'The Gang' not having experience in the practical joking arena were not very good at coming up with ideas. So it was left to CJ. She decided that since there were 8 of them and each one had a different first period class they should set up each class first thing in the morning so that each of them had a turn to be present when the prank was 'played' out.
One of the decisions that Steven and CJ made together was that they would start out slow and build in complexity as they wanted to ease their rookie friends into the pranks. So first off was Ashley's class, she was the most nervous and so getting her turn over with would help her feel more comfortable and show her that things would be 'just fine'. CJ hoped they would be just fine.
Tuesday morning arrived and Ashley's classmates filed into the storage hall to retrieve their instruments. Each student reached for their case, grabbed their sheet music and made their way to their seats. The confusion started when they opened their cases and not one person found the correct instrument in their case. Not only that, any instrument that could be disassembled was and their parts strewn amongst the cases. A game of "do you have a part for my instrument" ensued and almost everybody played the game with a smile on their face and giggle in their chest. Ashley was astounded that something so simple could cause such puzzlement and make her feel so happy doing it.
At lunch time the mayhem that was first period for Ashley was all 'the gang' talked about. CJ had only ever had Steven as an accomplice and until now he was rather unwilling. Having 7 enthusiastic participants was more than CJ could ever have hoped for. Not only that there was little no response from the staff. It was just part of the culture, something to be expected and so there wasn't even a call for the guilty party to come forward. Being part of a very large school had its advantages.
CJ had History for her first period class and it was difficult to set anything up in the class as there was little in the room but black boards and desks. So for another "easy" start they copied a prank she had used the previous year in Mr. Gillis' class and on Friday when Mrs. Bolton entered her classroom she found each of the desks facing a different direction including her own. Mrs. Bolton left the desks as they were until the class arrived and suggested that instead of putting the desks back as they were they should rearrange the classroom. "It seems that someone is unhappy with our current set up, and I tend to agree we need a new point of view to keep the juices flowing." When it came time to explain to everyone at lunch they were all impressed at how Mrs. Bolton has been able to just go with the flow so to speak. CJ felt she needed to warn them that her response was not one that they could count on from other teachers in the same situation.
Now they had to decide whose turn it was next and what they were going to do. Owen had computer science first period and Avery said he could help set something up. Monday afternoon Avery said he had the little program ready to install, and on Tuesday morning all armed with flash drives 'the gang' entered the computer lab and quickly downloaded the files necessary onto each workstation. Once the task was completed they all headed out to their respective classes anticipating the stories that Owen would bring to the lunch table.
They were not disappointed. Owen described how each time someone hit the enter key a paintball splatter appeared in the middle of the screen and looked as though it was dripping down the monitor while a mechanical voice yelled "Got 'cha". After a few seconds it would disappear and the student would continue working to have it happen again when they hit the enter key. With an entire computer lab of 20 students working it was rather loud and took a while for the teacher to realize what was going. It then took most of the class to figure out how to delete the program and get it off of all the machines. Due to the fact that Owen hadn't written the program himself he was able to play the innocent well and easily stayed quiet when Mr. Merrill asked who was responsible. 'The gang' was impressed by how this practical joking worked and how much fun it added to the boring day to day routine of school. And so they were already discussing who was next and what they could do in that class.
The group had "upped" the stakes and it was still working out for them. There had been questions from the "authorities" so to speak but nothing more than a please come forward. CJ was also impressed with how the group was still happily participating including Steven. In the past he had always been hesitant to say the least and generally as things heated up he was the first to try and talk her out of it. Today he sat in the cafeteria suggesting his class be next in line.
Steven had PE first thing in the morning. There were so many things one could do with a storage locker full of equipment and a change room full of showers. They decided that it was easiest to focus on the change rooms and so it was actually Atti who came up with the idea of putting glue in the soap dispensers in the shower area. So Friday morning all the boys were in emptying the soap and refilling them. The girls hung out in the corridor as look outs. But because of the location of the change rooms no one walked by and they were all headed off to class within minutes. Steven had remembered his own supply of soap and told the other guys in the group that if things hadn't been sorted out by their class they could use his he'd leave it in his locker.
Steven vividly described the chaos and swearing that had occurred in the shower after PE that morning. And also a few stories from the basketball team as they had used the showers before class started. Guys with glue everywhere and the hot water making it stickier and messier trying to figure out why the soap wasn't working. Only a few people used the soap substitute before others offered their personal supply but it was enough that coach Jenson had a few words with the class. But having worked in teenage boy locker rooms for most of his career coach Jenson really didn't expect to find out who or why this switch had taken place and quickly moved on to solving the problem.
Over the next week leading up to the Christmas break each of the friends took a turn and they set up their class with some little prank. No one was caught and very little was even said about it by the teachers. They were getting a little more involved with each one and CJ was having fun orchestrating the group and who was doing what. And then it came to be Ainsley's turn. They had left her to last because she had science first. And to say that CJ had a bit of a problem with science labs and pranks was putting it mildly, so she had wanted to leave that one until last, until the day before vacation.
Ainsley had taken stock of what was available and CJ had looked up the "side effects" of the different substances. Silver Nitrate powder seemed to be the best option. It burned a bit if you held it but wasn't "dangerous" and would turn the victim's hands silver and then purple. So on the Friday before Christmas vacation 'the gang' entered the science area and while some people were look outs and others cleared a spot on the teacher's desk CJ and Ainsley retrieved the silver nitrate from the storage cabinet and sprinkled it lightly on the surface of the teachers work station. Ainsley left the room so that she would enter with the rest of her class. CJ and the others dispersed and went their merry ways, waiting for the stories at lunch hour. Unlike Ashley, Ainsley was not faint of heart and could hold her own in any situation so when she got to the cafeteria and looked shaken and a pit pale, CJ started worrying immediately.
"What happened?" everyone asked all at once excitedly except CJ who was very serious indeed.
When Ainsley didn't answer immediately, CJ shushed the group and asked again very gently making sure to keep eye contact with her friend "What happened?"
Sitting down in a daze she began to explain how Mr. Hu had entered the class and seeing that his desk was cleared and that something was all over the desk he carefully wiped it with a cloth and began by smelling the offending powder. But that is when things went terribly wrong. He sneezed and blew the powder ALL over including into his eyes. Being a chemistry teacher for over a decade made him aware that he needed to quickly get to the eye wash station and on his way there tripped over his stool. It was just one horrible thing after another. In the end he ended up with a no permanent issues with his eyes but had to go to the local hospital to get stitches across his cheek for the fall with the stool. They were looking for the culprits and were hoping that whoever it was would come forward.
The gang discussed it. No one was to say a word. No one knew it was them and with 2000 kids in the school no one would look to a quiet group of sophomores and freshmen as those responsible. CJ may have been able to convince the rest of them that all was well, but her heart still raced and she still had a hard time concentrating all afternoon. Steven knew her well enough that in English class that afternoon she was distracted and unable to participate he fielded all enquiries and took notes as necessary.
The bus ride home was a quiet affair because CJ didn't want to get Ashley or Atti worked up over something she had convinced them was "NO PROBLEM". But as soon as Steven and CJ's feet hit the pavement CJ started talking a mile a minute. It was a two way conversation and they concluded by the time they were sitting at the kitchen table snack in hand, and Christmas Break homework in front of them, that there truly was no possibility of being found out and that they just needed to lay low for a while. They would enjoy their two week vacation and return to class rejuvenated and without guilt.
'The gang' met several times over the holiday and on one such occasion spent a great deal of time discussing the pranks, the outcomes and should they try again in the new year. It was friendly but heated debate and one that got loud enough to bring Tony to the entrance of the living room.
"Hey" he called in, silencing them very quickly. CJ had tried to persuade her friends that her father was not scary but his authoritative tone, large size and the fact he carried a gun did little to prove her point. And so when he raised his voice to get their attention they responded immediately.
"What is all the racket about?" he had heard the words practical joke and prank in the sociable argument and was here for both crowd control and information gathering purposes.
"Nothing you need to worry about." CJ responded sarcastically.
Tony gave his best 'you'd better watch it young lady' look and waited until her posture changed from aggressive to compliant.
The deafening silence reined in the living room until Tony's footsteps could no longer be heard.
"Oooooo" everyone goaded CJ, everyone except Steven. Rolling her eyes, CJ huffed "Knock it off you guys, you only think what you're thinking because you're terrified of him" Thumbing in the direction her father had just retreated.
"Are NOT" several of them chanted in unison.
"Whatever" was CJ's retort as she rolled her eyes for a second time. "But I would suggest that we keep the volume down when discussing school pranks, I would say my dad would not think too highly of such conversations."
Only Steven gave a knowing laugh.
Before school started again in January Tony had made a point of discussing pranks with his daughter. She had been dismissive and said "Dad… do you know how many pranks get pulled each day? Do you really have any clue? You could write a list on a daily basis, a list, do you understand?" Tony decided to drop the current enquiries as CJ really did seem to have moved onto other recreational pursuits. Little did he know she had a whole new set of recruits to help her out.