Día de los Inocentes
Chapter Two
Of Letters and Evil Deeds
"Whew! What a way to start the day, huh?" Otto asked as the quartet walked towards their lockers.
"Yeah, talk about your close calls." Twister sighed.
"They deserved it if you ask me." Reggie said, crossing her arms.
"Yeah! Especially Izzy." Sam growled. Twister raised an eyebrow at him.
"That's new, Squid."
"Heh." Otto smirked. "If Izzy says he's Sam's rival, there's no reason why he can't treat him like dirt too."
"Right!" The blond nodded.
"Whatever." Reggie sighed, rolling her eyes.
They soon arrived at Otto and Twister's lockers, which were next to each other.
"We'll see you guys later." The latter said, waving at Sam and Reggie, who were walking away.
"Yeah, see ya at lunch!" Reggie called, waving back at them.
"So, think Lars and those dorks will ever get down?" The taller redhead asked, fiddling with his lock.
"Duh! Of course they'll get down!" Otto answered, rolling his eyes as he dealt with his own lock. "Don't ya remember that Science class in sixth grade?"
"…Oh yeah…" Twister blinked, finally opening his locker. "Well at least we know they won't pull anything after getting blown up like that." He then proceeded to grab his books for his next couple of classes.
"Hmmmm… I don't think so…" The shorter redhead doubted.
"Whaddya mean, dude?"
"If I know your brother like I think I do, he'll have something else planned."
"No way!" Twister shook his head. "What he just tried had to be what he was laughing about last night!"
"Whatever, bro." Otto sighed, going back into his jungle of a locker. A few moments passed before he blinked. "Hey! What's this?"
He pulled out a pink envelope. All that was written on it was his name in bright pink ink. It was hardly recognizable due to both the handwriting and the blending of colors. Raising an eyebrow, Otto turned it over and saw that it was sealed with a heart-shaped sticker.
"Heh, looks like you got some girl going after ya, Ottoman." Twister teased, nudging his best friend. "So spill. Who is it?" He put his arm around Otto's neck.
"I dunno bro!" The one in the sunglasses grunted, struggling out of his best bro's grip. "I didn't even know somebody was crushing on me!"
"Well somebody is…" The one in the hat trailed off, blinking at his locker. "Hey! I got something too!"
With a strange look, he pulled out his own envelope. Unlike Otto's, it was a plain white one. It had his name written on it in ink that alternated between blue and black. He turned it around and found that it was sealed with a sticker that was shaped like a rocket. Twister put on a curious look as he inspected the envelope.
"Bust!" Otto taunted, laughing at him. "Looks like somebody wants ya too, bro!" He elbowed the taller boy, whose face was red. Twister ignored his best friend's teasing as he turned to Otto and held up the envelope.
"Ottoman—"
°BRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGGGGG!.!.!.!.!°
"Aw crap! I'm gonna be late!" Otto cursed, slamming his locker shut. "See ya at lunch, Twist!" He added, running off.
"Uhhhh… Yeah… See ya, Otto…" The taller redhead said distantly. He pocketed the envelope, shut his locker and walked to his own class.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
°SLAM!°
As the last couple of students in the hall ran to their classes, the main doors were kicked open by an irate Izzy. He was covered in bruises. His shirt and vest were torn in several places. And to make matters worse, he had two—count 'em! Two!—black eyes. His fists were shaking dangerously. As he limped inside, he was followed by Iggy, who was smiling from ear to ear as he reached into the paper bag he was holding and pulled out a doughnut. Unlike his brother, he seemed to be in good shape. He just had a couple of scorch marks on his clothes from the explosion earlier.
"I swear; I'm going to destroy Blondie by the end of the day!.!.!" Izzy's scream echoed throughout the hall. He then added as an afterthought, "And then I'm gonna get back at Lars!"
"Hmmmm… Yummy…" Iggy grinned as he pulled a chocolate doughnut out of the bag. "Hey, bro, do you want some? This stuff is tasty!" He took a bite out of his treat as the older brunet glared at him.
"I'm only hungry for one thing and that's revenge! When I find Blondie, he's gonna wish he never ducked! I'm gonna—"
He was cut off as his stomach rumbled. He sweatdropped and looked down, then at Iggy, who was grinning. He put on an exasperated glower as he snatched the bag out of his brother's hands and grabbed a doughnut for himself. He then chomped into it.
"Hmph… I can't believe I—Hmmm…—forgot to eat—Aw man, this is delicious—breakfast before we left." He said with his mouth full.
"Well, I tried to tell you that we shoulda ate before we left, but nooooooo…" Iggy started, grabbing a jelly doughnut. "You had to drag me to school at six AM to set up that stupid catapult!"
"Please don't mention that to me ever again." Izzy groaned, rubbing his temple. "It's bad enough that I couldn't get him, but I got shocked, blown up, and then beaten up by Lars, who'll pay big time!"
"Whatever…" The younger brother sighed. He then looked around and noticed that the hallway was empty. "Hey bro, what time is it?"
"Hmmm?" The taller one hummed. He looked at his wristwatch. "Let's see… It's nine thir—OH CRAP!.!.! WE'RE LATE!.!.!" He dashed down the hall. "SEE YA LATER, IGGY!.!.!"
"BYE IZZY!.!.!" Iggy replied in the same frantic fashion, running in the opposite direction.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
'Man, I wonder who this is from…' Otto thought to himself as he sat down in his usual desk by the window.
He was currently in his first class of the day, U.S. History. As he watched students file in, he opened his book and pulled out the envelope from earlier. He moved it around, studying it for a few moments. He looked at the front of it, where his name was clearly written in perfect cursive. He then turned it around and looked at the sticker protecting the contents from the outside world.
Whoever sent it wanted to let him know that this was very important. Almost like—
'No way…' He thought, shaking his head. He then leaned back into his chair and stared at the ceiling. '…Could it really…?'
He studied the envelope again, drinking in the sight of it. It's perfection. His name was obviously written by the hands of a girl. The penmanship was delicate. He then nodded.
'Well, no time like the present.'
With that final thought, he turned the container around and lifted the sticker carefully. He then lifted the flap and saw a white sheet. Making sure not to damage this all important note, he pulled it out slowly. When he finally got it out, he placed the envelope on his desk and with a final gulp, unfolded the paper. He then read the letter, which was written in hot pink ink like his name.
Dear Otto,
This may come as a shock to you, but I've always been attracted to you.
I've found your determination to be the most admirable.
You're also very sweet, not to mention HOT!.!.!
From the first time I've seen you in your swimming trunks,
I couldn't stop thinking about you.
Your broad chest, your gorgeous eyes which
I long to see without those sunglasses on them, not to mention those
dreadlocks I long to slide my fingers through.
I want to make you mine, not to mention
see you without those shorts on.
Meet me at the gym at 3 o'clock sharp!
Love,
Your secret admirer ♥♥♥
P.S: Tell no one and come ALONE!.!.!
Otto felt his cheeks flaring after reading that whole thing. Somebody actually loved him! He never thought that ANY girl in school would want him. Well, he never actually paid that much attention. Not that he didn't want to have someone, of course. He was just so into extreme sports that he never noticed the fairer sex. After all, he wanted to be as great a skater as Tony Hawk, as great a snowboarder as Shaun White, and of course, as great a surfer as Kelly Slater. He simply didn't have time for love. But now it seemed that a girl had decided to make a move on him.
'Fine. No problem.' He gave an indifferent shrug. 'I don't mind getting with whoever sent this, as long as she's hot. But who sent it though?'
He held his chin as a dozen names floated around his mind. Whoever it was had to be someone who knew him personally. After all, he only goes surfing with people he considers his friends, except during contests, of course. Unfortunately for the sake of trying to figure this out, he's surfed with lots of girls since he was a kid. Also, it had to be someone who writes with pink ink, not to mention has good cursive.
'Hmmmm…' He sat there for a few moments, trying to figure this out.
'Could it have been Trish?' He shook his head. 'Nah. She doesn't use a pink pen.'
'Maybe Sherry?' Again, he shook his head. 'I saw the way she writes. Talk about chicken scratches. I can't read ANYTHING she writes!'
He held his head, trying to figure this out, when a shrill whistle broke through his thoughts.
'Huh?'
He looked out the window and saw the school's football field. He saw the cheerleaders running their drills. He gasped and felt a strong blush when he laid eyes on the captain of the squad.
'Clio…' He sighed lovingly.
The junior girl was the same age as Reggie. She was slightly taller than the elder Rocket. She was just a few inches shy of Lars' height. Her elegant hair was a beautiful indigo. It reached far down her back, a sure sign that it has grown over the years. She had a lovely tan that was just a shade darker than Reggie's.
She was currently wearing the school colors. Her shirt, which stuck to her like a second skin, was violet and had the letters "OSH" embroidered in orange stitching. Her skirt, which left little to the imagination, alternated between orange and violet. Skipping past her slender legs, she was wearing a pair of pink and red shoes.
Otto was in a trance as he watched her shake her pom-poms (not to mention something else. °Wink, wink°), which bore, of course, the school colors. His mouth dropped as she danced across the field alluringly. His heart went right to his throat as he watched her pirouette, creating a dazzling blur of orange and purple. Steam literally shot out of his ears as she finished with a lovely split.
"Woah…" He said dazedly.
"Ahem!.!.!"
"GAH!.!.!" He cried out, dropping onto the floor. The rest of the class roared with laughter as the redhead sheepishly looked up at the teacher, who glowered at him disapprovingly.
"Mr. Rocket, I do hope I'm not boring you." The older man said, crossing his arms.
"N-n-no sir!" Otto replied, scrambling up to his seat. This display generated more snickers among his classmates.
"Hmph! That's better." The teacher grunted, turning away from him. "Now class, I expect you all to…"
Otto tuned him out as he sighed with relief. The teacher hadn't seen the note he got. He then blushed when he realized something important.
'Did Clio send me the note?' A wide grin appeared on his face at the thought. 'Oh man… The captain of the cheerleading squad has the hots for me!.?.!'
He read over the note again. It made sense. The perfect penmanship, the pink ink (Otto knew that she adored pink), and the things she said. It fitted together! He surfed with her dozens of times. He especially remembered that first time when he was ten. Although he was forced to dance like a ballerina, he felt a bond with her when he looked at her perfect shape submerged underwater.
Of course, at the time, he knew he had no chance with her and tuned her out. Not to mention that during the years, he developed a sort of crush for someone else… But it never panned out. Since then, he never felt anything for anyone else. But now that he knows about her feelings, his heart opened up to the possibility that Clio Rodriguez was in love with him after six long years. It gave him a warm, happy feeling to know that someone actually felt something for him. He sighed longingly.
'Oh, I can't wait until three o'clock…'
A little later…
A teacher walked down the silent hall on his way to the library. It seemed that he was returning a book he borrowed for a lesson. He was wearing a blue leisure suit with matching pants and a black tie. He also seemed to be wearing a gray toupee. He was humming a cheerful tune as he made his trek to the hallowed temple of books.
He seemed so happy, so carefree, so…unsuspecting.
This was Izzy's thought as he watched from his perch. He was standing in the nearby supply closet with a cunning smirk on his face.
'That's right…' He snickered as he opened the door slightly and watched the teacher as he came closer and closer. 'Just a few more steps and you're mine.'
Soon, his prey neared the closet. As he passed the door, the evil brunet stepped out of it, crept up to him, pushed him onto the ground, and put a rag dipped in chloroform up to his face! The teen held it there as the man tried to struggle. It was no use though. In mere seconds, he was out.
"Sleeping like a baby." The being of darkness sniggered as he let the man's head fall to the floor. "Now to get ready."
With that, he dragged the teacher by the legs into the closet.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Sam was in his third period class, effortlessly working on algebraic equations, when…
"Sam?" The blond lifted his head and looked at the teacher, who was a kind, but strict woman.
"Yes ma'am?" He asked.
"Could you please go and deliver this message to the librarian?"
"Sure thing." He replied with a nod as he got up and walked to the desk amid dirty looks and comments like "Teacher's pet," "Suck up," and the like.
When he reached the desk, the teacher handed him a folded up note. The blond then walked out of the room (after grabbing a hall pass, of course).
As Sam neared the library, he felt a dark presence in the air. It was a very cold feeling. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. It was almost as if the devil himself would come and destroy him if he didn't tread cautiously. He shivered for a few moments before shaking his head.
'Come on, it's nothing.' He started walking again. 'I gotta get to the library.'
The blond turned right at a corner and found a teacher struggling to reach a banner on the wall. It was much too high for the man, who was simply not tall enough. What Sam found odd was that the faculty member was wearing a blue leisure suit and matching pants that looked way too big for him. The pants looked like they could fall at any moment! He was also wearing a black tie that was tied very loosely. The strangest part was the gray toupee he was wearing. Sam could've sworn he saw black hair growing underneath it. The blond scratched his head at the person and shrugged.
'Maybe he's one of those eccentric teachers.' He thought as he walked up to him.
"Excuse me?" He greeted. "Do you need some help, sir?"
The teacher, who had tanned skin, turned and faced him with a happy, though somewhat forced, grin.
"Why yes, I do." He replied. "You see, I need to get that banner—" He pointed at the banner in question, which read, 'Join the chess club! It pwns all others!' "—down so that I can put up this poster for our next school dance."
He held up a crudely drawn poster. It looked like it was put together in five minutes with crayons. It had a pretty pathetic-looking couple pictured on it dancing.
"Can you please get me a ladder from the supply closet? I'd go myself, but with today being April Fools Day and all, I don't want to risk the poster getting destroyed."
Sam held his chin. It seemed suspicious, but he had no reason to suspect a teacher of foul play. After all, he was obviously a respected professional, although he did look a little young to be a teacher… The blond shrugged. He knew that he had to get that letter to the librarian, but it couldn't hurt to help someone in need.
"Alright. I'll be right back." He said, walking towards the nearby closet.
What he wasn't aware of, however, was the "teacher's" evil grin. When he was sure Sam was out of sight, the dark one walked into a nearby classroom and grabbed a bucket. He returned to the hall and placed it down. He went back to the empty room and grabbed a large plank. He made one more trip to the room and got a bucket full of red paint.
Snickering mischievously, he walked into the hallway and set up the three items so that they became a veritable seesaw of DOOM! The plank was balancing on the first bucket while he placed the paint can on the far end of it.
'This is brilliant!' Izzy thought maliciously. 'The ladder I'm having Blondie get is broken in one section. Once he steps on it, it'll collapse, making him fall on the plank. While he's reeling, the paint can will fly up into the air and land on his head, drenching him in red paint!'
He sniggered as he rubbed his hands.
'While it may not be as elaborate as my original plan, the end result will be just as funny!'
Soon, Sam walked back into the hallway, grunting as he dragged a large, wooden stepladder towards the "teacher." Izzy resisted the overwhelming urge to laugh as he watched his rival struggle with the heavy load. When Sam reached him, he gave an odd look at the plank and the paint can.
"I also have to paint this wall." Izzy answered the other boy's unasked question. He then sighed, playing the role perfectly. "You'd think they'd get a janitor to do this sort of thing, but oh no. I have to deal with this just because it's my coffee break." He shook his head.
"…" Sam blinked. "Well, here's the ladder. I have to get going." He leaned the ladder against the wall and turned to walk away.
"Wait a minute Blond—errr, I mean young man." Sam turned towards the teacher. "I can't possibly take down the banner and hang on to the ladder at the same time. I need you to climb up it and remove the banner. I'll hold the ladder for you."
The blond gave him another suspicious look. Sweat poured down Izzy's face in sheets, fearing that his plan would fail. To his relief, however, Sam nodded in agreement.
"You have a point." He said, walking up to the ladder. Izzy wiped his forehead and grinned evilly as he watched his hated rival prepare to climb up it. It seemed that his prank would succeed. Just a few more seconds…
"Hi, Mr. Teacher!" A new voice screamed. Izzy felt his eyes widen in horror when he realized who said that. He turned and saw none other than Iggy walking up to them with a grin.
"Iggy! Whaddya—" Izzy cleared his throat when he realized he was supposed to be a teacher. "I-I-I mean, what are you doing out of class?"
"Potty break." Iggy answered, producing a white piece of paper. "I have my hall pass right here."
The older brother sweatdropped. That was one thing he liked and hated about his sibling. He always did what he was told. The younger Lopez Brother gasped when he saw the other member of this conversation.
"Hi, Sammy-Sam!" He yelled, waving at the blond in question. "What're ya doing?"
"Erm… Hey there, Iggy." Sam replied, waving back at him strangely. "I'm helping this teacher out by taking down this banner."
"Coolies! Can I help?"
"Don't you have to go to the bathroom?" Izzy asked, giving his brother an exasperated look.
"Oh no worries. I can hold it." The brunet in the purple cap answered cheerfully. He walked over to the ladder. "I'll climb up this thing and take down the banner for ya!"
The "teacher" slapped his head and ran forward as his brother climbed up the ladder.
"Iggy, no!"
Too late. Iggy scrambled up the ladder as Izzy stopped in front of it. As the shorter brother stepped on the sixth step, it collapsed, causing him to lost his footing!
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!" He screamed as he plummeted.
"I got ya! I got ya!" Izzy shouted, running around.
He was standing right in front of the plank when his brother crashed into him, causing a great dust cloud to appear. As a result, the paint can was fired!
"Woah!" Sam yelped, ducking. The can flew over his head as the cloud dissipated. A splat was heard seconds later.
"Ya idiot!" Izzy roared at Iggy. "Things were going great until you showed up! Why the hell did you have to come out here!.?.!"
"Izzy!.?.!" Iggy sputtered, looking at his brother in surprise.
"Izzy!.?.!" Sam added in shock. He looked at his rival, who ripped the toupee off his head.
"Well?.!" He demanded to his brother.
"I told ya! I had to go to the bathroom!" Iggy answered, glaring at him. "You know the bathroom by the library is the only one that works on this floor!"
"Well, thanks to you, my prank got ruined!"
"So, you were trying to prank me, huh?" Sam asked, crossing his arms. "When are you gonna learn?"
Izzy dropped Iggy, who he held by the shirt, and turned to the blond.
"How dare you!.? Wait until later! You'll learn true pain! You'll—"
He gasped when he saw a familiar figure standing behind Sam. The blond looked at him strangely before he heard a low growling. Gulping, he turned around and found the source of his rival's fear.
Lars was standing there, covered in red paint! His eyes were transfixed in a cold, deadly glare as he pushed past Sam and advanced towards Izzy, who was shaking as he stepped backwards.
"N-n-n-n-n-n-n-now Lars…" He tried, holding his hands up. "I-I-I-I w-w-w-w-wasn't intending to hit y-y-y-you… I meant to get him!" He pointed at Sam.
The outraged brunet wouldn't hear any of it though. He delivered an earth-shattering roar as he charged at Izzy. The junior screamed in pure terror as he ran down the hall, followed by the senior, who was out for blood. A red trail followed the two brunets.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!.!.!.!.!.!.! HELP!.!.!"
Sam and Iggy blinked at the scene in confusion before turning to each other.
"Uhhhh… I guess I'll see ya later then." The latter said, running off to the nearby bathroom. Sam sweatdropped.
"Yeah…" He then sighed as he continued towards the library. "Something tells me today's going to be a loooooooonnnnnng day."
