escape once before.

The last time, it had been me and Jamie. We thought we were being smart-using a forgotten maintenance tunnel that led under the school.

We made it all the way to the exit hatch before Mr. Reynolds appeared out of nowhere.

"Going somewhere, boys?"

I still don't know how he found us.

Maybe he overheard us planning.

Maybe he just knew how we thought.

Either way, we spent the next two weeks scrubbing toilets for punishment.

This time, we weren't taking chances.

We weren't just escaping. We were getting away with it.

The Final Moments Before the Breakout

As the clock crept toward 10:00 PM, the air in our dorm was electric.

Lucas checked his watch. "Five minutes."

Ethan exhaled. "We're actually doing this."

Caleb cracked his knuckles. "Damn right we are."

Jamie grinned, eyes gleaming with excitement. "Time to make history, boys."

I took one last look around.

This was it.

No turning back now.

I grinned.

"Let's go."