By late afternoon, the ear-splitting wail of the fire alarms had finally been silenced, replaced by the crackle of the campus public address system echoing through the damp outdoor quad.
Students from different faculties stood gathered in restless clusters on the campus main buily as Principal Harrison’s booming voice filtered through the loudspeakers mounted on the building walls.
“Attention, students of Clifton Heights University,” the announcement chimed, echoing across the plaza.
“The fire department has officially cleared the building.
The emergency response was triggered by a minor electrical short in a storage room utility junction.
While the situation is completely contained, several lecture halls suffered water damage from the safety sprinklers.
All remaining examinations and classes for today are officially suspended.
Campus facilities will be cleaning and drying the buildings, and normal academic schedules—including rescheduled exams—will resume three days from now.”
A collective wave of relieved groans, cheers, and excited chatter erupted across the quad as students immediately began dispersing toward the parking lots and dorms to enjoy their unexpected three days off.
A short distance away, sitting on one of the wooden benches near the fountain, Keegan Sterling sat completely isolated from the celebrating crowd.
He slowly pulled his heavy Fine Arts portfolio bag onto his lap, his fingers trembling slightly as he unzipped the main compartment.
His heart sank into his stomach.
The high-pressure sprinkler deluge had spared nothing.
The canvas bag had soaked through completely, and inside, Sleepless nights of hard work were ruined.
His detailed charcoal sketches were smeared into dark, unrecognizable clouds of gray paste.
The vibrant watercolor drafts for his presentation had bled into murky streaks across the pulp, the whole Canvas sticking together in a heavy, soggy block.
Keegan let out a long, defeated sigh, running a hand down his face as he stared down at his ruined work.
He had escaped a failing grade and an administrative penalty today, but the collateral damage sat right there in his lap.
Smack!
A firm hand slapped against the top strap of his portfolio bag from behind, making Keegan jump slightly.
“Hey, blue-line.
Still staring at that soaking wet canvas?” Jace’s voice called out lightly as he stepped around the side of the bench, followed closely by Kira.
Kira gave Keegan an apologetic, sympathetic look as she sat down next to him on the bench, her braids still slightly damp but resting over a fresh towel she had grabbed from the gym.
“Look on the bright side, Keegs,” Jace said with a easy grin, leaning against the wooden backrest.
“Vance isn’t giving you a zero, the security footage is clean, and you get a whole extra 72 hours to study for Art History.”
“Yeah, but look at my portfolio,” Keegan muttered, gesturing bitterly to the clump of mushy paper inside the zipper.
“Every single piece I drafted for my assignment is completely destroyed.
It’s literal paper mache.”
Kira leaned over, inspecting the soaked sketches with a soft frown before patting Keegan gently on the shoulder.
“Keegan…
I know it sucks, but you’re one of the best student artists Clifton Heights has .
You can remake these.
Plus, if it wasn’t for Ash’s completely insane stunt, both of our academic records would be completely burned right now.”
Jace handed one of the Boba cups he was having to Keegan.
“And look at the bright side Blue line.
You’re not expelled, Kira’s presidential campaign is saved, and everyone thinks it was all a faulty wire.
Sure, your art looks like an oil spill right now, but Ashton’s dad’s connections really came through.”
Keegan took a small sip of the hot coffee, the warmth spreading through his chest as he looked over at Kira.
“Are you really okay, Kira?
I was terrified Vance was going to strip your cheer captain title right there in front of everyone.”
Kira let out a soft laugh, adjusting the sleeves of her oversized hoodie.
“Honestly?
My heart almost stopped when that prick opened his mouth.
But thanks to your literal lunatic of a best friend, I came out of that room completely squeaky clean.
Speaking of which…”
She tilted her head, glancing over toward the parking lot where Ashton was standing with some people.
The a few minutes later Ashton walked up from the direction of the parking lot, his hands were shoved casually into the front pockets of his hockey jacket—a dark wool coat displaying the bold crest of the university’s hockey team, the Bulldogs (BD).
He sauntered over to the bench, stepping right into the small circle, and slouched down on the empty space beside Keegan.
“Ahhh…
dude, I’m really sorry,” Ashton said softly, his usual cocky demeanor dropping for a rare moment as he looked at the ruined sketches.
“Guess I didn’t really think this part through…
after all the sleepless nights you had to spend making this.”
Keegan turned his head to look at him.
Before Ashton could spiral any further into remorse, Keegan reached out and firmly pressed his open palm right over Ashton’s lips, shutting him up on the spot.
“Hey,” Keegan said, his tone gentle and completely sincere.
“Saving both me and Kira after pulling a stunt like that only shows that you’ll always be there—not just for me, but for all of us.
After all, friends look out for each other and—”
Before Keegan could finish his sentimental sentence, Ashton’s eyes flashed with a sudden, wicked spark.
He abruptly snapped his teeth shut, biting right into the meat of Keegan’s hand.
“Hey!!” Keegan yelped, instantly snatching his hand back and rubbing his palm in shock.
Ashton only smirked, casually wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve.
“Oh, sorry, Blue-line.
I thought you were slowly becoming a Hallmark card…
I was just trying to save everyone from the long, long poetics.” Keegan broke into a sudden laugh, leaning over to smack Ashton hard on the back of his head.
“Asshole!”
“Okay, okay!
No more sulking!” Jace chimed in loudly, clapping his hands together with an energetic flourish.
“Now…
you know what this calls for?” Kira looked up at Jace, a knowing, mischievous smile slowly spreading across her face.
“Oh no…
don’t tell me you just read my mind.”
Jace smirks right back at her.
Standing side by side, both of them opened their mouths at the exact same second:
“Movie nights at my house!” Kira shouted.
“A trip to the Everything Kingdom!” Jace declared simultaneously.
Keegan and Ashton glanced at each other, breaking into a synchronized roar of laughter.
“Yeah, you two definitely read each other’s minds,” Keegan chuckled, shaking his head.
Kira spun around to face Jace, crossing her arms over her oversized hoodie.
“Why a trip to Everything Kingdom?
Just a simple movie night for three days is way easier!”
“I love you and I support your opinions everytime,” Jace replied with a dramatic, sweeping bow, “but this time I’ll pass.
Let’s go with a trip to Everything Kingdom!
It’s three whole days off!”
“It’s loud, it’s crowded, and I want to sleep!” Kira argued back playfully.
As the two of them began bickering back and forth, Keegan let out a quiet sigh, glancing around the campus quad.
Almost every other student had already cleared out, leaving the sunlit plaza peaceful and quiet.
Ashton folded his arms across his Bulldogs jacket, looking between the two debaters.
“Okay, okay, guys.
How about we do a quick vote or rock-paper-scissors to see which one we pick?”
Kira pouted, crossing her arms tight.
“Fine.
But if y’all choose a trip, then I won’t cheer for any of you at the next home game!” Just as they were about to set up the vote, a vibrant, high-pitched voice echoed across the quad.
“Baby!
A stylish girl with glossy blonde hair came bouncing up to there path.
It was Chloe Henderson, Ashton’s girlfriend.
Without missing a single beat, she squeezed herself right into the narrow space between Ashton and Keegan, dropping herself directly onto Ashton’s lap and throwing her arms securely around his neck.
“My love, I looked everywhere for you!” Chloe whined dramatically, resting her chin on his shoulder.
“The water from those sprinklers almost completely ruined my hair!” Ashton smiled, wrapping his arms comfortably around her waist to steady her.
“Sorry, babe.
I was taking care of something.”
He tilted his head toward the rest of the group.
“Ahh, babe, perfect timing.
We were just about to decide what to do with our three-day off-campus break.
Kira and Jace suggested we either watch movie nights or take a trip to Everything Kingdom.”
Chloe turned her head, looking over at Kira and Jace.
“Oh!
Kira, I was also looking for you earlier!
I didn’t see you in class today before everything went crazy.”
Kira offered a subtle smile casting a quick sideways glance at Keegan.
“I was also…
taking care of something.” Jace cleared his throat, flashing a charming grin.
“Hey, weren’t you looking for me too?”
Chloe gave him a bright, sugary smile.
“Mmmm, nice try, Jace.
But I think the coach was actually looking for you.” Jace smirked right back.
“Nice try, Mrs.
future Montgomery.”
Hearing Chloe addressed as the future Mrs.
Montgomery, Keegan bit his lip and looked off to the side, taking a quiet breath to keep his expression hidden before forcing his usual soft smile back into place.
Chloe flushed slightly, rolling her eyes with a laugh before turning back to the group.
“Uhm, about your trip versus movie night debate—”
”How about going for the trip first at Everything Kingdom for two days,” Keegan interrupted smoothly with an easy smile, expertly masking the selfish jealousy clawing at him.
It stung to watch how deeply Ashton adored Chloe, knowing he himself would never be anything more to Ashton than a BestFriend and a Brother.
“And then on the last day, we do the movie night?”
Chloe’s eyes lit up instantly.
She practically exploded with excitement, leaning right across Ashton’s lap to throw her arms around Keegan in a sudden, enthusiastic hug.
“Haaaa!
Blue-line!” Chloe gasped, pulling back with a beaming smile.
“I seriously didn’t even see you sitting right there!
And did you just read my mind?
‘Cause that’s exactly what I was going to say!”
“It’s actually the perfect middle ground,” Kira admitted, her pout melting away into an agreeing smile.
“See?
The artist brings the balance,” Jace laughed, stepping into the center of their circle and extending his hand out flat.
Ashton stood up, bringing Chloe up with him, and shoved his hand right on top of Jace’s.
One by one, Kira, Chloe, and finally Keegan stacked their hands together in the middle.
“Then it’s decided!” Ashton declared, his trademark reckless smirk cutting through the afternoon light as he looked around at his friends.
“We’ll have a trip, then a movie night!
GO Bulldogs!”
“GOOOOO BULLDOGS!” They all shouted in unison, throwing their stacked hands high into the air.