Jason and Dominic walked through the halls, eventually stopping in front of the janitors' closet. Jason turned the knob and stepped aside, swinging the door open. "Ladies first," he said to Dominic as they stepped through. Dominic playfully punched him in the arm.
The custodians' closet was actually a room that they had been given when they threatened to go on strike. Little of the space was used for cleaning supplies. Most of the space was filled with furniture. There was a large wooden desk with a radio and a few CD'S on it that was set between two large, comfortable looking wooden chairs. The two friends side-stepped the chair on the left and walked to the back wall of the room.
The wall had to brown metal doors. The door on the right led to a spacious bathroom. The door on the left however had a small silver plaque that read "ROOF". Dominic opened the door this time, ushering Jason in with a swat on the butt. Jason, looked back as Dominic closed the door, a devilish grin on his face. The stairway was narrow and filled with dust. Dominic began coughing, all of the dust affecting his asthma. Jason looked back, the smile gone, replaced by a look of concern. Jason grabbed Dominic's hand and jogged up the rest of the steps. Dominic opened the door at the top of the steps and, pulling Dominic forward, they stepped into a warm Californian day.
Jason noticed he was still holding Dominic's hand and dropped it. He then took out a pack of cigarettes and put one in his mouth, lighting it in one swift motion. He walked to the edge of the roof and sat down, swinging his legs over open air, blowing neat little circles of smoke from his mouth. Dominic came to sit by him, sitting down heavily. Jason looked up at the sky, trying to make shapes out of the clouds like he used to do with Dominic all the time. He didn't notice when Dominic scooted a little closer.
"So are you gonna tell me what's wrong?" Dominic asked. Jason chuckled. Dominic knew him so well. Jason went on to explain the situation. Part of the reason they got along so well was because they were both adopted. It was something they both had in common. They never knew their parents, and quite frankly, neither of them wanted to. Dominic had gotten adopted into an upper-middle class family, had his own car, own room. It was a good family.
Jason had been adopted into the exact opposite. His family was relatively poor, and he shared a small room with his eleven year old adopted brother, Michael. His main mode of transportation at the moment was an old black mountain bike. The family though was nice. But, again, they were poor. They want Jason to start help paying bills. "I don't know what I'm going to do," Jason whispered, a silent tear running through the groove in his scar.
But Dominic had an idea. "That new beach hotel," he said excitedly. "They just opened up. They might need help still." Dominic was happy with himself, and a slow smile went across Jason's face as well. "So," Dominic said. "I'll pick you up at six?" Jason nodded, and stood up. He dropped the cigarette and ground it out with his heel.
"Let's go," Jason announced. "I'm hungry, and I'm not eating that cafeteria food." And with that, they left the roof.