A short Hispanic man in a blue uniform holding a mop and bucket stood in the doorway. Cyrus let out a long sigh of relief.
The man motioned towards the room. "Clean?"
"Is it clean?" Cyrus said, trying to figure out what he meant.
"I clean?"
"Oh, uh...yeah! Sure!" Cyrus started walking towards the janitor. "But I was just...getting...changed in here. And...so if you could wait one minute...un momento..." Cyrus held up a finger. "And then you can come in." Cyrus smiled as he slowly closed the door. "Just...just a minute! Thanks!"
Once Cyrus had the door closed, he ran across the room, hoisted himself up onto the shelf and climbed quickly out the window, landing with a plop onto the ground outside.
"Good save," Josie said with a sincere smile.
"Oh yeah, Cyrus is Mr. Smooth," Luke snorted. "Why didn't you just tell him he couldn't clean the room?"
"I don't know. I wasn't thinking right. But I got him out of there didn't I?" Cyrus defended himself. "Anyway, the point is we're all out here, the janitor's in the hall, but he could come back in any second."
They all looked at each other.
Mark spoke up. "Then let's bolt!"
***
Cyrus, Josie, Luke, Mark, and Tom stopped breathlessly as soon as they were out of the view of the school.
"So," Luke puffed. "Where should we go from here?"
"I propose we hit the a couple blocks down," Tom suggested. He wiggled his eyebrows.
"Sounds good," approved Josie, her hand in Tom's.
"Lllllet's go then!" Mark grinned.
Cyrus and Luke nodded and smiled. "Right on."
***
When the group of seniors got to the mall, they immediately came to an indecision as to which stores to visit.
"We should go to Victoria's Secret!" Tom said smiling.
Mark laughed. "Oh, hell, yeah, man, right on!"
Cyrus laughed and held up his hands. "Oh, no ya don't. I'm not going in there."
"Ah, why not?" Josie gently nudged him. "We can go somewhere else afterward."
"But..."
Luke rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time that day. "Okay, if Bolooki doesn't want to go we'll just go without him."
"You're a fucking asshole, you know, that, Luke?" Cyrus rolled his eyes but couldn't help smiling. "All right, let's go."
So they walked up to the second floor to the lingerie shop. As soon as they walked in, Tom's eyes lit up. "This is heaven."
"No, dude," Mark said. "It isn't anything until we see the models."
Tom put an arm around Josie. "I have my own personal model right here." She laughed and playfully swatted him.
Very feminine shoppers stared at the group of teenagers as they walked down the aisles looking at the lingerie, Mark fingering the laciest of ones.
He was just holding a silk, rose-patterned bra-and-panties set up to himself when a chubby, manicured finger lightly tapped his shoulder.
Mark turned around and saw a short, somewhat stocky old woman with a twisted updo and a brown pantsuit eyeing the group.
"May I help you?" she said coldly.
Luke leaned over to Tom. "You'd think they would have some sexier broads working here," he whispered.
Tom shifted the attention from Luke's remark and said, "Yes, do you have any zebras?"
The lady pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows. "Well, sir, we have an animal print section in the back--"
"That's not what I meant, ma'am," Tom said politely.
"What did you mean then?" The saleslady's patience seemed to be wearing down.
"A zebra," Tom responded with a perfectly straight face. "You know, a bra in the largest size..."
The lady's face was blank for a moment, then turned red as her fingernails as slow realization dawned on her. "Why...I can't believe...out!" she sputtered. "I want you out of this store, and if I see any of you in here again, I will call security."
The fivesome walked hurriedly, silently out of the store, and once they were a good distance away they burst out laughing.
"Somebody's a little slow!" Luke chuckled.
"Hey, I don't see what's funny," Tom said. "Now we can't go into Victoria's Secret anymore."
Mark patted him on the shoulder. "Cheer up, my friend. There are other malls."
"Well, now that we've been thrown out of there, where do you want to go?" Josie asked.
"I don't know about you guys but I'm starved. I had to skip lunch today to cram for the chem quiz..." Cyrus began.
"You know what that means, kiddies!" Mark took on a superhero-ly pose as he thrust an arm in front of himself. "Off to the food court!"
The man motioned towards the room. "Clean?"
"Is it clean?" Cyrus said, trying to figure out what he meant.
"I clean?"
"Oh, uh...yeah! Sure!" Cyrus started walking towards the janitor. "But I was just...getting...changed in here. And...so if you could wait one minute...un momento..." Cyrus held up a finger. "And then you can come in." Cyrus smiled as he slowly closed the door. "Just...just a minute! Thanks!"
Once Cyrus had the door closed, he ran across the room, hoisted himself up onto the shelf and climbed quickly out the window, landing with a plop onto the ground outside.
"Good save," Josie said with a sincere smile.
"Oh yeah, Cyrus is Mr. Smooth," Luke snorted. "Why didn't you just tell him he couldn't clean the room?"
"I don't know. I wasn't thinking right. But I got him out of there didn't I?" Cyrus defended himself. "Anyway, the point is we're all out here, the janitor's in the hall, but he could come back in any second."
They all looked at each other.
Mark spoke up. "Then let's bolt!"
***
Cyrus, Josie, Luke, Mark, and Tom stopped breathlessly as soon as they were out of the view of the school.
"So," Luke puffed. "Where should we go from here?"
"I propose we hit the a couple blocks down," Tom suggested. He wiggled his eyebrows.
"Sounds good," approved Josie, her hand in Tom's.
"Lllllet's go then!" Mark grinned.
Cyrus and Luke nodded and smiled. "Right on."
***
When the group of seniors got to the mall, they immediately came to an indecision as to which stores to visit.
"We should go to Victoria's Secret!" Tom said smiling.
Mark laughed. "Oh, hell, yeah, man, right on!"
Cyrus laughed and held up his hands. "Oh, no ya don't. I'm not going in there."
"Ah, why not?" Josie gently nudged him. "We can go somewhere else afterward."
"But..."
Luke rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time that day. "Okay, if Bolooki doesn't want to go we'll just go without him."
"You're a fucking asshole, you know, that, Luke?" Cyrus rolled his eyes but couldn't help smiling. "All right, let's go."
So they walked up to the second floor to the lingerie shop. As soon as they walked in, Tom's eyes lit up. "This is heaven."
"No, dude," Mark said. "It isn't anything until we see the models."
Tom put an arm around Josie. "I have my own personal model right here." She laughed and playfully swatted him.
Very feminine shoppers stared at the group of teenagers as they walked down the aisles looking at the lingerie, Mark fingering the laciest of ones.
He was just holding a silk, rose-patterned bra-and-panties set up to himself when a chubby, manicured finger lightly tapped his shoulder.
Mark turned around and saw a short, somewhat stocky old woman with a twisted updo and a brown pantsuit eyeing the group.
"May I help you?" she said coldly.
Luke leaned over to Tom. "You'd think they would have some sexier broads working here," he whispered.
Tom shifted the attention from Luke's remark and said, "Yes, do you have any zebras?"
The lady pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows. "Well, sir, we have an animal print section in the back--"
"That's not what I meant, ma'am," Tom said politely.
"What did you mean then?" The saleslady's patience seemed to be wearing down.
"A zebra," Tom responded with a perfectly straight face. "You know, a bra in the largest size..."
The lady's face was blank for a moment, then turned red as her fingernails as slow realization dawned on her. "Why...I can't believe...out!" she sputtered. "I want you out of this store, and if I see any of you in here again, I will call security."
The fivesome walked hurriedly, silently out of the store, and once they were a good distance away they burst out laughing.
"Somebody's a little slow!" Luke chuckled.
"Hey, I don't see what's funny," Tom said. "Now we can't go into Victoria's Secret anymore."
Mark patted him on the shoulder. "Cheer up, my friend. There are other malls."
"Well, now that we've been thrown out of there, where do you want to go?" Josie asked.
"I don't know about you guys but I'm starved. I had to skip lunch today to cram for the chem quiz..." Cyrus began.
"You know what that means, kiddies!" Mark took on a superhero-ly pose as he thrust an arm in front of himself. "Off to the food court!"
