Stuck with Unfortunate Luck

Chapter Twenty-Three: What Really Happened

Chapter Twenty-Three: What Really Happened

FLASHBACK CONTINUED

Approximately an hour had passed since I was isolated from the rest of the dancing crowd of my peers. I was currently crouched over on the floor silently crying in confusion while reeking of desperation. For the first twenty minutes of being holed up in the smelly closet full of gym equipment, I screamed for help and banged on the door as loud as I could. I even tried knocking it down a few times like an idiot. All that it brought me was a bruised arm and nearly cost me a chipped tooth. It was no use in calling someone on my phone for help since I accidentally had left my purse in Connor's car. With the leftover strength I had, I searched for an escape. However, it was hopeless, there was no way out.

I eventually fell over from exhaustion and began pleading silently to myself for someone to come and find me. My cheeks were stained with tears, mascara, and the punch Audrey Dean had doused me with. My dress was uncomfortably itchy, sticky, and soaked. As much as I wanted to tear it off of me, it would be embarrassing to be discovered dead or alive in only my bra and panties. Talk about dying of embarrassment. Not to mention the fact that the storage closet was deathly cold and eerily dark.

I knew I didn't deserve to cry or complain. I was already aware that I had brought all of this onto myself. It was pretty pathetic however. To think, I could boldly stand up to Audrey and go against her command and go to this stupid dance and get away with it. And to add fuel to the fire, go with her brother, Connor. Did I not learn from past experience what that girl was capable of? In the end, I finally accepted the fact that I would not be rescued anytime soon and continued to quiver in fear. I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling wondering what I could have done to make Audrey Dean hate me so much.

It seemed like since we were children, she's always had something against me. It wasn't like I was some threat to her. And I know I hadn't said something wrong to her since I made sure to never be near the devil. So what was it then? It wasn't until I was so lost in my thoughts that nearly fell asleep before I could make out an usual discovery in the corner of the ceiling. I abruptly sat up as my heart jolted to life and through my messy eyes; I saw a loose ceiling vent. I thought my eyes were tauntingly playing tricks with me until i stood up and inspected the surface. An escape!

Quickly wiping away my tears and mascara off my eyes, I breathed heavily in relief as I  looked around the room in search for objects that I could use to my benefit. Fortunately, there were a bunch of boxes that sat in a nearby corner. Stacking them on top of each other, I climbed the boxes to discover I was short a few inches. I tried my best to stretch my hand as much as possible but it was useless. I took another glance around the dark room and could make out a small chair. Perfect. I dragged the surprisingly light chair to the chain of boxes and placed it onto the last box. Before jumping onto the chair, I of course checked its stability and saw that it was a little wobbly. Eyeing the ominous structure with uncertainty, I knew I  would either risk a broken neck or successfully escape. It was obvious that I was gambling with death but I believed I at least had to try.

Gently resting one foot on the chair, I could already feel the chair steadily moving unsteadily. Putting more weight on the chair, I added another foot. It felt like I had put a ton on the box but in reality I realized that the chair hadn't tipped over. So far, so good. I jiggled the ceiling and unscrewed the last screw that held it together before tossing the vent cover. I hoisted myself up into the vent when suddenly I heard a loud tearing sound. I safely made my way into the vent and discovered that the chair and stack of boxes had collapsed.

"That was close," I sighed in relief. Looking back at my dress, I groaned in frustration at the large tear left in it from a loose nail. "There's definitely no way I can return this dress now."