My Best friend's Brother

Breaking Curfews

~ Joan ~

The days flew by quickly as Rhoda and I enjoyed ourselves. Well, it was safe to say our version of fun was... unconventional. After the incident at the club, things only got worse.

Rhoda had always been drawn to danger, which led us to our latest escapade.

“We're not supposed to be here, Jo,” Rhoda whispered, clamping her hand over her mouth to stifle a chuckle. I nudged her as we crept deeper into the now-silent tower.

It was past midnight, and we’d been explicitly warned that guests were not allowed in the tower after that hour.

We’d stuck around—sneaking, to be precise—out of sheer curiosity. What could be so special about this place that it had to be closed at midnight?

Climbing the staircase, we treaded lightly, using our phones as flashlights.

A flicker of movement in the corner caught my eye. I lowered my flashlight and squinted, trying to make out what it was.

Rhoda turned, shining her light in the same direction. A rat squeaked and scurried toward us.

And that’s when things went south. Rhoda, terrified of rats, let out an ear-piercing scream and jumped onto me.

“Did you see that?” she muttered, her eyes darting wildly even though the rat had already vanished.

Her arms tightened around my neck as I tried to mask my amusement.

“You’re choking me, girl,” I muttered. She shot me a glare, then climbed off me, brushing herself off. She pointed her flashlight around nervously, as if expecting the rat to return.

“That was a rat,” she said, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Rats aren’t supposed to be here.”

“There could be more where that one came from,” I teased, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

Her mouth fell open in horror before she glared at me. “You’re not helping!” she hissed. I couldn’t help but laugh, my voice echoing off the walls.

We continued our journey, cautiously.

“Who’s there?” a deep, masculine voice called from around the corner. We froze. Rhoda’s wide eyes met mine, and we instinctively switched off our flashlights.

My blood raced, my body primed for the inevitable chase. I hated to admit it, but being chased was kind of a thrill—a fantasy I’d never acted on, mostly because I hadn’t found someone capable of fulfilling it.

Heavy footsteps echoed in the dark, accompanied by a faint beam of light moving in our direction.

Rhoda’s dread was palpable, mingling with a hint of excitement in her expression. I tiptoed forward, hoping the path led to an exit.

Rhoda’s shallow breaths followed close behind as the footsteps grew louder.

“Anyone there?” the man called again, his flashlight sweeping across the darkness.

We crept onward, but disaster struck—I bumped into a can, sending it clattering to the floor. The noise shattered the silence like a gunshot.

“Damn it!” Rhoda hissed, rushing to help me up.

“Location 156. Possible intruders,” the man reported into his intercom. Rhoda turned to me in the darkness, though I couldn’t make out her expression. I raised three fingers, silently signaling a countdown.

Just as his flashlight found us, we bolted, sprinting in opposite directions without a clue where we were headed.

“Stop!” he yelled, but I was already running down a hallway, my shadow struggling to keep up. The loud ticking of a clock punctuated the chaos.

From the lack of pursuit, I guessed the man had gone after Rhoda. After confirming no one was behind me, I slumped to the floor, chuckling softly.

I hoped Rhoda was safe. If she got caught... well, I bit my lip to keep from laughing again. Whatever the consequences of breaking curfew, they couldn’t be good.

Aaron had no idea what we’d been up to. He hadn’t called Rhoda much over the past few days, and when he did, he always pried for details. Lucky for us, he hadn’t called tonight, or this mission might’ve been aborted.

I stood and brushed off my clothes. Time to find Rhoda.

But just as I took a step forward, cold steel pressed against my head.

“Move, and I’ll blow your brains out,” a chilling voice snarled. I froze, raising my hands. Whoever it was had a gun, and one wrong move could end me.

A flashlight clicked on, illuminating what appeared to be a storage room.

“I’ve got the other one,” the man said into his intercom. My stomach sank.

So, Rhoda had been caught.

“Move,” he barked, shoving me forward. One thing was certain—this wasn’t going to end well. Aaron would be furious if he ever found out.

Not that he was going to. Hopefully.