Alice hadn't done anything to deserve this. She'd only offered to help. And it hadn't even been a sincere offer, at that –which Blood damn well knew and chose to ignore. She was more than slightly tempted to kick the last pile of boxes across the cafeteria. Instead, she picked them up and began waddling (which is really all she could do to move when carrying three boxes that likely weighed more than the car her older sister had lent her for the weekend) towards the door which she swore she had propped open.
If this day got much worse she would kill someone. Preferably Blood, the asshole who had gotten her into this mess. He had been assigned to moving the boxes. He was the one who had gotten himself into detention, and he should've been the one to serve out his punishment. But she'd gone and sarcastically offered her services, and Blood, who knew just how to manipulate the situation, had informed Elliot. And Elliot had been so happy that he didn't need to do it and could attend his championship in god knows what, that Alice hadn't the heart to refuse.
At least, she hadn't at the time. Had she know how much trouble it would have been, she would have refused no matter how much Elliot had looked like an overjoyed puppy.
Kicking open the door the art classroom Alice set down the precariously large stack of boxes and headed over to the wardrobe that was supposed to be the art cabinet but had never housed anything until today.
She opened the doors and screamed.
Two red eyes shone out of the wardrobe, and as she watched a creature unfurl itself from the darkness of the wardrobe.
"Shh I'm hiding."
"Ace?" Alice hissed. She was torn between shouting every foul word she knew and sinking down in relief. "What the actual hell are you doing in the wardrobe? You don't even take art!"
"Like I said, I'm hiding." He sounded so damn reasonable, but he was curled up into a space that was obviously too small for him, and she had a brief flash of amusement as she wondered whether or not he was capable of removing himself from the wardrobe without breaking something.
She tried not to smile. "Why? From what?"
"The wrestling club was having a hide-and-seek contest." Ace explained.
"Which ended an hour ago." Alice added wickedly. "So why are you still here?"
"No one's found me yet."
She gave him an appraising glance. "You just can't get out."
"Yeah?" Ace challenged, waving his one free arm as if it was proof he could leave the wardrobe at any time.
"Yeah."
"I am fully capable of removing myself from the wardrobe. I simply choose not to." Ace grinned cheerfully.
"Then please do so."
"Aw, you don't need to be so worried. I'll be out when I feel like it. Your concern over me has been touching, however."
"How about you come out now. And I'm not worried about you; I need to put these boxes away and you're in the way." Alice crossed her arms and waited, her smile getting bigger and bigger as she waited for him to move. This is what you get from hiding in a wardrobe, you overgrown child.
He didn't reply.
Then there was the cracking of wood, and two of the drawers that had previously been supporting Ace were gone, and he was one the ground in front of her, smiling. Alice looked from Ace to the wardrobe and back to Ace.
"You broke my storage." Alice groaned. "Now what am I supposed to do?"
"We could pretend it had nothing to do with you, and let the responsibility fall directly on Blood's lap, where it belongs." Ace suggested cheerfully, already dragging Alice out the door. "After that, we could grab dinner."
Alice snickered. "That's wicked. I like it."
"And dinner?"
"Only if you're buying."
"I can think of several other things I could buy." Ace gave a suggestive wink.
"Maybe you should start with my silence, Narnia Boy."