Chapter Three - Cinderella Costume

Josh was thinking. A lot. He was upstairs, laying down on his bed. He'd gotten himself into a lot of trouble. All because of Brent.

Brent. 

His name tasted like dead leaves in his mind. Always taunting him. Always finding a way to manipulate him. But there was nothing he could do. His hands were tied behind his back.

"Joshie!"

Josh's mother's annoyingly overprotective voice floated upstairs. "Yes, mom?"

"Your friends are here!"

Almost immediately, he heard short footsteps pounding on the steps. Hunter. He almost didn't have enough time to snatch the piece of paper he was mulling over and threw it under his pillow.

The door burst open and Zoey and Hunter burst into his room, shaking its hinges, just as the paper was buried under the pillow.

"Where were you at lunch?" Zoey demanded 

"Uhh i was in the library" The last part came out with a tilt, sounding like a question.

"You can't fool me" she said. Hunter flopped down on the bed and the paper peeked out.

No, they can't see that! Josh thought.

He'd to maneuver them somewhere else. Somewhere safer.

"Let's go to the tree house"

"Why?" Zoey asked.

"Let's just go".

Josh noticed Hunter hadn't spoke since he'd came here. Normally Hunter liked to crack a few jokes in a conversation. Josh wondered why.

Josh and his friends were almost out the door when his mother gripped his shoulder. "Where do you think you're going, young man?" Mrs. Grimshaw queried.

"The treehouse mom".

His mom seemed reluctant to leave his shoulder.

"The treehouse, you say? Her brain, thinking rapidly.

"Yes mom". Josh's eyes widened in shame as a safety helmet materialized in Mrs. Grimshaw's hands. She plopped it on his head. 

"For safety precautions" she advised. Josh rolled his eyes. He closed the door after him, and ran to his backyard, ditching the safety helmet behind a couple of rosebushes. 

He climbed up the ladder and entered through a trap door. The treehouse smelt like autumn. It had been built by Josh and his dad three years ago.

Back when he still cared.

Josh shook all thoughts of his dad out if his mind. He didn't care anymore. There was no reason to mule over something you can't have.

Hunter and Zoey were propped ontop two swivel chairs. Waiting. Zoey was swiveling on the chair. Hunter's face was raised up abstractly, seeing nothing and everything. His chin was raised up in the air. Josh could bet he couldn't see you the wooden ceiling. A desk was in the room, filled with paper he'd doodled on. There was a PlayStation console, connected to a TV. There were other random things in it too. 

Two pairs of eyes locked with his. Waiting. Anticipating.

"What's up, guys?" He asked, nervously. 

"Where were you at lunch, Josh?" 

He couldn't tell them about Brent. Or about Principal Rockwell. That was sure. They'd report it and it'd only backfire him.

Time for his expert maneuver.

"Would you believe me if I said I was at the library?"

"No." Zoe was not amused.

Josh walked to a desk. He yanked it open. In his hands was a video game. He raised it up, just in sight of his friends. "You wouldn't believe what's in this" he says.

"What?" Zoey snaps.

"The new version of The Outer Worlds!"

"No way!" Hunter, finally spoke.

"How come you have it. It's not supposed to come out till next week"

"I have my ways" he said, trying to smirk, but it came out looking like a lop sided smile. "Whoever looses gets to wear a complete princess outfit, tiara and all and walk down the street".

Zoey was already on the floor, legs folded together, awaiting them. "That's great. I'll give you my Cinderella outfit from last year's Halloween".

"And wear it to school".

"You're on". Hunter said. 

"What're you waiting for? Come on!" Zoey motioned them over. Josh rolled his eyes. "Don't roll your skimpy little eyes at me!" She snapped.

Josh rolled them again.

➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿

It was in the dead of night. Three figures loomed about wearing head torches. A terrible rain was pouring down with fierce determination. In the distance, lights were flickering. Lightning flashed and thunder stroke, streaking the inky black of the night. 

The rain increased several paces till the boys couldn't see four feet in front of them. Cold racked through their bodies, stealing their breath. One of them blew on his hands which had wrinkled from staying out too much in the rain, all to no avail. The winds slapped them hard in the face. It whistled and felt as if they had stepped into a tornado.

Meanwhile, the rain increased pace. The taller of the lot, checked round, satisfied there wasn't any witnesses, then ran to the HGwells middle school double doors. He fished the keys out of his pockets. The bunch of keys dangled in his hands, and he examining them, shivering and cowering under the rain with two minions beside him, he stuck the key inside the lock and twisted.

A key he'd nipped from the janitor.

The doors didn't budge. Brent frowned. He tried four more keys before the click sound was heard.

His minions pushed passed him, down the hall in to the halls.

"What di- did you say we're doing again?" Elliot asked, his teeth chattering. He could feel the gentle sloping of water running down the floor, making a silent 'drip drip' noise on the floor.

"We're gonna hack into the school's fire alarm system". He snapped. Already moving forward and making a trail of water behind him.

"Just how are we gonna do that?" 

"I have a way". Brent dead panned.

He twisted and turned in the halls till he arrived at the redenvous. 

"Water paint?"

"Check'

"Bubble bath"

"Check"

"Mr. Ergo's absurdly itchy powder?"

"Check"

Brent grinned devilishly.

👗👗👗👗👗👗👗👗

Hunter and Zoey knocked on the door of Josh's house. It turned out that he'd been the one to loose the bet. Josh skippered out, wearing an I'll fitting blouse. High heels and all. "Do we really have to do this?" He pleaded.

"No turning back now". Hunter shook his head. Zoey seemed amused. "Gee, what great friends I have". He half mumbled to himself.

"What was that?" Zoey asked, her fierce eyes crinkling around the edges. "Nothing".

The half mile to school was casual, except stares of curious parents and equally amused children burning holes in the back if his head. He tethered in the heels. Zoey was pressing her phone and laughing. Hunter had given a little distance between both of them.

The climax was when he pushed the huge double doors of HG Wells middle school open. It seemed like everyone had paused in their tracks, staring.

His feet felt like they were filled with lead. He painstakingly pushed one leg in front of the other. Everyone had resumed their previous business, pretending not to take notice of the white, overweight boy wearing a tiara and a blue Cinderella dress, while observing from the corner of their eyes. Hushed tones of 'Cinderella' traveled down the halls, rapidly. Some girls had whipped out their phones, taking pictures. 

They'd probably turn him into a meme. Hunter and Zoe were not in eyesight. The jocks had a sneer on their faces.

Just when he thought his day couldn't get any worse, the fire alarm system blared upwards, suggesting urgency evacuation. Nervous girls were already panicking, reaching out to the handle of the doors.

The water showered down in them. Except it wasn't blue like most waters are. It was streaked, mixed with blinding colors of green and yellow, dark shades of red and brown and an unusual odor he couldn't place.

And bubbles?

What the heck was bubbles doing in the emergency fire alarm system? He face palmed.

Then the itching started. Josh groaned out loud. 'My day just got a lot worse".