Cassie has a plan.

“Look,” Cassie broke the silence, “I have a coat in my locker, left in there after winter. Forgot to take it home once the weather got nice and keep putting it off. I get the coat, but I think I have a shirt in there too. Participation shirt from an after-school art competition. I’m the tallest girl in that group so it’s a pretty big shirt, it’ll cover either of you pretty well.”

“Just one shirt?” Sara asked.

“Yeah, you two figure out who’s wearing it. But that’s the only idea I have.”

Christina glanced at Sara, then nodded. “Okay.”

“God,” Sara said, hesitatingly. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.”

Cassie turned back to the door and grabbed the handle. “I can’t believe I have to do this.” Then she quietly pushed the door open and slipped between the gap.

Sara followed, her arm pushed up against the door to prop it open before she ducked into the hallway. Christina stuck right behind her, keeping her hands in place over her chest and crotch, her shoulder tapping the door as she squeezed through.

The hallways were deserted and silent, except for the sound of the three teen’s bare feet lightly tapping across the gray tile. Fluorescent lights kept the halls well lit, the white walls reflecting the glare at regular intervals. The girls walked quickly next to each other, each of them covering themselves with their hands as best they could. Christina’s heart pounded in fear, worried that at any moment someone might step out of a classroom or turn the corner into the hall they were moving through. She didn’t doubt that Sara and Cassie felt the same apprehension.

“Down here,” Cassie said, turning a corner into another hallway. “My locker’s a little ways away.”

“How far?” Christina asked.

“Almost the other end of the school.”

Christina felt a deep blush setting into her face and neck. She knew she was red with embarrassment. Glancing to her left she saw the Sara was blushing just as much. Past her she glanced at Cassie’s face. Hers was a deep red, with the reddened skin extending past her neck and into her upper chest. Christina couldn’t tell if it was from embarrassment or anger, but felt it was probably some of both.

Cassie led them into a third hallway, then she froze in her steps and huddled down slightly.

“We have to go back,” she whispered.

“What? Why?”

“Because I forgot the book club was meeting this week and they’re right down the hall. Their door is wide open!”

Christina looked past Cassie and saw the door she was indicating. The lights were on in the room and she could hear voices filtering down the hall towards them. A new level of fright struck her.

“Is there another way around?”

“Yeah, it’ll take longer but we have to go that way. There’s no way they won’t see us.”

Cassie turned around and went back into the second hallway, leading them further away from the gym. All three of them picked up their pace, the padding of their feet slightly louder as they ran. Christina heard desperation in the tapping noise. She felt a tear roll down her cheek, wiping it away with her hand and trying to focus on the solution they were heading for.

They turned down another hallway and Cassie froze again.

“There’s a light on in that classroom. The door is closed though.”

“Okay,” Sara said. “Is there anyone in there?”

“I can’t tell, but lots of after-school clubs take place. Let’s sneak below the window in the door, we’ll be okay.”

They neared the door and Christina could hear voices coming through it. She squatted low well before anyone could possibly see them through the window. Cassie reached the door first and crouched as low as she could, creeping past the door. Sara followed closely, her knees practically brushing the ground as she hunkered down. Christina felt a bolt of fear hit her as she crossed, worried that someone might open the door right as she was there. Reaching the far side of the door she listened carefully. The voices didn’t change in tone or volume. Her heart slowed a half pace in relief.

The teens started walking quickly once again. Cassie turned right, back towards the general direction of the gym, back to the hallway they had earlier abandoned. Everyone kept their hands firmly in place over their bodies, trying to move quickly but their altered body mechanics making it feel slightly awkward.

“Just down here,” Cassie said, darting into the last hall. She walked past the row of lockers and stopped at the sixth one, freeing a hand to start spinning the combination dial.

“Come on, come on,” Sara muttered.

“Don’t rush me, I’ll mess it up.”

In seconds Cassie finished working the lock and popped the locker open. The door made a clanking noise as the lock shifted then a slight squeak as the door swing on its hinges. Christina looked around frantically, hoping that the noise wasn’t going to draw any attention.

She watched Cassie pull a long coat out of her locker, followed by a light green shirt. She tossed the shirt to Sara then swung the coat around herself.

Sara unraveled the shirt, realizing it should cover either her or Christina to about mid-thigh. It would look weird with no sign of shorts or pants beneath it, but it would be enough for one of them to hide their body sufficiently.

Cassie finished fastening the coat around her and shut her locker. The door closing made another clanking noise, slightly quieter than the first. Christina looked around again, but the hallway was still empty.

“That’s all I can do to help,” Cassie said, strong finality in her voice. “I have to get home. And I have to figure out who did this to us.” The coat reached down to her knees. The only possible indication anyone could get that something was amiss was someone wearing a warm coat in the middle of spring, and her bare feet below.

Christina wasn’t concerned with working out who stole her clothes right now. There would be time for that in the future. Right now she just wanted to either get the shirt on or work on a plan with Sara if she got the shirt. “Alright. Thanks for the shirt, we’ll get it back to you tomorrow.”

“I’m not really worried about it, whenever is fine. Good luck.”

Cassie turned and started walking away from them. Sara motioned towards the ladies’ room down the hall, the opposite direction from where Cassie was heading. Christina followed her into the restroom and once they confirmed they were alone she leaned up against the door to stop it from being opened.

Sara looked the shirt over, an iron-on patch on the front claiming “finalist” and “Art Contest 2020” to anyone seeing it.

“So what do we do?” she asked.