Page 60 of Stop and Seek
Inside, the tension was palpable. The sound of shoes on the floor echoed as the hiders regrouped. This time, Theo could actually count them—thirty.There were only thirty people left.
Why Noah didn’t tag him out when he had the chance—
Didn’t matter.
Hehad a shot.Arealshot at winning. Or his heart would give out from the stress and he’d be dead.
Either choice was viable in his books.
“Last round of Saturday. Who’s excited?” Decker called, and Theo couldn’t help but clap and yell with everyone else. His palms were rubbed raw, he was sweaty as shit, but he wasalmost fucking there.
He waited for the pop gun, lingering back in the gym longer.
One other person seemed to have the same idea, and he locked eyes with a girl in a ball cap. She grinned at him and shot off to the right.
Theo headed left.
He still hadn’t hyped himself up enough to make the sprint to the stairs, get caught, and keep running to the pool. Too risky.
Doubling back around to the cafeteria, he slipped into the classroom he’d spotted earlier. The front windows were covered in posters—newer, colored card stock layered over older ones he knew his class taped up. If he couldn’t see out, no one could see in.
He stopped, listening for the others.
Nothing.
Well, seemed safe enough.
That damn door was the loudest thing as he shut it behind him.
The wall of windows facing the courtyard wasn’t the best, but he was a floor up. If someone saw him? Dash into another room. Still.Bomb-assspot.
As the second pop sounded, Theo edged into the corner closest to the outside windows so he could keep a lookout.
The floodlights faced the other way, illuminating the people still running across the muddy field.
Ten minutes. Ten.
He stuck an earbud in, turning the volume to the lowest possible setting.
“B.F.F.” by Destroy Boys filtered into his left ear, and he popped his fingers.
Lyrics weren’t necessary.
It was just something in the background that wasn’t the dead silence; the confinement and quiet was freaking him the fuck out.
The song looped.
Two and a half minutes down.
Something flashed in the corner of his eye from outside the window, and his stomach clenched.
It’s fine. It’s fine. I’m safe here. I’m—
Sneakers on linoleum.
Same.
Damn.
