Midnight Mischief

St Augusti

esperate to escape that night,

e same boarding school. We were outcasts, each sen

tance, bonded by boredom, and now, by

e six guys who were crazy

- The M

harmless prank or a full-on escape attempt. He had bright green eyes, messy brown hair, an

as too smart for his own good and got expelled from his last school for hac

gh of his antics and sent him here, hoping the s

as a game, and tonight?

s - The

lmost anything. He had dark, wavy hair, sharp cheekbones, and the kin

ically, the headmaster's daughter at his last school. Her father found out, and instead

could find a way to charm his w

harming college girls instead of st

b - The

u wanted on your side in a fight. He was the only one among us who actually

lem? His

after breaking a guy's nose in a fight. His parents th

ing caught tonight-he was j

an - T

that made you question your life choices, always armed with a dry rema

ool for writing an exposé on the administration's corruption and posting

ant to spend another night in this place. His motto was simple:

- The Qu

, and always thinking two steps ahead. While th

ry? No one

ers nervous. He barely spoke, but when he did, you listened. He never bragged, nev

ble-he was here because his pa

oom for him until he turned 18 and

e was comi

- The

n't belo

he was reckless or brilliant or a troublemaker. He was he

etely out of touch with reality, but he

fake IDs? Mar

for why we weren't in c

et to making th

supposed

ve 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

y shone, where the air didn't taste like salt an

ke 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

e expected to behave in a place like this? Surrounded by nothing but guys, no girl

at, I'd lost eve

e

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?

anyone. Wrapped up in each other. Not just in a friendly hug, bu

ly thought I was tough. Unbothered. After all, I was the one who never played by the rules, the one who didn't

Academy was my pun

one else's life-someone who didn't care,

t night, some

Escape Rou

g together at the last second. If we were going

watching when the cameras rotated, when the guards

There were cameras, guards, and an alarm

east w

our bes

s simple bu

until l

ut the east

tenance ledge to

wn past the

n before anyone no

nded i

w

had no

ttempt (And Why W

caught trying to

hought we were being smart-using a forgotten

e exit hatch before Mr. Reyn

omewhere

't know how

verheard u

st knew how

next two weeks scrubbin

e weren't ta

caping. We were ge

ments Before

rd 10:00 PM, the air in

his watch. "

"We're actual

s knuckles. "Dam

ing with excitement. "Tim

e last lo

was

ning b

rin

t's