So much for a lunch break (tag: Open)

[ryoames]

The brunette had been hiding in the girls restroom since her last class. Occasionally walking out to hide out by the gym, to smoke a cigarette, but it had been close call this time. One of the teachers had passed by but had turned around after being summoned. It would only be a few more months until her eighteenth birthday. Than who would tell her she couldn't smoke? No one that is. Instead of her usual black cigarettes she'd had to switch to Camel Filters. The price of cigarettes had gone up and she still hadn't found a suitable job.

Working at a burger joint wasn't cutting it and the burn on her right arm. It had been a painful reminder of the earthquake that had killed few and caused devestation to parts of the city.

"I hear that-" Ryo paused, glancing into the mirror as she re-applied red lipstick, was that a gun shot? The hand that held the lipstick began to tremble as she stared at herself in the mirror. No, it couldn't be but it had sounded like one. There was no mistakening the familiar sound, after all, Ryo did live in Compton. Just as if on cue the intercomm echoed outside instructing teacher's to lock their doors and an alarm sounded. The restroom was empty save for herself and if something were to happen would she be even able to get out.

One possible escape route was the window near the sinks but it was to high.

"Fuck," It barely came out as a whisper as she packed up her belongings and crept towards the door. Wherever the sound had come from it wasn't near to her but that wasn't she was going to take lightly. Sounds travelled fast and so did people. Ryo took a deep breath as she opened the door, barely a crack, and looked out to see an empty hall. Murmured voices could be heard all around but the doors were shut and she'd caught the frighten expression of a teacher staring at her from his door.

Ryo closed the door, leaning against it, afraid to make her next move.

[Sloane Taylor]

When she heard the alarm being sounded and the unmistakable sound of gunshots, Sloane was nearing the girl's bathroom. Shrugging, she pushed against the door, finding it a bit heavy. But she managed to open it enough for her to slip in. She was surprised to see a girl behind the door. "Whoa...uh...hey."

Sloane had never been in a situation that called for her to react in fear and this one, to her, was no exception. She did need to pee though so after ignoring the girls' horrified face, she went in one of the stalls and did her business. Walking out of the stall, she found that the girl was still at the door. She looked familiar. Must be a Gould. Sloane went to the sink and started to wash her hands. "You know what's going on?" she asked the Asian. Grabbing a few pieces of paper towels, Sloane dried her hands and walked to the girl. "We holding up the fort?"

Sloane threw the bunched up paper towels into the dustbin before patting the girl on the shoulder since she hadn't budged. "You speak English, honey?" she asked gently, not wanting to insult her. She was scared as it was. No need to make her angry.

[Hannah Bell]

Hannah didn't expect this day to be any different than the monotony of the previous month or so. While she loved L.A. so much more than Georgia, she was already sick of so many of the people here. A lot of this town was filled with vapid idiots who only cared about the movie studios and “making it.” As if that was the only thing in life! Hannah knew she loved acting and theatre, and she did hope that one day she would be in movies, she also knew that there was so much more than just that. So the morning of February 18th, 2008 didn't really seem to be auspicious to her in any way.

There were the Silver kids, though that only meant more irritations as she was getting to class. If she had to smile and play nice with kids looking for a room any more, she thought her head might explode. That's why she was so confused when all of a sudden it sounded like her head had exploded. Startled, she looked around her and saw many kids in the hallway panicking and dashing for a room. Hannah began walking down a hallway, curious as to what just happened. As she turned a corner, she saw a group of dirty looking men walking away from her. They had lots of gross tattoos all over their arms, and definitely did not look like they belonged in the school.

Hannah watched as one of the men raised their arm. In his hand was a shiny, silver gun. Her eyes glued to the object, Hannah stared as the gun flashed and recoiled, and her gaze shifted to a pair of girls as blood spurted out of one. The men laughed and kept walking.

Hannah regained control of both her eyes and her body. She never realized she could move as fast as she did, but before she knew it she was turned around and sprinting in the opposite direction. The first door she came across was the women's bathroom, and she pushed her way in.

Two girls were already inside, one calmly drying her hands as the other stood, eyes wide, watching. She sort of recognized them, but did not know either's names.

“Ohmygodohmygod... someone was shot. I saw someone get shot!” Hannah's eyes began tearing up. She didn't want to start crying, she didn't want to freak out, but it she was right on the edge of it. She took a deep breath, but that didn't help. Tears started forming quickly now, and she wiped her eyes. “What do we do?”

[ryoames]

It wasn't until someone had pushed opened the door that Ryo moved slightly for the person to come in. If it was one of the shooters outside there wouldn't be any way for her to defend herself except maybe using a perfume bottle and her lighter. The only weapons she had on her person.

Luckily, it was another girl who looked at her as if she were some scared rabbit. Ryo didn't say anything at first but when she'd gotten her composure, after a few minutes, she calmly pushed the girls hand off of her shoulder. "Of course I speak English," This other girl didn't seem frightened at all. Ryo on the other hand lived in a neighborhod where any day and at any time you could be shot dead just by looking at someone wrong accidently.

Though the previous statement had offended her slightly, did she look like someone who just flew in from Asian-town?

"What's going on is that someone is shooting up the school-" Before she could finish her statement another girl burst through the doors. Ryo's eyes grew wide, in fear that they'd been found out, but after realizing it was just another girl she sighed in relief. It was only after the girls statements that worry began to take over. Had the streets of Compton finally taken over Gould? "Ssh-if they hear that anyone is in here than you can bet we won't be able to do anything much longer." So what if she'd grown up in Compton that didn't mean the sound of bullets were sheep for her to count.

[Sloane Taylor]

The girl's affirmation that she could indeed speak English made Sloane smile and move closer towards her. "You're a Gould aren't-" She was sent reeling backwards when the door opened and a blond barrelled in babbling about people being shot. Sloane quickly closed the girl's mouth and pushed her into one of the cubicles and let her sit on top of the covered toilet seat. "You need to calm down, gorgeous. Don't make me bite you." Sloane slowly let her hand down, dragging her thumb across the girl's lower lip. "Are you calm?"

Sloane could not help but check the girl out. She was cute, not overbearingly so. Shrugging, she backed out of the cubicle and went back to the Asian. "Did I offend you, love?" She asked, leaning on the wall, looking at the girl with a calculating gaze. Crossing her arms across her chest, Sloane gave the girl a small smile as she waited for her to answer.

She wondered if the situation outside was dying down. She couldn't just stay in the toilet with two other girls. Things could...happen. Pleasant to Sloane but might not be pleasant for the girls. Last time she was locked in a room with a girl, the girl came out of the room screaming bloody murder, cursing Sloane for even existing. Good memories, good memories.

[Hannah Bell]

Tears streamed down the older girl's hand as she moved Hannah back into a stall. The younger blonde calmed down when she saw someone taking control, and also when the red head mentioned biting her. Hannah thought that was a little odd. But it did help distract her from the fact that she watched someone get shot, possibly one of the most horrifying things she's ever seen.

Hannah nodded when asked if she was calm. She wasn't, not perfectly, but she was able to keep her mouth shut and that was the important park. She grabbed some toilet paper to wipe her eyes, carefully. She followed the re head as she exited the stall, but Hannah stayed in the doorway of it, still half afraid one of the gang members would crash through the door any second. Their best bet was to stay here until they knew for sure the coast was clear.

The two other girls didn't seem like they knew each other, either, so at least Hannah wasn't the third wheel. She sniffed away her tears, wiped her face a little more in hopes to make her self presentable, and stepped out of the stall. “Hi. I'm Hannah. Hannah Bell.” She extended her hand to the girls, hoping one of them would accept it.

[Sloane Taylor]

If Sloane hadn't been too occupied with waiting on the Asian's reply, she wouldn't have realised that the blond was talking to her. Or maybe she was talking to the other girl. It doesn't matter. The hand was extended and Sloane was going to shake it. At least the girl wasn't a panicky mess anymore.

Slipping her hand in Hannah's, Sloane pulled the girl closer to her gently. "Sloane Taylor. Why have I never seen you around before? I would never forget a face like this." Sloane gave her trademark smirk as one finger slid down Hannah's creamy soft cheek before cupping her chin, pulling it close but not too close. "Are you a Sophomore? Or a Senior? You can't be a Frosh. You're too...mature to be one. " Sloane said. The girl was taller than her but it didn't stop the redhead from making sure Hannah was the one who had to look up at her.

Just then, she remembered the whole 'maybe bumping' into Nolan thing in the cafeteria. She cursed softly before moving away from Hannah to check out the hallway. It was quiet and not a person in sight. Was it safe for her to get out to find Nolan? *And leave two very hot girls stranded in the toilet?* she thought to herself. She shook her head. The girls might not even be interested. They might just be heterosexual. Ugh. Nolan however...he's a boy. Boys like girls. She could definitely see herself being in bed with Nolan.

Sloane stepped out of the girl's bathroom and looked around and saw no one. Should she try and look for Nolan? Again...the thought of leaving the girls entered her mind. But Nolan was a boy! He was interested in her, she knew it. He wouldn't go through such lengths to secure a 'maybe bumping' into her if he wasn't interested. But why was SHE so interested in him? Why was she wasting so much of her time on this boy? It was usually the other way around.

Smacking herself mentally she went back in the toilet. "Okay girls. Here's what I think you should do. Grab that dustbin over there and prop it against the door so no one else can come in. I'm gonna take off coz I need to find someone." She patted Hannah and the other girl gently. "God speed, girls. Don't die on me. You both are far too gorgeous to die." Sloane winked at both of them before exiting the toilet and running off into the direction of her locker where they had first met.

[ryoames]

Wait, Ryo looked at the girl and shook her head not thinking of what she'd just heard and placed her back against the door again. It wasn't until she was addressed again that her attention was brought back to where the blonde and auburn haired girls were sitting. "Nah, a little put off maybe," This wasn't like her to be so forward at the first meeting but since this wasn't your first meet and greet, the situation was completely AU. The blonde girl looked like a mouse caught by the cat if it were any other time and strangely to Ryo it looked like that kind of time.

If anyone was outside of the restroom now they would have heard the commotion but nothing made a sound. Was it safe to go outside just yet? Suddenly the blonde girl spoke up though softly from what Ryo's ears processed. Hannah Bell. It sounded completely southern though the name Ryo Ames sounded like a boys name. At least Dacian was given a french name and not a male Japanese name. Where her mother got it was a story long forgot or never cared for. Though right after the auburn-haired girl addressed herself, pulling the out-stretched hand Hannah's towards her, as Sloane. Now that was a rather interesting name.

Did they have any classes together? Ryo wouldn't probably have remembered since she didn't pay attention nor had she been attending classes the last couple of days. Mr. and Mrs. Ames were probably going to have a fit if they were to find out about the absences.

"Ryo Ames, I'm a junior here," Ryo offered feeling like the last to contribute and made her way from the door to the stall. At least she should have looked like there was some concern over the blonde girl. Maybe a little concerned since after all she had felt that panicked when the shots were heard. Though to have seen someone get shot. That was another story. Sloane seemed deep in thought, Ryo tilted her head a little, as she suddenly spoke of a plan for them to hole themselves up in the restroom while she went on a kamikaze trip to find a friend.

Sure Ryo had wanted to know if her friends were okay, the few she had, but deciding to go out there when the coast wasn't clear wasn't the greatest idea. Than again, Sloane wasn't someone she knew so telling her to stay put wasn't something that was neccessary to say. But, the gorgeous comment didn't slip past her and with a raised eyebrow watched the girl leave. "Um...yeah..." Did she look like an idiot staring at the place the auburn-haired girl stood. Sure she did. "If we move that than we'd be making some noise...if you don't mind me. I'm going to hang out in the big stall and smoke," Ryo pulled out a tin-box of hello kitty bandaids but within it were cigarettes and a lighter. Who cares if she were caught now because her nerves were a little shot and the way the other girl had looked at them as if candy.

[Hannah Bell]

Hannah was not expecting Sloane to be so… touchy. There was something about the girl that creeped Hannah out, but she forced a smile. “Umm… I-I’m a sophomore. I g-guess I just blend in,” Hannah stammered, both fear of the situation outside and discomfort of the events inside the bathroom causing her body to shake. The stutter sounded awkward when combined with her southern drawl.

“And hi, Ryo, it’s nice to- hey wait!” Hannah reached out in vain to stop Sloane from leaving the restroom. “You can’t go out there! What if people are there? What if you get shot too?” Tears returned to Hannah’s face as she turned back to Ryo. Before she could say another word, however, Sloane stepped back in. She began ordering the pair around, but Hannah was getting too deep in sobs to be of any real used. However, when Sloane left for good she did as she was told and slid the garbage can in front of the door. Hannah doubted it would do much, but it did make her feel slightly better.

The other girl, Ryo, moved towards the back of the bathroom as she pulled out a small tin. She lit up, and Hannah tried to hide her disgust at the smell of the cigarettes. She detested smoking, but didn’t want to say anything for fear of making Ryo mad. Plus, they would help keep her calm, and Hannah knew at least one of them should keep it together. This just gave her free license to cry all she wanted. She slid down the wall into a corner and silently sobbed.

“D-do you think th-they’ll find us in h-here?”

[ryoames]

Ryo watched as the smoke curled in front of her, creating shapes in the air, memorized but all the while conscience of her surroundings. It was what she had needed at the moment to relieve some stress, even if it only lasted for a little while. Despite that fact it was a little while that would calm her nerves. A shot of nicotine. Whomever had said that it wasn't worth it hadn't had a cigarette. For the time being the little cancer stick, as she sometimes referred to it lovingly, was doing what it was meant to do. Ryo looked over at Hannah, a feeling of guilt washing over her, she hadn't known what to say to her to make her feel comfortable. This wasn't a situation that could be patched together with a few dislusional words of comfort.

"I don't know..." Her finger flicked the ash into the sink, it would be easier to wash away the evidence, there wasn't more to say other than look at the ground. Ryo thought about her friends and hoping that they'd faired better, the ones that were actually at school, but mentally kicking herself for not taking up the offer to go to the beach. Dacian, her younger brother, was home with the flu and thank god for that small miracle. He'd gotten sick a couple of days before and now she'd wished that her parents hadn't dropped her off today with a promise of an after school pick-up.

"Where are you from?" Hannah's accent had given her away that she wasn't from California but most people weren't. Ryo herself had moved here when she was three years old from Hawai'i. The weather hadn't changed much but the scenery was almost the same. Flicking the cigarette into the toilet, the thought of flushing the toilet was not an option, and when the alarm sounded that it was okay to come out Ryo would be the first to high-tail it out of here.