Claire gasped in surprise at the abrupt action and Kyle took advantage of her open mouth and thrust his tongue inside.
“Oh God!” Jill’s exclamation drew them apart. “Can’t you at least wait until you get her to the car?”
Claire flushed as they turned to face Kyle’s sister, and Jill shook her head.
“The coast is clear if you want to leave. Or the two of you could just do it right here in the girls’ bathroom and get it over with. Honestly!” Turning, she stomped back to the door muttering, “He waits forever to finally ask her out, then he’s all over her. Mr. Octopus. Hands everywhere. It really is the quiet ones you have to watch.”
Biting her lip, Claire hurried after Jill, aware that Kyle was at her back. She could feel his gaze traveling over the back of her bare legs and was grateful the jacket covered at least her behind.
“Damn,” Kyle muttered several moments later as they stared at the third exit door they’d approached since leaving the washroom. This, like the two before it, was chained shut.
“The door by the gymnasium must be the only one they left open tonight,” Jill suggested.
“They should have a second door unlocked in case of fire,” Kyle said with a frown.
“Maybe they do, on the other side of the gym,” Claire suggested.
Both Kyle and Jill peered at her, their gazes sliding over her skimpy wear. They had managed to avoid being seen so far. The first door they had tried had been the only one with any real risk of being seen. The last two were down halls no one had any real business being down, including themselves under normal circumstances.
“The gym bisects this end of the school,” Kyle pointed out. “The only way to get to the other side is through the gym.”
“Or across the stage,” Claire said.
Kyle blinked. “I forgot about the stage,” he acknowledged. The small gymnasium was used for plays as well as sports, or had been when they’d attended Murphy High.
“It’s curtained off tonight.” Jill began to grin. “We can sneak across it to the other side and slip out unseen.”
“Okay.” Kyle took an arm of each of them and turned back the way they’d come.
Luck seemed to be on their side, and they reached the door to the back of the stage unseen. All three of them sighed with relief as they slipped into the dark alcove at the foot of the stairs leading onstage…until the door closed, leaving them in utter blackness.
“I can’t see a thing,” Jill complained in a whisper, her hand grabbing at Claire’s arm.
“Just wait here a minute until our eyes adjust,” Kyle suggested. They waited several minutes, listening to someone giving a speech in the gymnasium itself. From the alcove, the voice was really just a low incomprehensible drone occasionally punctuated by clapping or laughter from the reunion attendees, but it was soothing in its tenor.
“Okay,” Kyle said after several useless moments had passed and their vision didn’t improve. “I guess this is as good as it gets. I’ll lead the way. Claire, you take my hand. Jill, you hold on to Claire.”
Claire almost protested that she couldn’t hold the jacket closed if both her hands were occupied, but then let the matter drop. After all, it was so dark, no one would be able to see if the coat hung open. She’d just retrieve her hand before they slipped out through the door on the opposite side.
Kyle moved very slowly up the stairs to the stage. Claire followed just as slowly, carefully feeling out each step as she drew Jill behind her. Once on the stage itself, it was less difficult; the flat floor was easier to negotiate. It was also easier to hear the speech being given on the other side of the curtain up here, though Claire was too tense to listen as she blindly followed Kyle’s firm hand.
Claire never considered that there might be anything on the stage itself to trip them up. Presumably, Kyle didn’t either, for he moved a bit more quickly as they crossed the floor, trading caution for speed. When he suddenly came to a halt with a grunt of surprise, Claire crashed into his back, then stumbled to the side, their handhold briefly broken. Before she could tumble to the stage floor to alert those beyond the curtains that someone was onstage, she crashed into Kyle and his hands closed around her waist, steadying her.
“Sorry,” Claire whispered, relaxing against him.
“What happened?” Jill hissed, tightening her hold on her hand.
“We ran into something.”
“What?”
“I don’t know,” Claire whispered.
“Who is that?” a baritone voice asked over her head and Claire stiffened. That wasn’t Kyle’s voice. The hands around her tightened as if sensing she would try to break free, and Claire began to struggle in earnest, then stilled and blinked as she realized it was growing lighter…Fast.