TJ awoke to a ringing, throbbing pain in is head. He opened his eyes,
and had no idea where he was. 'Oh man, I must have been captured by Lawson
or something'. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. He whipped around,
expecting a guard or a thug, or maybe even Lawson himself.
"Teej, you're okay!"
Spinelli. If there was one person he could have chosen to see at that point, he would have chosen her.
"Depends on what you mean by okay. My head feels like it's about to explode. Hey, what are you doing here, they got you too?"
"Got me, that rock must have done more damage than we thought."
"Huh?"
"Teej, no one got us, we got away, for now at least, we're in Fort Tender ya big doofus."
"Oh...right...I knew that."
"Sure, anyways, Gretch said you should take it easy for a couple days, but that you should be okay" 'Thank God' she thought.
"Speaking of Gretch, where are her and the guys anyways?"
"They made another run to the warehouse, you know, get some food."
Then he remembered. The house, the food, the generator, it was all gone. They would have to start from scratch. With Lawson after them. This was not good.
"We'll have to get out of here."
"Huh, why?"
"Spin, this is the first place Lawson would look for us. He knows all about fort Tender. He tried to take it from us before remember? As soon as the guys get back from the warehouse, we're movin' out."
"You sure about this Teej, I mean, where are we gonna go?"
"I don't know, but I- hey, wait a minute, that's it!"
"What's it?"
"Spinelli, you can still pick locks right?"
That was an unusual question; TJ usually frowned on her not-so-legal skills, being TJ and all.
"What, you think I forgot."
"Perfect."
"What's perfect?" She was getting a little annoyed now. She wished he would just spit it out, then she noticed that look on his face again.
At that moment, the car holding the rest of their friends pulled up in the school parking lot, with bags full of food. But they looked...scared, and angry.
"Spinelli, bad news, wh- TJ, you're awake!"
"You bet Mike-o."
"Good to see you up man, maybe you got a plan for all this" Said Vince, his tone pleading for an answer in the affirmative. 'Man am I glad he's up. I don't know what we woulda done without him. Especially Spinelli, she was a wreck last night. She wouldn't tell me, but from how she looked this morning, I'd bet she didn't get any sleep last night. They were always the tightest of us, but I wonder if... nah quit thinking crazy Vince.'
"Mikey, what was that bad news you had?"
"Well, it seems that Lawson has found out about the warehouse."
"What?!? How, we didn't..." He was cut of by Gus.
"He probably found out from one of the kids they captured yesterday TJ. After we loaded the car, we saw them coming. I don't think they saw us leave, but I could be wrong. Either way, I think we should leave Fort Tender."
"One step ahead of you Gus."
"Wait a minute, that thing was our only source of food. How are we gonna eat?"
"Don't worry Spin, I told you I had a plan earlier."
'So this is where they got all their food.' Thought Randall 'well, it's ours now.'
"Randall, I like, totally need to talk to you." 'Great' he thought 'what now?'
"What do you need Ashley A.?"
"The Ashleys and I feel we aren't getting our share of the booty."
"What are you talking about? Me, Lawson, and each one of you gets the exact same amount."
"That's just it; we're supposed to get more."
"Huh?" 'What the hell was that supposed to mean, how are they supposed to get more?'
"We are of a higher class; therefore we are entitled to more than the rest of you."
"WHAT, says who?"
"Our daddies." Said Ashley A., fidgeting a little. Randall had become extremely agitated. If looks could kill, she'd be dead.
"Oh, I see" he began calmly "Well Ashley, I have some new information you are apparently not aware of...YOU'RE DADDIES ARE DEAD. EVERYONES PARENTS ARE. YOU ARE JUST AS POOR AND HUNGRY AS THE REST OF US. YOU ARE NOT BETTER, YOU ARE WORSE. ALL YOU'VE BEEN DOING EVER SINCE YOU CAME HERE IS STARTING TROUBLE. YOU EVEN STARTED UP THAT STUPID RATINGS SYSTEM AGAIN. YOU KNOW WHAT, GET OUT OF HERE."
"Get out of here?"
"That's right" said Randall, regaining control of himself. Leave now, never return, I never want to see your stupid perfume filled head ever again. You and the rest of the Ashleys."
She was about to say something back, until she realized he was right. He and Lawson held all the power, and she couldn't stop them. She ran, back to the rest of the Ashleys, to tell them they were doomed.
"What do you mean Ashley A.?"
"Girls, we have to leave. We can't stay anymore."
"Why?"
"I'm not sure, but I think the other kids think they're equal to us or something."
"Equal, to us, impossible, where do they get off?"
"I don't know, but I know how we can get back at them."
"Okay Teej, what's your big plan?"
"Spin, guys, from now on, we are going to live in school."
"Uhh...TJ, how is that going to work?"
"Simple, Spinelli can pick the locks and let us in." 'So that's why he asked that' "And the school has backup generators we can use, and food for 300 kids for a week, there's only six of us. It should last us through the winter. Gretch, do you think we could plant stuff on the playground, and have it grow."
"Well, yes, I think that might work." She said excitedly.
Spinelli smiled to herself as they walked toward the school, hairpin in hand. 'TJ does it again.' She thought, sliding the pin into the lock. A few twists and turns and ... click. The doors opened.
"Teej, you're okay!"
Spinelli. If there was one person he could have chosen to see at that point, he would have chosen her.
"Depends on what you mean by okay. My head feels like it's about to explode. Hey, what are you doing here, they got you too?"
"Got me, that rock must have done more damage than we thought."
"Huh?"
"Teej, no one got us, we got away, for now at least, we're in Fort Tender ya big doofus."
"Oh...right...I knew that."
"Sure, anyways, Gretch said you should take it easy for a couple days, but that you should be okay" 'Thank God' she thought.
"Speaking of Gretch, where are her and the guys anyways?"
"They made another run to the warehouse, you know, get some food."
Then he remembered. The house, the food, the generator, it was all gone. They would have to start from scratch. With Lawson after them. This was not good.
"We'll have to get out of here."
"Huh, why?"
"Spin, this is the first place Lawson would look for us. He knows all about fort Tender. He tried to take it from us before remember? As soon as the guys get back from the warehouse, we're movin' out."
"You sure about this Teej, I mean, where are we gonna go?"
"I don't know, but I- hey, wait a minute, that's it!"
"What's it?"
"Spinelli, you can still pick locks right?"
That was an unusual question; TJ usually frowned on her not-so-legal skills, being TJ and all.
"What, you think I forgot."
"Perfect."
"What's perfect?" She was getting a little annoyed now. She wished he would just spit it out, then she noticed that look on his face again.
At that moment, the car holding the rest of their friends pulled up in the school parking lot, with bags full of food. But they looked...scared, and angry.
"Spinelli, bad news, wh- TJ, you're awake!"
"You bet Mike-o."
"Good to see you up man, maybe you got a plan for all this" Said Vince, his tone pleading for an answer in the affirmative. 'Man am I glad he's up. I don't know what we woulda done without him. Especially Spinelli, she was a wreck last night. She wouldn't tell me, but from how she looked this morning, I'd bet she didn't get any sleep last night. They were always the tightest of us, but I wonder if... nah quit thinking crazy Vince.'
"Mikey, what was that bad news you had?"
"Well, it seems that Lawson has found out about the warehouse."
"What?!? How, we didn't..." He was cut of by Gus.
"He probably found out from one of the kids they captured yesterday TJ. After we loaded the car, we saw them coming. I don't think they saw us leave, but I could be wrong. Either way, I think we should leave Fort Tender."
"One step ahead of you Gus."
"Wait a minute, that thing was our only source of food. How are we gonna eat?"
"Don't worry Spin, I told you I had a plan earlier."
'So this is where they got all their food.' Thought Randall 'well, it's ours now.'
"Randall, I like, totally need to talk to you." 'Great' he thought 'what now?'
"What do you need Ashley A.?"
"The Ashleys and I feel we aren't getting our share of the booty."
"What are you talking about? Me, Lawson, and each one of you gets the exact same amount."
"That's just it; we're supposed to get more."
"Huh?" 'What the hell was that supposed to mean, how are they supposed to get more?'
"We are of a higher class; therefore we are entitled to more than the rest of you."
"WHAT, says who?"
"Our daddies." Said Ashley A., fidgeting a little. Randall had become extremely agitated. If looks could kill, she'd be dead.
"Oh, I see" he began calmly "Well Ashley, I have some new information you are apparently not aware of...YOU'RE DADDIES ARE DEAD. EVERYONES PARENTS ARE. YOU ARE JUST AS POOR AND HUNGRY AS THE REST OF US. YOU ARE NOT BETTER, YOU ARE WORSE. ALL YOU'VE BEEN DOING EVER SINCE YOU CAME HERE IS STARTING TROUBLE. YOU EVEN STARTED UP THAT STUPID RATINGS SYSTEM AGAIN. YOU KNOW WHAT, GET OUT OF HERE."
"Get out of here?"
"That's right" said Randall, regaining control of himself. Leave now, never return, I never want to see your stupid perfume filled head ever again. You and the rest of the Ashleys."
She was about to say something back, until she realized he was right. He and Lawson held all the power, and she couldn't stop them. She ran, back to the rest of the Ashleys, to tell them they were doomed.
"What do you mean Ashley A.?"
"Girls, we have to leave. We can't stay anymore."
"Why?"
"I'm not sure, but I think the other kids think they're equal to us or something."
"Equal, to us, impossible, where do they get off?"
"I don't know, but I know how we can get back at them."
"Okay Teej, what's your big plan?"
"Spin, guys, from now on, we are going to live in school."
"Uhh...TJ, how is that going to work?"
"Simple, Spinelli can pick the locks and let us in." 'So that's why he asked that' "And the school has backup generators we can use, and food for 300 kids for a week, there's only six of us. It should last us through the winter. Gretch, do you think we could plant stuff on the playground, and have it grow."
"Well, yes, I think that might work." She said excitedly.
Spinelli smiled to herself as they walked toward the school, hairpin in hand. 'TJ does it again.' She thought, sliding the pin into the lock. A few twists and turns and ... click. The doors opened.