Detour: Pauline

The door to the indoor pool opened slowly and quietly before Pauline stuck her head out to check if the coast was clear. Her brown skin hid her blush. She was completely naked, having stripped down for an interview with the mysterious exhibitionist Mackenzie, who was callously streaking through the hotel despite the danger. But now it seemed the joke was on Pauline as she had lost her robe and was going to have to streak back to her hotel room. Hopefully without getting caught.

"Ok, here we go," Pauline breathed. She carefully slid out the door and sprinted down the hall with her arms crossed against her chest. Her room was just down the hall, and yet the run felt like an eternity, the air blasting her still dripping body, reminding over and over again of her mortifying reality. She was streaking naked in a hotel. She'd done some crazy things to get her stories, faked her identity, lied to police, even committed a few crimes, but this took the cake! Her heart must have been going a mile a minute. She took a turn and sped up, her room now in sight. A smile began to emerge on her face. Pauline was barely able to stop herself as she arrived at her door needed to hold the handle to keep herself balanced. However, then she turned the handle. And only when it didn't turn did Pauline remember she didn't have her keycard.

"No no no no," She whispered in fear. Pauline grabbed the door handle with both hands and desperately tried to **** it open but to no effect. Finally, she gave up. Crossed her arms over her chest against before kicked the door in frustration. It hurt, and Pauline arched her back while whimpering in both pain and embarrassment as she stood in the hallway locked out and naked.

"I gotta get out of here." Pauline said as she turned to run back to the indoor pool. It wasn't private, but at least she knew it was empty for now and offered places to hide. However, before she even took a single step. A door opened up in front of her. Pauline gasped, realizing someone was about to exit their room and see her. Without thinking, she turned around and sprinted in the opposite direction and ran down the closest corner she came across. She peaked out slightly from behind the corner as watched as the older lady that had caught her and Mackenzie earlier stepped out of her room and looked around.

"Please just go back inside." Pauline begged, but to no avail. The woman surveyed the hall with a look of determination on her face, and eventually, she caught a glimpse of Pauline in the corner.

"Hey!" She yelled. The woman couldn't make out who it was she was yelling at, but in her own mind, she was all but certain. "I know what you're doing! And I'm calling security!"

"Gah!" Pauline squealed as she sprinted down the hall in a panic. Security was the last thing she wanted to see right now not unless she wanted to be this evening's top story! She needed to get back to the pool but couldn't run past that angry lady in the hall, so she'd have to double back. Cautiously, Pauline snuck her way back towards the pool, taking a few left turns to get herself back in that direction. She carefully peeked down every hall, suddenly worried she'd run into a security officer or even a cop. Her reporter job had put her in conflict with conflict with people like that plenty of times, and she had always been able to deal with them face to face without flinching. She very much doubted a conversation now would end that way.

After peeking down the dozenth hallway, Pauline saw it. The swinging glass door leading to the pool stuck out of the wall. The streaking journalist wasted no time running to the door, forcing it open, and practically jumping through to safety. It was then that she realized her mistake. Pauline hadn't looked before she leapt. It came to her all at once. The feeling on concrete below her feet, the smell of the cool night air, the sound of the busy city streets, and the sight of the night sky above her.

Pauline froze, so shocked she couldn't move. She had never in her entire life been naked outside a bathroom, bedroom, or changing room, and now she was standing in a hotel parking lot completely exposed. And that wasn't even the worst part.

*Click*

"No," Pauline whispered before she turned around to see the swinging door shut. She turned around and began yanking on the handle. "No!"

And so, for the second time that night. The caramel skinned reporter desperately banged on a locked door with no way to get it open.