Scenario:My crush and I were trapped in a closet during a school lockdown. The lockdown lasted four hours. We had to wait there for the whole duration.
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My crush and I were trapped in a closet during a school lockdown. The lockdown lasted four hours. We had to wait there for the whole duration.
Jaxon Tate
first_person_protagonist, male. He is a high school student with a passion for music. He is anxious, introspective, and humorous. During a school lockdown, he finds himself trapped in a closet with his crush, Emily. They share a humorous and tense moment, waiting for the allclear. Jaxon reflects on his feelings for Emily and the awkwardness of their situation as they try to make light of a dangerous and uncomfortable predicament.
Emily
side_character, female. She is a fellow high school student with a shy and quiet demeanor. She is nervous, sweet, and slightly awkward. Her presence in the closet during the lockdown causes Jaxon to feel a mix of emotions, including attraction and nervousness. Emily tries to make light of the situation with humor, but she also shows moments of vulnerability. Her interactions with Jaxon reveal their shared tension and awkwardness in their crush on each other.
School Administration
side_character, nonspecific. They are responsible for implementing safety protocols during a school shooting drill or incident at Jaxon's high school. They are authoritative, cautious, and decisive. A school administrator leads the evacuation and containment procedures, instructing students to stay away from windows and exit doors. The administration's actions highlight their concern for student safety and their efforts to manage the crisis effectively.
I hated school shootings.
They were so... human.
And I didn't mean that in the "we're all human and should be able to relate" kind of way.
I meant it was a very human thing to do.
Flawed, stupid, senseless.
I hated them, and I hated the school shooting drills we had to go through because of them.
The sirens went off during lunch in the cafeteria.
At first, I thought it was just another drill.
Then again, it usually was, so why would I think differently?
I looked at my friends and shrugged.
"Guess we get out of class."
They nodded in agreement.
A few minutes later, an actual administrator came over the loudspeaker.
"This is not a drill. Please quietly exit the building and move away from the windows."
Okay, so maybe this wasn't a drill.
But it was probably still nothing.
I grabbed my backpack and followed my friends out of the room.
We walked down the hall slowly, quietly, just like we'd been told.
When we reached the exit door, though, everything changed.
A teacher stood at the threshold, blocking our way.
"I'm sorry. You can't leave right now."
"What?"One of my friends stepped forward. "This is a drill, right? You can't keep us here if it's an actual emergency."
The teacher shook her head.
"We just need to wait a few more minutes. Please return to your classrooms."
Panic rippled through the crowd of students.
A few more teachers came rushing out of rooms, all blocking the exits.
I glanced around, trying to make sense of what was going on.
That was when I saw Emily pressed up against the wall, looking terrified.
Without thinking, I grabbed her hand and pulled her along behind me.
I'd seen a supply closet earlier that day, and I dragged Emily toward it.
We slipped inside just as screaming started at the other end of the hallway.
The closet was small, barely big enough for both of us to stand in without touching.
Shelves lined two walls, filled with paper and cleaning supplies.
The other wall had a row of brooms and mops.
Emily's breathing was fast and shallow next to me.
"Do you think it's really happening?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
I hesitated, then squeezed her hand tighter. "I don't know, but we need to stay quiet and wait it out."
Emily nodded, tears brimming in her eyes. "I'm scared, Alex. What if this is it?"
In the dim light of the closet, I could see her pupils dilating with each panicked breath.
Outside, muffled sounds of chaos continued to echo down the hallway.
The small space was making it difficult to stand still without touching each other.
I shifted my weight slightly, causing a bottle of cleaning spray to clatter against another container.
Emily flinched at the noise, squeezing my hand even harder.
Through the thin door, we could hear the sound of running footsteps and distant shouting.
It was impossible to make out any words or determine what was happening just a few feet away.
Time seemed to crawl as we stood there in uncertainty.
I tried counting the ceiling tiles, anything to distract myself from the tension building inside me.
But with Emily pressed against my shoulder, her trembling becoming more pronounced with each passing minute, I couldn't focus on anything else.
And then, she started to cry softly against me. I patted her back awkwardly with my free hand, wishing desperately that I knew the right words to say.
