As their car pulls into the school parking lot, Will checks his watch to make sure they're not running late. Ten minutes until the first bell rings. His stomach aches. Maybe they should have thought this through more. There are a billion things that could go wrong.
"What's Nancy busy with?" El asks as she gets out of the car. Grabbing his backpack and making sure he has the note he wrote for Daniel in his pocket, Will follows her out.
Jonathan shuts the car door and locks it. "What do you mean?"
"Will said Nancy's busy, so she can't come to his birthday."
"Oh, right. She's doing research for a newspaper article. Not sure what it's about."
The three of them start towards the school, Will running his fingers through his freshly-cut hair and trying to keep focused on the plan. Get the paint, talk to Daniel, make an excuse to his teacher, get to the stairwell. He repeats the steps over in his head.
El opens the door to the school and goes inside, but before Will can follow her, Jonathan takes him by the arm and pulls him aside. "Hey, can we talk?"
Clutching onto his backpack straps, Will frowns at his brother. "What about?"
"What was that last night? With the phone?"
Heat rises to his cheeks. Looking to the ground, he shakes his head. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I just want to know what was going on. Is it because Mike can't come over?"
Will lets out a harsh breath. "No."
"Then what?"
When Will lowers his head, Jonathan sighs. "I know these past few months have been tough. Believe me, it hasn't been a great time for me either. But I just... I wish you would talk to me, Will. You never told me what happened with you and Mike, and I know it's none of my business, but I'm worried."
He's tempted to explain the situation to Jonathan, but one glance at his watch brings him back to reality. "Sorry, I can't right now. I have to get to class." He grabs the door handle but stops and turns back to Jonathan. "When the first bell rings, you might want to get your camera ready and head to the back stairwell in the C wing."
Jonathan furrows his brows. "What for?"
"You'll see." He flashes his brother a smile before spinning around and running after El.
Inside the building, he finds her waiting by the entrance, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. "What if Daniel doesn't say it?" she asks, hopping away from the wall.
They head down the hallway. "The announcement?"
"Yeah."
Will takes his sunglasses off. "Let's hope he does." The two of them go into the stairwell, moving to the side so as not to get in the way of everyone walking past. Leaning close to El, Will keeps his voice low. "Okay, so tell your teacher you need to go to the nurse and head right to the back stairwell, but just make sure you take these stairs up to the second floor so those jerks don't see you. Oh, and you remembered the pliers, right?"
"Yes."
"Okay, good. I'll get the paint and give Daniel the paper with what he should say."
"And we dump it right after he says it?"
He nods.
"Okay. Got it."
Taking a breath, he checks his watch. Six minutes. "We gotta go. See you in a few." Before he can rush off, El grabs him by the shoulders and kisses him on the cheek. He stops in his tracks, face red. "What was that for?"
El nudges him with her elbow. "Thank you for doing this."
Letting out an awkward laugh, Will shrugs. "I promised you we would get them back eventually, so I figured it's about time we do."
They exchange smiles. "Okay, now we've really gotta go," says Will. Laughing, El nods, and they both go on their way.
The second he reaches his classroom, Will ducks into the back room where they keep the art supplies. A shelf sits on the left wall filled to the top with paint cans and bottles. He glances out into the classroom to make sure no one is watching. His teacher, Mrs. Keating, is sitting at her desk, writing on a paper; Daniel is speaking to a group of guys by his table. Turning back around, Will grabs a can of red paint, takes off his backpack, and kneels in front of the paint shelf. As he slips the can in his backpack, he peers into the classroom again. No one seems to notice him. Inhaling, Will turns back around and checks the time on his watch. Four minutes.
"What do we have here?" Will spins around, heart jumping into his throat. Daniel stands in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe with a smirk on his face.
Rushing to zip up his bag, Will gets to his feet and heaves it over his shoulder. "N – nothing."
"Doesn't look like nothing." Crossing his arms, Daniel takes a step towards him. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks like you're stealing a can of paint."
Shit. Now what is he supposed to do?
Before Will can make up an excuse, the corners of Daniel's mouth turn up in a grin. He pats Will on the shoulder. "Whatever, man. Just messing with you. I don't care if you steal cans of paint."
Swallowing, Will clutches his backpack straps. "So... you won't tell on me?"
"Not if you tell me what you're planning on doing with it."
Will pauses then holds up a finger. "Wait a second. I'll be right back." Daniel raises an eyebrow at him as he dashes out of the back room and rushes over to Mrs. Keating's desk.
"Mrs. Keating," he says, holding a hand to his stomach, "can I go to the nurse? I feel sick."
Mrs. Keating glances up at him. "Of course, hun." She pulls a stack of hall passes out from her desk drawer, writes his name on a pass, and hands it to him.
"Thank you." Taking the slip from her, he spins around, rushes over to Daniel, and pulls him into the doorway leading to the hall. "Are you going to the office for announcements?"
Daniel watches him closely. "Yes, sir."
He pulls the small paper out of his pocket and slides it into Daniel's hand. "I was wondering if you could read this during the announcements."
Daniel opens the note and reads over it. A chuckle escapes his throat. Looking up, he gives Will a smirk. "Will do, my man." He brushes a hand over Will's shoulders. "Whatever you're thinking of doing, better do it quick. Bell's gonna ring soon."
Will glances at his watch. One minute. "Oh, crap." Rushing through the doorway, he starts down the hall, but halts, turning back to Daniel. "Thank you, by the way."
Walking into the hallway, Daniel lifts a shoulder. "No problem. I love a good prank." He gestures at Will's hair. "I like the new cut, by the way." Daniel winks at him before starting towards the office.
Taking a breath, Will turns and runs towards the back stairwell. When he reaches it, El is already there, leaning over the railing to stare down to the level below. "Hey. I got it." Unzipping his backpack, he shows her the can of paint while keeping it concealed from classmates passing by. "And Daniel said he'll do it."
El grins. "Perfect."
The bell rings through the school, the hallways quickly emptying except for a few stray students. Including the bullies hanging out below. Will glances around to make sure no one sees them but his gaze lands on the security camera in the corner of the stairwell. "Crap."
Taking off her backpack, El raises an eyebrow at him. He faces her. "We can't do it. There's a security camera, and they'll see it's us."
The school intercom buzzes on, and Daniel's voice echoes throughout the school. "Good morning and congratulations on making it to the final day before spring break."
El looks at the camera, biting her bottom lip. "Use your powers."
"What?"
"Use your powers to turn it off."
"I can't. I promised Jonathan-"
"You promised me." The look El gives him makes his stomach drop. "You said we would get them back."
He chews the inside of his cheek.
"You promised him you wouldn't use them to hurt anyone. Turning the camera off won't hurt anyone."
Hesitating, he peers over the railing down at the bullies. Those assholes. Those goddamn assholes. Those assholes who beat him and El up every other day. Call them terrible names. Get away with everything. She's right. Turning off the camera won't hurt anyone. Actually, the opposite. It'll help him and El. Backing away from the railing, he lets out a breath and murmurs, "Okay."
As Daniel speaks over the intercom, Will glances around the stairwell and hones in on the security camera in the corner. Concentrating on it, he musters up his energy, electricity buzzing through him, until the red light on the camera blinks off.
El kneels down and pulls the paint can out of Will's backpack, taking a pair of pliers out of her bag and yanking off the lid. Will looks down at the bullies who are oblivious to what's about to happen. Getting the paint ready, El holds it above the railing.
"So, if you're thinking of signing up for the team," Daniel says over the intercom, "you better get those slips in by the end of the day. Aaand, that's all we have for today, folks. Have a great Friday and spring break, and oh, yeah, head to the back stairwell in the C wing by Mr. King's room right now to see some assholes get what's coming to them." The intercom cuts off.
"Now," Will whispers.
He and El take the paint can and heave it over the edge of the railing, splashing paint over the unsuspecting bullies below. Their screams and the clattering of the paint can hitting the steps echo through the stairwell.
Holding in their laughs, Will and El back away from the railing so as not to be seen by the bullies and stoop over their bags, zipping them up. Putting on their bags, they lock eyes and burst into laughter.
It's not long before a crowd gathers in and around the stairwell, everyone snickering, letting out hoots and howls, as they see the three bullies covered in red paint. Will and El rush to the bottom of the stairwell, joining the crowd in laughing at the paint-covered bullies. In the doorway, Jonathan stands with his camera in his hands. Daniel stands beside him, bent over and cackling. Jonathan spots Will and El and gives them a smile. Looking back at the bullies, he lifts his camera and says, "Say cheese!"
Teeth bared, fists clenched, the bully in the Members Only jacket, Jake, leers at everyone. His gaze falls on Will and El. He narrows his eyes. "You little pricks." Surging forward, he lifts his fist in the air, but a hand comes down on his shoulder, stopping him.
"What's going on here?" Everyone's attention shifts to Principal Hernandez, her voice booming through the stairwell.
One of the other bullies, Angela, points a finger at Will and El. "They poured paint all over us!"
Will and El's faces fall. So much for not being snitches. The principal looks over at them with a stern glare, waving them over. "You two, come with me." She turns and starts moving out the stairwell but pauses when she notices Daniel leaning against the doorframe and snickering. She grabs the front of his shirt. "And you as well, Mr. Kubo."
Shaking with laughter, Daniel makes a face and follows her. Will starts down the steps, ducking past the bullies, to follow them, but stops when he notices El walk up to Angela. Her whisper is nearly inaudible, but Will is able to make it out. "We know your secret, and if you don't leave us alone, we'll tell everyone."
The bullies exchange looks, their brows knitting together. Will takes a step towards El, but she spins around and waves her hand at him to move. Avoiding the stare of the bullies, he turns and follows the principal out of the stairwell.
