Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 57853 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57853 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
"I'll be waiting," he tells me as I walk past him. Nelly gives me a high five as I pass, my distraction landing in place right in front of our table just as Kylie puts down our burgers.
Mia talks animatedly to Pierce while Nelly nods along before she does a quick spin, and both burst into one of their choreographed dances. I slip out the back door of the diner.
"Finally!" Katherine hops off the air conditioner unit she was perched on. "I brought you an outfit." She hands over a bag. Katherine is rocking a long trench coat, fedora, and sunglasses. That’s not noticeable at all, but regardless, I’m down. She never does anything halfway, that’s for sure. "You'll never believe what happened to me today."
Oh, I'm sure I can, and I know it will be nutty. I don’t think there’s anything Katherine can tell me she’s done that would actually surprise me. I open the backpack and pull out my own fedora and coat and put them on.
"What happened? Didn't you go to Hollowville today?" There is a candy shop there she loves but rarely goes to, believing the town is haunted.
"Yes, and on the way I had to do real-life CPR."
"Oh shit.” It’s hard to picture her calm enough to do that in an intense moment, but she is quick on her toes. “You can't tell Coach Barker about this."
You had to pass CPR training as part of gym class. We all complained we'd never use it in real life and just to let us play dodgeball like the feral teens we were. We’re still feral, but now we’re just adults. Lame.
"It was freaking wild." She loops her arm into mine, and we start walking.
"Guess it was good that you were there."
"Meh, not really. Kind of pointless."
"Seriously?" A small laugh leaves me. "You saved a person's life." How is that pointless?
"I never said that."
"But you did CPR." I’m not following, and typically I’m pretty good at speaking Katherine.
"It didn't work." She shrugs. Is she saying the person died? Katherine suddenly stops walking, an "oh shit" expression taking over her face. I guess she's putting together that the person is dead. "I should tell Coach Barker. That shit didn't work. All that training for nothing." Katherine shakes her head disappointedly and starts walking again. “Your sunglasses.”
“I won’t be able to see with these on.”
“You once told me that fashion is a form of expression, and right now our expression is breaking and entering.” I did say that. I reach into the bag and pull the overly large sunglasses on.
“Shit,” I immediately trip over my own feet, my eyes trying to adjust to the darkness.
“I got you. I can lead the way.” Katherine starts walking faster, her arm hooked into mine, pulling me along with her. “Onward and upward.”
“Let’s stay onward and not do the upward part.” Katherine can take an expression far too literally at times.
“Yeah, one person already went upward today.” She snorts a laugh.
“Are you talking about the dead person?”
“Yeah, but I suppose he could have gone downward.”
I burst into laughter. I have to give it to her. Katherine can make the darkest of times funny. When I was younger, I could be rather emotional. Okay, I still am, but not as explosive. Katherine always had a way to pull me back and make me giggle.
Not sure we’re being that sneaky with these outfits and laughter, but we’ll be in and out. The townspeople are used to shenanigans. “I thought you unlocked it.” Katherine pushes on the back door, and it doesn’t open. She can’t see for shit either. I grab the handle and pull the door open. “Right.” Katherine hops inside, and I follow after her, taking off my sunglasses as I turn the flashlight on my phone on.
She reaches inside of her trench coat and pulls out the biggest flashlight I have ever seen, turning it on. It lights up everything like a giant spotlight.
“Oh my God.” I grab it from her and turn it off as I drop down to my knees. The back door leads right into the main hallway with one side covered in windows.
“Sorry, I didn’t know it was that bright.” I grab hold of her coat and yank her down with me. “I might have tested the flashlight with the sunglasses on. My bad.”
“Come on, dork.” I start to crawl down the hallway and past the front desk to the door behind it. It’s no easy task with these trench coats on, but we manage. I pull my rake pick out and pop the lock in no time. Once we’re inside the records room, we come to our feet.
There is a window in here that looks out into the main entry area, but you’d have to be inside the building to see us.