Mischief Night.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean.
The halls of Coastline High School bustled with activity. Students were all over the place. Most of them were rushing to get to their next classes. All except one boy.
Fourteen-year-old freshman Will Turner stood at his locker. He was fiddling with his lock. He twisted it's lock from side-to-side. It took a few tries, but he finally got it. Will opened his locker. He grabbed his books. Then he closed his locker again. When he did, he found an older boy standing next to him.
The older boy's name was Jack Sparrow. He was Will's best friend. Jack was 17-years-old, and a senior.
"Hello, William", greeted Jack. Will grimaced slightly. He hated when one of his friends called him William. The only person who was allowed to use Will's full name was his father. And yet, Jack still called him William. But Will didn't know why. Maybe it was because Jack knew how uncomfortable that made Will feel. He probably just wanted to see how many times he could get away with it before Will finally snapped.
"Hi, Jack", Will answered through gritted teeth.
"Do you have any plans for tonight?" asked Jack.
"No, I don't", said Will.
"Do you even know what tonight is?" Jack asked.
"It's the night before Halloween", said Will.
"Technically yes", said Jack. "But it's also Mischief Night."
"Mischief Night?" asked Will.
"It's the night before Halloween", Jack explained. "Where kids go out and have a little fun."
"I know what Mischief Night is", said Will. "And by have a little fun, you mean vandalizing."
"Yeah", said Jack. "So do you want to come with me or not?" he asked.
"Forget it", spat Will. "Now if excuse me, I have classes to attend to." Then Will walked away.
Will went to the rest of his classes. He was a smart kid. He got good grades, and almost always correctly answered all questions that were asked to him. His teachers were very proud of him.
But today, Will had trouble concentrating. He replayed Jack's words over and over again. Should he go with Jack tonight, and vandalize the town? Part of him said yes, he should. It told him to live a little. Another part of him said no, he shouldn't. It pointed out the consequences. Will thought about them. If he did get caught by the cops, this would be his first crime. The consequences wouldn't be so bad. He'd be brought home by the cops, and let off with a warning. His dad would probably also ground him as well. But Will could live with that. It was less severe than being thrown in Juvenile Hall, or worse, jail. Will still didn't know what he should do. He had never felt more confused in his whole life.
"Brinnng!" the school bell rang. It was 3:00. Time to go home. Will got onto his bus. He found an empty seat. He sat down in it. Seconds later, a girl sat down next to him.
She was Elizabeth Swann. Like Will, Elizabeth was 14 and a freshman. She was also Will's girlfriend.
"Hi", said Elizabeth.
"Hi", said Will.
"You look troubled", said Elizabeth. "Care to talk about it?" she asked.
Will let out a sigh. "I was talking to Jack this morning", he said.
"And what happened?" asked Elizabeth.
"You know tonight's Mischief Night, right?" asked Will
"Yes", said Elizabeth. "Let me guess", she continued, "Jack asked you to go cause mischief with him?"
Will nodded. "He did", he said.
"The same thing happened between me and Anna Maria today", said Elizabeth.
Sixteen-year-old junior Anna Maria Lamar was Elizabeth's best friend. She also just happened to be Jack's girlfriend.
"How'd you handle it with her?" asked Will.
"I said yes", said Elizabeth. Will's mouth dropped wide open. His eyes bulged out of his head. He felt his body go pale. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
"What?!" he asked uneasily. "Why did you say yes?
"I thought it would be fun", said Elizabeth.
"Yeah, fun as in illegal, Will said sarcastically.
"Did you say no to Jack?" asked Elizabeth.
"Absolutely", said Will. "It's a stupid idea." Just then, the bus came to a stop. It was right in front of Will's house.
"This is my stop", said Will. "I got to go. Bye". He stood up from his seat.
"Bye", Elizabeth called after him.
Will got off the bus. He walked up to the front door of his house. He let himself in with his spare key. As soon as Will was inside, he heard a voice.
"Will, is that you?" it asked.
"Yeah, dad", said Will. "It's me."
Will's dad came downstairs. His name was William Turner, Sr. Most people just called him Bill though, to avoid confusion between father and son.
"How was school?" asked Bill.
"It was good", said Will.
"Good", said Bill. "I'm happy to hear that." "Listen, I'm going to a Halloween party down at work. I have to leave now. I probably won't be back until midnight."
"Okay", said Will.
"There's some food in the fridge", said Bill. "You can have it whenever you want. Also do your homework. And be in bed by 11:30. No exceptions, young man."
"You don't have to worry about me, dad", said Will. "I'll be good."
"Alright", said Will. Then he left to go to his party. Will watched his father go. Bill's car pulled out of the driveway. It turned a corner, and disappeared.
Will had the whole house to himself. But he still heard Jack's words in his head. Confusion rushed back to him.
"Oh, this is just great!" Will muttered. He groaned, and rolled his eyes. This was going to be a long night.
Will decided that he needed to do something to keep his mind off Mischief Night. The first thing he did was eat dinner. He had macaroni and cheese. That was Will's favorite meal.
After dinner, Will did his homework. I didn't take him that long. This was because he didn't have a lot of work to do. And Will was also a very fast and efficient worker.
When his homework was done, Will looked at the clock. It was 6:15. The sun had already set.
"Dad said he wouldn't be home until midnight", Will told himself. But it was just an estimate. Bill really wouldn't come home until much later. There were even sometimes when Bill got home at the time Will was just about to wake up at the next morning.
"That's it", announced Will. "I can't deny this feeling anymore. I'm going to go out for Mischief Night."
Before he could go, Will needed some supplies. The first place he looked was the bathroom. He ran up to his bathroom. He grabbed three rolls of toilet paper, and a can of shaving cream. Then Will ran back downstairs. He went to the kitchen. He grabbed a carton of eggs out of the fridge.
Will put the toilet paper, the shaving cream and the eggs into an old pillowcase. Then he slipped out of the house through the back door.
It was dark outside, except for a few streetlamps. A cool Autumn breeze blew through the air. It wasn't that cold out, but Will gripped his gray hooded sweatshirt close to him. He let out a small shiver. His shiver was more from fear, however, and not from feeling cold. Then Will felt someone grab him. The person dragged Will into an ally, and pushed him up against a wall.
"Hey, what's the big idea?" asked Will. "Let go of me.!" Then Will's grabber came into view. It was Jack.
"Jack?" Will asked in disbelief. "Is it really you?"
"Of course it's me", said Jack. "Who'd you think it was, the Boogie Man?"
"No", said Will. "And what were you trying to do, make me wet myself?"
"Did you", asked Jack. He looked down to see if he could find a urine stain of Will's pants. He didn't find one.
"Of course not", said Will. "What do you think I am, a baby?" Jack ignored him. He started walking further down the alley.
"Come on", said Jack. "We're already late as it is. The others are waiting for us." Will ran to catch up with his friend. As they walked, Jack nudged Will in the ribs.
"What is it?" asked Will.
"I'm glad you came", said Jack. "But what made you change your mind?"
"I don't know", said Will.
Then the two boys came to an old fence. Jack kicked over an old fence board. He walked through the hole in the fence. Will followed him. They were now standing in a small vacant lot. This was Jack's secret hideout. Elizabeth and Anna Maria came out to greet Jack and Will. They were joined by two other boys, named Pintel and Ragetti.
Nobody really knew how old Pintel and Ragetti were. Pintel looked a little older than Jack, 18 or 19, at least. Ragetti seemed to be around 16. They were the best of friends, and had the reputation of being the real-life Timon and Pumbaa.
"Now that we're all here, did anybody bring something?" asked Jack.
"I did", said Will. He tossed his pillowcase over to Jack. Jack looked inside. He smiled, obviously impressed by what he saw.
"Shaving cream, toilet paper and eggs", said Jack. "Nice going, whelp." He gave the pillowcase back to Will. Will smiled. Then he frowned. Whelp was another one of Jack's nicknames for him. As was the case with William, Will hated being called whelp.
"Did anybody else bring something?" asked Jack.
"I have the same stuff as Will", said Elizabeth.
"Me too", said Anna Maria.
"Ragetti and I brought silly string", said Pintel.
"Excellent", said Jack.
"What did you bring, Jack?" asked Will. Jack smirked.
"I have spray paint", he said.
"How are we going to do this?" asked Will. "Are we all going to stay together, or split up?"
"Let's split up", said Jack. "It'll be easier that way. And we'll all meet back here at midnight." The others nodded in agreement.
"Girls", Jack said to Elizabeth and Anna Maria, "You go that way." He pointed to his left. Then he turned to Pintel and Ragetti. "You two will go that way", he said. He pointed to his right. "And Turner, you come with me", said Jack, turning towards Will.
"What are we going to do?" asked Will.
"I got something special planned for us", said Jack. He fingered a can of spray paint that was in his pants pocket. Will gulped. He didn't like the sound of that.
The six teenagers split up in their appointed directions. Elizabeth and Anna Maria made up one group. Pintel and Ragetti were another. The last duo was Jack and Will.
"This is either madness or brilliance", Will said when he and Jack were alone.
"Funny how those traits often coincide", Jack called over his shoulder.
"Yeah", said Will. "Particularly when I'm around you", said Will.
"Oh, shut up", Jack hissed. Then he stopped. "Ah, we're here", he said. He and Will were standing in front of a large house. The house had two floors and many windows. A light was shining from window on the second floor.
"This is Principal Barbossa's house", said Will. "What are we doing he-." He stopped mid-sentence. A realization dawned on him. His eyes and mouth gapped wide open in shock.
"You were planning to vandalize this place all along!" Will exclaimed. He pointed an accusing finger at Jack. Jack just smiled.
"Yeah, I was", Jack said coolly. "It's the perfect payback for all the humiliation Barbossa has put me through over the years."
Hector Barbossa was the principal of Coastline high. He was a no-nonsense man, who had very little patience for the adolescent antics of his students. Jack was a frequent visitor to his office. He was in there practically everyday, for one reason or another.
"Jack", said Will. He tried to sound as sympathetic as possible. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe it was YOUR own fault that you keep ending up in the principal's office?" he asked.
"No", said Jack. "Barbossa just hates me. That's the only reason I can think of." Will looked dumbfounded. He sometimes found it impossible to reason with his best friend.
Jack took the spay paint from his pocket. He uncapped it, and began painting the side of Barbossa's house with it. The paint was red. That was Jack's favorite color.
"Don't just stand there", Jack said to Will. "Grab your stuff and start doing something with it." Will pulled the can of shaving cream from his pillowcase. He began spaying it on the wall next to Jack's graffiti. He drew something that looked like it was in the shape of a pirate hat.
When he ran out of shaving cream, Will grabbed the eggs. He threw them to the three highest windows. They splattered everywhere.
Next came the toilet paper. Will got all three rolls. He threw two roles into a tree. The third one was thrown on to the roof of Barbossa's house.
A new feeling came over Will. He had never experienced anything like it before. It was as if a new person was being born in side of him. One who was more rebellious. It made Will feel very good, even liberated, actually.
"Hey, Will, get over here!" yelled Jack. Will snapped out of his thoughts. He ran over to where Jack was standing. Jack moved aside to let Will see his graffiti. The words "Jack Sparrow was here!" were written in big red letters on the wall.
"Oh great, Jack", Will scoffed. "Now Barbossa is going to know exactly who did this."
"You know me", said Jack. "I always leave my mark everywhere I go."
"I know", said Will.
"And it's not like I did this all by myself", said Jack. "You helped." He narrowed his eyes at Will.
"Well at least I didn't write my name for everybody to see!" Will said defensively.
"Whatever", said Jack.
Will angrily stuffed his hands into the pockets of his sweatshirt. He stared down at the ground. I wonder how everybody else is fairing, he thought to himself.
Elizabeth and Anna Maria were walking through the streets together. They hadn't vandalized any houses yet. They talked as they walked.
"This is great", said Anna Maria.
"Yeah", said Elizabeth. "Thanks for inviting me."
"What are friends for?" asked Anna Maria. "But I think we should really be thanking Jack. After all, he was the one who thought of it."
"Why did you come?" asked Elizabeth.
"Jack is my boyfriend", Anna Maria explained. "I do what he says."
"Okay", said Elizabeth. "I came because it sounded like fun. I guess Pintel and Ragetti came because they probably didn't have anything better to do. But when I saw Will at the hideout, I was really surprised."
"How come?" asked Anna Maria.
"When I told Will about this on the bus, we got into an argument", said Elizabeth. "He yelled at me." Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. Anna Maria put a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder.
"It's alright", she said soothingly. I'm sure Will didn't mean to yell at you. He was probably just shocked that you'd do something like this." Elizabeth dried her eyes. She took a deep breath.
"I know", Elizabeth said as she exhaled. "I know he didn't mean to yell at me. I know he forgives me. I forgive him as well. Will can never stay mad at me for very long. He loves me too much, just as I love him." Anna Maria had to laugh at the last thing Elizabeth said.
"Isn't that the truth", she said. The two girls continued walking. Then Elizabeth stopped again. She was staring and pointing at a ghostly-looking old house that stood on the corner of the block.
"What is it?" asked Anna Maria.
"That's Mr. Jones' house", said Elizabeth. She had her eyes firmly set on his house.
Davy Jones was Coastline high's math teacher. Elizabeth was a very good student. But math was her one weak spot. Having a teacher like Davy Jones didn't help at all. It only just made matters worse. Elizabeth ran up to the house. She began pelting it with eggs.
"Take that, Mr. Jones!" she shouted. Anna Maria joined her. She slathered shaving cream on the house. They then ran off laughing. Anna Maria pointed to another house.
"Isn't that Mr. Gibbs' house?" she asked.
"Yes, it is", said Elizabeth.
Joshamee Gibbs was Elizabeth's history teacher. History was Elizabeth's favorite subject. Mr. Gibbs was her favorite teacher. He was always so nice to her.
"Come on. Let's see what we can do to his house", said Anna Maria. But Elizabeth held her back.
"No!" said Elizabeth.
"Why not?" asked Anna Maria.
"I wouldn't want to hurt Mr. Gibbs' feelings", said Elizabeth. The expression on Anna Maria's face softened.
"I guess you're right", she said. "I know he's your favorite teacher. He's mine too."
"What time is it?" asked Elizabeth. "I forgot to bring my watch." Anna Maria looked at her watch.
"It's 11:30", she said. "Why don't we start heading back to the hideout? I want to see if we can get there before the boys do."
"That sounds good", said Elizabeth. "I feel kind of sleepy." The girls began the walk back to the hideout.
Pintel and Ragetti's night had been very eventful. They had already vandalized many houses. Now they were just standing around, deciding what to do next.
"The graveyard's over there", said Ragetti. He pointed to a patch of land that was across the street from where he and Pintel were standing. It may have been pitch black outside, but Ragetti still knew the place he was indicating was in fact a graveyard. This was because of the spooky aurora that came from over there.
"So?" asked Pintel.
"Let's see what kind of fun we can have in there", said Ragetti. He grinned devilishly.
"Are you nuts?!" asked Pintel. "I'm not going with you. It's illegal to sneak into a graveyard at night. And I'm afraid of graveyards."
"You have to come with me", said Ragetti. "You're my best friend. I do know it's illegal to sneak into a graveyard at night. But kids do it all the time. They rarely get caught. And who knows? You might even get over your fear of graveyards."
Pintel and Ragetti walked into the graveyard. They came to a small tombstone.
"We'll start here", said Ragetti. He reached into his backpack, and took out his can of silly string. He shook the can a few times. Then he prepared to spray it. Nothing came out of it.
"Uh-oh", said Ragetti. "I'm all out of silly string.." "Pinters", he said, using Pintel's nickname, "check to see if your can still has something in it." Pintel tried to spray his can. It was empty too.
"What do we do know, Rags?" Pintel asked. Rags was Ragetti's nickname.
"I say we run for it!" said Ragetti. He and Pintel ran out of the graveyard as fast as they could. They safely made it back across the street.
"That was such a bad idea", said Ragetti. "I'm sorry I talked you into it."
"It's okay", said Pintel. "I think we should start heading for the hideout."
"I think so too", said Ragetti.
The six kids began returning to the hideout. Elizabeth and Anna Maria were the first ones in. They were soon followed by Pintel and Ragetti. The last duo in was Jack and Will.
"Yes!" said Jack in triumph. "We're home free."
"I'd prefer to say that when I'm at home, safe in my own bed", said Will.
"Suit yourself", said Jack.
"Maybe we should be going home now", said Elizabeth. They were all about to go home, when they heard sirens blaring far away in the distance. The kids thought it was nothing at first. But then the sirens sounded again. They were even closer this time.
"It's the cops!" Jack screamed with horrified realization. "Run away!"
He and his friends started to scatter. Unfortunately, they all ended up out in the open. The lights from the police car shone brightly into their eyes. Will nearly fell over. A figure stepped out of the care. It was officer James Norrington.
"Jack Sparrow", said Officer Norrington. "I might have known." It was clear that Jack had some run-ins with this particular officer in the past.
"Hello", Officer Norrington", Jack said quietly. He was blushing a little bit. His head hung low in shame.
"I don't know you three", Officer Norrington said. He motioned to Anna Maria, Pintel and Ragetti. Then he noticed Will and Elizabeth.
"Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann?" Norrington asked in a questioning tone. "This is very unexpected indeed. I never thought I'd find you two in the presence of someone like him." Norrington pointed to Jack.
"Jack is a friend of ours", said Will.
"Is that so", asked Officer Norrington. Will nodded. Norrington loaded the six kids into the back of his car. Then he drove off.
"I'm going to ask you again", Officer Norrington said to Will. "Where do you live?"
"I have the right to remain silent", said Will. "Everything I say can and WILL be used against me in a court of law."
"Relax, whelp" said Jack. "He just wants to take us home."
"That's what he WANTS us to think", replied Will.
Then the police car suddenly came to a screeching halt. Officer Norington got out. He walked around to the passenger door, and opened it.
"Come on, Turner", he said to Will. "You're home." Will followed the cop out of the car, and up to his house. Will felt very nervous. He was breathing heavily. His heart beat wildly in his chest. Dad's not going to like this, Will thought.
Officer Norrington hid Will behind his back. He rang the doorbell. Bill Turner answered it. He was taken off guard by the cop's appearance.
"Good evening, officer", said Bill. "What can I do for you?"
"Good evening, Mr. Turner", replied Officer Norrington. "I believe this is your son." He stepped aside to reveal Will.
"What did he do?" asked Bill.
"I found him in the company of a certain young Jack Sparrow", said Norrington. "They and some other kids had apparently been partaking in some sort of Mischief Night ritual." Bill looked at his son. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Normally, I would automatically incarcerate anyone whom I found in Sparrow's presence", said Norrington. "But since this is young William's first offense, I'll let him off with a warning. Perhaps you, being his father, can administer a punishment you find fitting."
"Yes, of course", said Bill. "I can assure you that it won't happen again." He said this more to Will than to the cop who was standing right in front of him.
"Take care now", said Norrington. Then he left the old. Bill turned to face Will.
"I am very disappointed in you", said Bill. "What were you thinking, and what do you have to say for yourself?" he asked. "Of all the kids to go out on Mischief Night, you were the one I least expected to do so. You are definitely grounded."
Will tried to say something. But he didn't. He know it was a bad idea to argue with his father. Especially when he was this angry.
Will just ran upstairs to his room. He angrily slammed his door, and kicked his nightstand. Then he collapsed onto his bed. Will was so mad that he cried himself to sleep.
The next day, Will met up with his friends at school. They had all received punishments similar to his. Will learned a very important lesson that night. Though Mischief Night was fun at first, it ended up being more trouble than it was worth. Will never did anything like that ever again.
The End.
A/N: 1.) You'll notice I didn't refer to Will's dad as "Bootstrap" Bill Turner. This is because I thought the nickname Bootstrap was a little out of place, given this story's modern setting.
2.) There's a reason I compared Pintel and Ragetti to Timon and Pumbaa. After seeing both Pirates of the Caribbean and The Lion King hundreds of times, I discovered some striking similarities between these two duos.
3.) I snuck in a quote from one of the movies into the story. I want to see if my readers can identify it. Her are some hints: A: It was originally said in Curse of the Black Pearl.
B: In this story, the quote is said by Jack and Will in exactly the same way they said it in that movie.