"You did what?!"

Ethan wore a blank face, his eyes fixed upon the person behind the screen.

"You understand the consequences of your actions, right?"

The male voice echoing from the laptop didn't seem to bother Ethan. He turned toward the small wardrobe built into the corner of his trailer. The space was neat but compact, every inch of it serving a purpose.

A narrow bed sat against one wall, its blanket folded with precision. The scent of leather and faint cologne lingered in the air. A single, unadorned window let in the a few golden rays of light from the rising sun, casting shadows across the metallic walls.

Ethan rummaged through the wardrobe until his fingers brushed against the black leather jacket he'd been searching for.

"You bought yourself a one-way ticket to detention and got into a street fight for the same girl? A stranger you haven't even met before?"

He scoffed, averting his gaze from the screen as he slid into the jacket.

"Should I have let those guys have their way with her?"

An unsettling silence engulfed the room when he spoke in a cold manner. The person behind the screen heaved a sigh, rubbing his forehead for some seconds.

"You could've called the cops or something...not play vigilante"

"It's a miracle you weren't killed back there--"

Ethan corked his brows and clenched his fists upon hearing those words.

"Look, Charles...I'm not a kid anymore. Stop acting like you actually care, when you don't"

"Ethan, I'm sure you can take care of yourself...I don't doubt it, but dude your health is at stake here"

Ethan made for the corner where the faint aroma of coffee lingered and grabbed the warm cup, gulping down its content as Charles spoke.

"And how about your pills?"

"Have you been taking them consistently?"

Playing deaf to Charles' question, Ethan picked up a small orange container and pulled off its cap, popping out two red pills in an instant. He took the pills without hesitation, flushing them down with a gulp of water.

"Need more proof?", he asked.

Charles pulled his brows into a slight frown, but exhaled almost in an instant.

"Buddy, you're still my little brother, and I'm allowed to care about you...remember we have no one else other than ourselves"

Ethan snatched his phone from the counter and slung his black backpack over his shoulder, fingers combing through his black hair to adjust a few stray silver curls.

"Dude, I've got detention to catch up with...so, if you don't mind--"

"Yeah, sure...talk to you later, and--"

He hung up on the call and slammed the laptop shut before Charles' voice could linger any further, sliding it into a hidden compartment underneath his wooden cabinet. A brief glance at his phone's screen made him realize it was 7:00AM already, prompting him to scurry out of his trailer and head straight for school.

********************

The hallways looked deserted with no one in sight, save for Ethan, whose echoing footsteps pierced through the silence. He strode past the array of lockers, his eyes scanning past every door until he reached the one labeled 'room 44'.

With folded arms, he clenched his jaws while peering at the door for a few seconds. A lot of feelings brushed through him all at once, but anxiety wasn't one of them.

"F*k it", he muttered, squeezing the doorknob in an instant.

The door swung open, and Ethan stepped inside, shutting it quietly behind him. Eyes peered at him as he walked down the aisle and took a seat at the extreme end of the class. He unzipped his backpack, slid out his sketch pad and a pencil before placing his head upon the wooden desk.

Meanwhile, Zoe subtly averted her gaze from him and stole a gaze at Kimika, the red-haired girl seated beside her. It didn't take Zoe rocket science to figure out that Kimika was actually part of Sandra's clique; and knowing what a bitch Sandra was, she could make someone take her place in detention, owing to her given status.

"What a bitch", Zoe muttered.

Just as she was about to rest her head on the desk, the door swung open with a soft creak, making her look up to see who it was.

"Asher?"

Her eyes lit up at the sight of Asher, who wore a plain white corporate shirt and a plaid bowtie. He beamed his usual wide and innocent smile as he made his way through the aisle until he took the left seat beside her.

Placing his rusty brown backpack beside him, he adjusted his glasses and whispered to her, "Hey buddy"

Peering at him with corked brows, she asked, "How--what are you doing here?"

His smile melted into a faint smirk as he began to explain, "I gave myself detention...well, not technically speaking. I might've left Mr Hargroves a nasty text message, earning me an exclusive ticket into this place"

Such an explanation caused her to lean closer, her eyes gazing at him unbothered face in utter disbelief.

"Why?...I mean, you've got a perfect record, and you just decided to ruin it for what reason exactly?"

"You", he exhaled.

"You're my friend...the first actual friend I've ever had since forever, and friends stick with each other right?"

Her face broke into a warm smile upon hearing those words. It took her a few minutes, or maybe more, to shake off the lingering doubt and let herself fully embrace the moment.

"Guess who showed up in Sandra's place?", she whispered, subtly rolling her eyes towards Kimika as a sign.

"Oh, well...life sucks for her", he taunted.

Ding! The digital clock beeped as the digits on its screen reset to 00:00:00, prompting everyone to look up, their eyes fixed on the display.

A familiar, middle-aged voice echoed from unseen speakers within the classroom:

"Hello Students! Welcome to your worst nightmare...DETENTION"

Judging from the dramatic tone, it took them less than a minute to recognize the iconic and dramatic art teacher, Mr Hargroves.

"As you all know, detention is a sad place...a place of misery, woe and more especially, a dent in your perfect student record"

"Be that as it may, today's detention will take a different turn", he added.

While Zoe and Asher's gazes became locked together, Ethan and Kimika seemed unbothered by the whole situation, but not until Mr Hargroves' voice spelt his next words loud and clear:

"Escape room"

Everyone except Ethan chorused, "What?!"

"While you were yet speaking, the door has been rigged shut and only my master key can unlock it from the inner lock...but--"

Mr Hargroves took a dramatic pause, causing Asher's heart to skip more than one beat.

"You must find the key"

"Begin with the individual clues hidden underneath your desks. Then, come together and share what you know to move forward. You only have an hour, and the Time starts now!"

"Meanwhile, kindly place your phones and any extra materials upon my desk"

Their eyes became pinned upon the digital clock's display, goosebumps carpeting Asher's skin as he gulped.

Kimika adjusted a few stray curls of hair from her face, pursing her lips as she leaned forward. Although she was determined to remain silent until she was out for the day, she couldn't help but shift uncomfortably in her seat, her eyes darting around the room as the tension within her grew.

Ethan, still unbothered by everything that went on around him, averted his gaze from the clock and leaned backwards with his sketchpad.

"Why should we bother with your little game?" His voice was clipped, laced with a sharp edge of irritation.

"Escape the room and leave detention early, fail and come back on Monday to pick up from where you left off"

With corked brows, Ethan heaved a deep sigh. It would be a stupid move to earn detention again, especially when the consequences could mean losing any chance of staying out of trouble for good.

Left with no choice, he hesitantly made his way to the teacher's desk with his phone, sketchpad and pencil, placing them next to the neat pile of books just like everyone else did.

Meanwhile, Zoe couldn't help but notice how beads of sweat began clustering upon Asher's face.

"Hey, what's wrong?", she wondered.

"I-I'm claustrophobic, and the thought of being locked up in a room gets me anxious", Asher said, his voice wavering.