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The last bell of the day rang as Illi slung her heavy backpack onto her back. She walked through the school with her head bowed, the skirt that she had crafted from the school’s required uniform pants swishing at her ankles. Illi’s last class of the day, AP art, was at the opposite end of the school from where Illi and Ray, her best friend, waited for hours until eventually Ray’s mom would be there to drive them home, every day since freshman year. Sometimes, on the walk from AP art to the infamous after school Illi and Ray meeting point, Illi would be fortunate enough to see Frank, her best best friend and also maybe her boyfriend? Illi had no idea. Today, she did see him in the hallway, shoving books into his locker. He looked up to see Illi, shutting the locker door before his books would have tumbled out on top of him. Illi was happy to see him, waving and smiling as she positioned herself in front of Frank, who leaned against his locker in a nonchalant way to look at her with his stupid smug grin.
Illi pulled Frank in for a short hug before asking him how his last three periods had been. “You had a test in Physics, right?”
Frank smirked, rolling his eyes. “Psh, nah. I skipped in the bathroom last 2 periods anyway.”
“You’re so stupid, Frank” Illi giggled, rolling her eyes before she flicked Frank’s forehead.
His hand shot up to cradle his head. “Ow!!” Frank looked wounded, though Illi knew that her flick was weak and that he couldn’t be hurt even in the slightest. He looked up with scowling eyes, making Illi smile bigger.
Illi pulled him back into a hug. “Alright, jackass, I gotta go meet Ray.”
Frank pulled away, looking up at Illi as he was a good amount shorter than her. “You’re able to call tonight, right? ‘Cause I gotta write this whole lab report before tomorrow and I need to copy yours.” Frank said, leaning against his locker again with a pleading smile.
Illi was ready to walk away, but agreed to calling Frank before she blew him a kiss goodbye and went on her way.
As she walked away, she saw him open his locker to a load of books falling onto his face, to which Illi giggled and kept walking, avoiding the crowd. Somehow, she made it across the school safely. Soon as she opened the door to leave the school, entering the outside, the overwhelmingness of school drifted away with the cool air and quiet breeze, a contrast to the boom of after school hallway traffic in the high school. As she approached her usual step, Illi spotted Ray’s frizzy hair and horrible posture, sitting propped against the step and his backpack. He looked like he could be doing homework, but it was doubtful. As Illi approached him, Ray looked up at her and smiled.
“Hey,” Illi greeted Ray, sitting close to him on the concrete landing.
Ray looked up and smiled. “Hi Illi,” he replied, now looking back down at the paper that had been consuming his focus beforehand.
“Whatcha doin’?” Illi asked, leaning against his shoulder to get a better look at his paper.
Ray instinctually brought his notebook to his chest, but lowered it after a second, realizing he wouldn’t be judged by his friend. “It’s just homework,”
“Really? For what class?” Illi questioned, wishing Ray would move his hand so that she could get a look at what he was drawing. She pulled at his hand and he finally moved. On the page were a few thumbnails of a comic with some musician smashing up an electric guitar. Illi thought it was amazing, considering Ray hardly ever drew anything, but she understood why he was embarrassed.
“It’s– nevermind, it’s not homework. I just started drawing it in History and thought it was cool or whatever. I honestly…” Ray trailed off, his hands lingering along the edges of the paper like he was just about to fold it up and put it away.
“Honestly what?” Illi asked, guiding his hand away so that she could keep looking.
“I kept thinking about that comic you drew for Frank– with the zombies, and the vampires, it was really cool. I don’t know how you do that, Ills.”
Illi blushed at that. She didn’t think her art was really that good, and she was really embarrassed to show that comic to Ray, so hearing how much he liked it made her feel really good.
“Oh, also, Ms. Carver thinks I’m wasting my potential, so I’m trying to look productive in case she walks by.”
“You are wasting your potential, but whatever,” Illi teased. “For the benefit of the doubt, I did not expect your art to look anything like this, considering how that freshman collaborative art thing we did turned out.”
“Shut up…” he giggled. “There's a thing called improving, Illi. Look it up.”
Before Illi could reply, she heard those recognizable platform combat boot footsteps around the corner, before Frank appeared, looking like he’d just run from across the whole school. He was grinning like he’d just robbed a bank or something, and I knew it was definitely something along those lines that caused him to smile so big.
“You guys, you won’t believe this,” he panted, pointing behind him. “You guys seen Breaking Bad yet?”
“I watched an episode or two.” Illi said, raising an eyebrow.
“No, I’m planning to though, why?” Ray also sounded skeptical.
“Just, follow me.” Frank was already turning around towards the main building.
“Frankie, my mom’s on her way, this won’t take too long, right?” Ray said as he reluctantly followed Frank into the building, Illi following close behind.
“Hmm..” Frank smiled, walking backwards to look at the two following him. “Prolly shouldn’t take too much time, no.”
They all ended up outside of the chem lab. Frank fished a paperclip out of his pocket, bending it dramatically and then fiddling it around inside of the lock on the door. Illi resisted the urge to groan at Frank acting all tough for them, crossing her arms across her chest.
“Are you gonna tell us what we’re doing?” Illi whispered, looking around, trying to spot teachers or security guards.
“Something really cool, that’s what.” He looked up at Illi, winking. Before she could process that, she heard a click coming from the door and suddenly it was opening. Illi had to admit she was surprised that he was actually able to pick the lock, but she also wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t locked in the first place and Frank wasted their time.
“Welcome!” Frank smiled, spinning around the floor of the chemistry room with his hands out.
“We’ve been in the chem room before, Frank,” Illi said as she rolled her eyes, watching Frank rummage through a cabinet on his tippy toes, grabbing random chemicals that Illi knew he didn’t know the use of, judging on the fact that he was always fully asleep and snoring in chem class. She sat on a desk at the other side of the room, watching Frank dump an array of chemicals and other such scientific supplies onto a desk. Illi cringed with fear that he would drop something really toxic and kill them all, but she resisted the urge to tell him anything out of curiosity of what will come next.
“‘Kay, what are we doing?” Ray asked, leaning against a table with his arms crossed over his chest.
“I was watching Breaking Bad last night and I took like a lot of notes on how to make meth out of like, chemicals and shit. Soooooo, now I think I’m basically Walter White probably. But also I need your guy’s help.” Frank grinned, hands on his hips. He looked like he was doing us a favor, but he definitely was not.
“Nope, uh-uh, no we fucking aren’t.” Ray turned straight around and towards the door.
“There is no way you know how to do that, dude.” Illi got down off the desk and walked over to Frank, shoving him playfully out of the way with her shoulder. She looked down at the supplies and frowned, before looking up at him from beneath her dyed black hair.
“No, guys, trust me, I watched Breaking Bad,” he begged, watching Ray open the door and step out. “Ray, no! Noo, Toro, trust me, please. Just stay, it’ll be so fun.” Frank ran to Ray and grabbed his arm, trying to beat Ray’s strength and pull him back in, looking up at him with pleading eyes, putting on a show of how much he wanted Ray to stay. “For me?”
Ray rolled his eyes, shaking his friend off of his arm like he was an aggressive chihuahua. “Nah, man, I’m going to wait for my mom outside. Illi, are you gonna come with?”
Illi thought for a moment, debating in her mind whether getting home or watching Frank probably blow himself up would be a better idea. She smiled before saying, “I kinda wanna see how this goes down.” She giggled and Frank turned back to look at her with a massive grin, like he would die if she didn’t stay.
Ray groaned and opened the door to leave. “Fine, well, don’t get mad if my mom leaves without you and you have to find another way home.” And with that, Ray left the chemistry room and took off walking down the hall.
Frank turned back to Illi. “Guess it’s just you and me, Ills.” Frank smiled again, which actually did make Illi happy to see, that he cared so much about her being there. Maybe this would be sorta fun.
“Totally.” Illi smiled back, tilting her head.
Frank turned back to the table. “Okay, so first…” he started, already picking up a bottle of sodium chloride. “I believe we…” He unscrewed the cap and began to tip it over a graduated cylinder. “Pour this in here, and…” He began to pour about half the bottle out and then cursed under his breath. “Voil… ah.”
Illi giggled again, hopping back up onto a desk to watch. “Now what?” She asked, resting her chin on her knee, propped up on the table.
“Uhm…” He looked around, scratching the back of his head where his hair was all fluffy and messy. “I think we probably have to… mix it with a liquid of some kind…” He was talking slowly like he was thinking, and bent down to look at the names on the bottles. His eyes widened and he grabbed a bottle. “Methanol! Perfect!” He held it up in the air and was sorta bouncing on his heels. He opened the bottle and was already pouring it into the same graduated cylinder as before.
“Shit, Frankie, should you not be wearing goggles or something?” Illi asked, bracing herself for an explosion of some sorts. But, after nothing at all happened besides the salt floating around in the methanol, Illi relaxed and breathed out.
“Oh, you’re right.” He went back to the cabinet where he got the chemicals and grabbed a pair of goggles and gloves. As soon they were on, he went back to the solution he had made.
“Nothing’s happening, is something supposed to happen?” Illi asked, leaning forward cautiously to get a better look.
“No, that means it's working.”
“How the fuck do you know?”
“Breaking Bad.”
Illi rolled her eyes and watched Frank pick up yet another chemical from his stash and open the lid. The dust in the container flew out into the air and he started coughing, holding the bottle away from his face. Then, he poured it into a beaker and grabbed another bottle of liquid.
“So what are you doing now?” Illi asked, curious.
“Mixing…” He turned the bottle in his hand around to look at the label. “Te..tra..hydro..fur..an, and…” He grabbed the previous bottle, “Sodium Hydroxide…” He grinned up at Illi again. “I know it’s got to work, and we’ll have meth on our hands in no time.”
Illi just sat back and watched, leaning back on the table with her ankles crossed. Frank unscrewed the cap of the liquid and tipped it over the beaker, then began to pour. Illi watched closer, her eyes widening, and as soon as the liquid hit the powder at the bottom of the beaker, boom.
Illi’s life sorta flashed before her eyes at this point, and she couldn’t remember where she was, who she was, what she was doing. The next thing she knew she was on the ground, and so was Frank, and the ceiling was black, and there was smoke in the whole room, and Frank was coughing loudly.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck, shit, shit, Illi, we gotta get outta here,” he was saying, scrambling onto his feet and throwing the now blacked-out goggles he was wearing onto the floor. He reached for her hand and she remembered staring up at him with no expression before reaching for his hand and letting him pull her up. He sorta pulled her along as they ran out of the science room, through the hallways, towards the exit. They were almost there when Illi heard the fire alarm, and she just thought ‘oh my god, Frank is an idiot’ and tried her best to run faster.. Then, next thing they knew, there was a security guard down the hall in front of them and Frank was turning the two of them around and having them run the other way. Illi’s backpack weighed about as much as herself, and she was already a slow runner, so getting away from a massive security guard obviously didn’t go well. She was running as fast as she could before she felt a pull on her back, and then her feet weren’t taking her anywhere. Frank’s hand was still tightly clasped around Illi’s, so he was stopped too. Luckily, like the good friend he was, he stopped with her. She was breathing really heavily when she was turned around by her shoulders to find a tall security guard staring down at her. Her eyes widened and she smiled guiltily and looked back at Frank.
The security guard looked down at both of them with a glare in his eyes like he was trying to figure out how impossibly stupid they could be to think of doing this. Illi was still wheezing, and Frank looked like he was about to puke.
The guard finally spoke. “Are you two trying to get expelled?” he asked with a tired voice that implied that he was so over it.
Frank opened his mouth like he was about to try to make up an excuse, but the guard held up a threatening finger.
“Don’t even start. Save it for the principal, I don’t need to hear your excuses.” The guard pushed them along by their backs, and when Illi looked over to Frank, he just gave her a sort of half-smile like he was saying ‘oops!’ Illi rolled her eyes and looked ahead.
The walk to the principal's office was hell, the guard marching them down the hallway with a heavy hand on both of their shoulders. Illi’s back was starting to hurt from the weight of her backpack but she was scared to even shift it. Frank kept looking over at her with a smirk, but she certainly wasn’t laughing.
When they got to the office, the guard shoved them in with no remorse. The secretary, Ms. Valdez, raised her eyebrows when she saw them, covered in soot, hair sticking up everywhere.
Frank leaned against her desk like they weren’t already on thin ice, trying to look casual. “Hello, Ms. V! love your sweater.”
Ms. Valdez just glared up at him as she picked up the phone to call Principal Henderson out. A second later, he stepped out of his office and stood in front of the two with his arms crossed. “You two again. Come in,” he sighed angrily, motioning his hands in a way to signal them to come in. Illi looked over at Frank, feeling her head start to hurt with how terrified she was. She knew she shouldn’t have stayed.
As Illi and Frank sat down at his desk, she felt her pulse beating in her head. “Do either of you two want to explain,” Henderson started, “why the fire alarm was triggered in the chemistry lab?”
Illi wanted to explain that it was simply an experiment gone wrong, but she was never good at speaking up, and she knew it wouldn’t go well. She looked over to Frank, giving him a glare that she hoped would communicate ‘you’re the one who got us into this, you explain.’
When Frank opened his mouth to speak, Illi just had to pray that he wouldn’t start the sentence with ‘have you ever seen Breaking Bad.’ Luckily, he began to explain reasonably. “I’m in physics this year, sir, and I’ve honestly just really missed chemistry. I always found it so interesting, and we never get to do experiments with chemicals in physics, it’s just so boring all the time,” Frank started, his voice threatening a squeaky tone but keeping its posture. “Please don’t punish Illi, sir,” He begged, voice breaking for one moment. Illi blushed and looked down, smiling despite the way she was so terrified right now.
“Mr. Anthony, you must know by now that entering classrooms and using equipment without permission is strictly prohibited, and the punishments for both of you will be severe, bordering on expulsion depending on how bad the damage in the chemistry lab is. Do you both understand that?” Mr. Henderson explain, voice raised but calm.
The two both nodded, and Frank spoke up again. “Really, sir, we were just curious, can you try to understand that?”
“Curious?” Henderson repeated like it was the stupidest word he could've said. “You two caused a fire in the school, mixing dangerous chemicals that you guys couldn’t have possibly known the danger of, and you’re saying you shouldn’t be punished for it because you were curious, ” Mr. Henderson’s voice was really raised now, making Illi shrink in her seat.
“Maybe just detention,” Illi spoke up, for the first time, her voice squeaking.
Henderson grunted, then started again. “Anthony, I’m going to give you two weeks suspension at minimum,”
Frank sighed, frowning and nodding.
“And Ms. McMillin, be honest. How involved were you in Mr. Anthony’s stunt in the chemistry room?”
Illi’s throat went dry. She figured she technically wasn’t involved, no, but she also didn’t want to throw Frank under the bus. She looked over to see Frank’s wide brown eyes, pleading at her like a dog that had just chewed up the couch cushions. “I… Uh..” She started, but the words wouldn’t come out.
“She was just watching.” Frank spoke up. “It was all me, sir.”
Illi’s head snapped towards him. Thank god.
Henderson squinted at him. “Is that so?”
“Yes!” Frank nodded furiously. “She told me not to, but I didn’t listen.” He quickly glanced at her like he was saying ‘play along, please.’
Illi hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah, uh, I told him it was dumb.”
“Dumb is an understatement,” Henderson replied, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You could have easily burned the whole school down. You’re very lucky no one got hurt. This might be the worst thing I’ve ever seen at this school, my entire 20 years of work. I should expel both of you, especially you, Mr. Anthony.” Mr. Henderson ranted, pointing at Frank, who looked dumbfounded. Henderson ranted on about the dangers of having kids who could cause immense harm to the community, making Illi and Frank out to be the devil and his advocate.
He ended up suspending Frank for two weeks, and gave Illi two weeks of afternoon detention, every day. He called Frank’s father and explained the whole situation, to which Illi could hear yelling coming out of the other end of the phone. Henderson also tried to call Illi’s mom, but she was at work and couldn’t pick her up. He ended up dismissing the two after a few more minutes of scolding.
Illi and Frank walked out of the building, heading out into the 5:00 air of the afternoon. They turned the corner, nearing the step where this whole thing had started, and soon Illi was surprised to see Ray still sitting there, his coat curled around him, looking about two seconds away from falling asleep. But the second he saw Illi and Frank, his eyes went wide.
“Holy shit,” he said, sitting up straight. “What the hell happened to you guys? You look like something exploded.”
Illi looked down at her soot-covered school uniform and then at Frank, whose hair was sticking up like he’d been electrocuted.
“Well, yeah.” Frank rocked back and forth on his feet, smiling.
“Frankie mixed two chemicals that aren't meant to be mixed together,” Illi said, going to sit down next to Ray.
“And it exploded?” Ray burst out into laughter.
Illi glared at him. “I was watching peacefully and suddenly there was an explosion. It is not my fault Frank wants to be Walter White,”
Frank sighed before starting to walk backwards. “I think my dad’s almost here, I gotta go. Bye Illi! Thanks for stayin’!” He waved them off as he started walking towards the edge of the field.
Illi looked back at Ray, smiling. “I’m so glad you left before Frank started blowin’ shit up,” She sighed, resting her head against his shoulder.
“Oh my god yeah, me too. I don’t think I’ll ever trust Frank with anything,” Ray shook his head, afro getting up in Illi’s face.
A few minutes later, a black minivan that Illi knew well pulled up, and the window rolled down to reveal Ray’s mom and his older brother waving at him.
Ray and Illi stood and grabbed their belongings, piling into the back of the car.
“Sorry I’m a little late, guys!” Ray’s mom said cheerfully, glancing back at them. “Oh, wow, Illi, what happened to you?”
“Long story,” Illi said, settling back into her seat.