One Night in Rockview High

2 - Go With Alexis

"I'm gonna head upstairs to get some shots." You start after Alexis, who's already halfway up the steps. "Meet back here in 2 hours!" You call after Sebastian and Ty. Sebastian throws you a thumbs-up.

Random debris and broken glass crunch under your sneakers, making the steps uneven as you hurry after Alexis, stepping over larger debris. The original stairs underneath are marble, so you're pretty sure they're stable, but for whatever reason your stupid brain still worries.

As soon as you two reach the top, you turn your camera light way down to its lowest setting, seeing the windows straight ahead. A hallway branches off to the left, leading you deeper into this wing, or a wider hallway to the right serves as the passage to another wing. That passage is lined by huge glass windows looking into the cafeteria on one side, and the library across the hall.

"We should stay where there's fewer windows--" You start, but Alexis is already entering the cafeteria, possibly the room with the most windows in the entire school, save only for the greenhouse.

"This one." She looks up at one of the walls, sliding her bag off her shoulder.

You snap one quick photo looking down the hallway, and step over the threshold into the cafeteria. Most of the folding tables have been shoved into one corner, but a few sit out, looking smashed by force rather than time.

"Stop running away so quick, Alexis. We can't afford to get lost in here."

She frowns at you for a second. "Keep up."

"Listen, I've been to abandoned places like this before, it's dangerous--"

"I've been to abandoned places!" She kneels down to dig through her bag. "Where do you think I paint?"

"You graffiti in old tunnels and alleyways, and maybe that rundown grain building with barely any ceiling left. That's not the same. This place is intact, and you can get hurt very quickly with no easy way out."

"Fine." She selected a can of blue spray paint. "You can't blame me, I learned everything I know about safety from Mr. Peters."

You laugh a little at the thought of your gym teacher, who seems to give zero shits about safety, giving a lecture on abandoned buildings.

"If you do find yourself falling, be sure to land firmly on your face." Alexis mocks, which sadly is a real thing Peters said. He'd misspoken, but still.

She raises the can and swipes one large arc across the wall above her head.

You can't help but cringe. You've been appreciating the lack of graffiti in this building so far, and you feel guilty even being associated with someone who graffitis. "Al--"

She pauses mid-stroke to look at you, already knowing what you're gonna say. She raises one eyebrow with impatience, waiting for you to say it.

"Do you have to do that?"

"Thanks, Nasir. Wouldn't be a complete artwork without your disapproval."

You sigh. It's going to happen either way, isn't it? Maybe she'll make something beautiful that can add to the elegance of the decay. "What's the painting of?"

"A middle finger."

Of course.

"You know you can leave if you don't like it, Nasir. Free will."

You're gonna feel bad for a while knowing you stood by and let this happen. You're gonna think of it every time you look at your photos from tonight. Why do you have such a fucking guilty brain?

You probably could convince her to stop if you really wanted... or should you just give up and go take pictures in the library?

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~ To BEG HER NOT TO VANDALIZE, go to Chapter 4

~ To GO TO THE LIBRARY, go to Chapter 5