Lights Out!

“Ugh, can this elevator be ANY slower?” I yell, my hands balled into fists at my sides. 

The others in the elevator scowling at me. “Can you shut up?” one of them says to me, his gray eyes harder than a rock.

He and I engage in a staring contest, and I win, sticking my tongue out at the boy and winking at him. 

“Why aren’t we moving?!” the boy says, his arms crossed and his thick eyebrows furrowed. Everyone’s eyes widen, and one girl bangs her fist against the doors as if we’re horrible animals that want to devour her soul.

“No,” - the girl’s fist slams into the door which groans - “dammit. I don’t want to be late for class!”

The dim lights flicker above our heads, and another girl jumps behind me, her arms pressing against my thyroid. I gasp in surprise and turn to look at her, feeling like something is clogged inside of my throat.

“Sorry, I’m afraid of the dark,” the girl squeaks, her breathing hard and noisy, pressing her fingers into my shoulders. “I hate the idea of being vulnerable in the dark”

I glance at her, smiling. “It’s fine.”

“I don’t want to get marked for being late! Let me out, stupid thing!” the girl who was banging her fist against the door wails. I see her cradling her fist like a baby - who’s been crying all night - before the lights die out. 

The girl behind me lets out a whimper-like sound, and I hug her even though I’ve never seen her before in school. 

“Did someone turn the lights off?” a voice says, and I hear something that sounds like somebody knocking on wood. 

Somebody rams into me from the side of the elevator. “Ow!” we both say. I land on the floor.

“No, no, no,” someone screams and banging on the door, “get me out of here! Get me out, too many people!” 

I stand up, grimacing as my thighs and butt ache. As I dust off the back of my jeans and walk to where a little slit of light is peeking out between the double doors. 

“Guys, we’re going to be okay, just calm down. Help is going to come soon, alright?” I say, holding my hands in the air and licking my lower lip. I’ve only been here for a few minutes and my throat already seems drier than the Atacama desert - excluding the poles. 

“You can’t tell the future, how do you know?!” someone asks me, their voice high-pitched and faster than the speed at which the peregrine falcon flies. “We might be here forever for all you know!” 

Shuffling noises as people pace around the elevator, which is tinier than a mushroom, so they’re all bumping into each other. 

One girl screams and her hand moves around like crazy, “If you hadn’t told that girl to shut up, we probably wouldn’t be here, and I wouldn’t be late!”

“If you had shut up about being late, maybe we would’ve gotten out of here peacefully!” another kid says. 

“Everyone shut the hell up! If we keep blaming each other nothing will get done!” the boy with gray eyes says, walking over to where I am standing.

His shoulder touches mine, and I speak, “I agree. If we point fingers, we’ll get nowhere. Do you guys want to get out or not?”

Everyone in the elevator speaks, their voices sounding tired and sore from screaming. 

“Alright, I need to get to class.” one person says.

Someone sighs. “I’ll go with it, but shut up about class, will you?! It’s annoying.”

I feel a small tap on my shoulder. “If they haven’t heard us banging on the doors, why would they hear us now?”

“Yeah, everyone’s in class.”

“What about the people who aren’t in class?” someone asks, their voice sounding desperate.

“They would probably just laugh and leave us in here.” someone else responds, their fiery breath in my face. I gag as I get a whiff of garlic and onions. 

I hear someone gasp as if they have just seen that someone’s fly is wide open. “Holy crap, we’re so freaking stupid!”

Everyone quiets down, probably offended at being called stupid. 

“How?” a girl asks, breaking the silence. Her voice is quieter than a mouse, as if she’s nervous. 

“There’s an emergency button to call someone in every elevator - but I dunno who the button calls.” the person says.

Everyone sighs and throws their hands up.

“Maybe a staff member? I mean, the button wouldn’t call a random person, right?”

“I’m not calling a random person, I’m already uncomfortable enough with all these people around me.” 

The gray-eyed boy sighs. “Why don’t we just try the ‘door open’ button?”

Someone stomps to the front of the elevator and smacks the boy’s shoulder. “You think I’m stupid, man?! I pressed all of those buttons,”

I step in front of the boys. “Okay, maybe you didn’t see the ‘door open’ one. Leave him alone.”

The gray-eyed boy scoffs, and the other boy glares at me, his nostrils flaring.

“It’s getting warm in here,” someone comments, and everyone groans as we realize how warm it is.  My forehead sweats, I can feel it dripping down like tears. 

I hear the knocking on wood noise again, and a trail of light slowly tiptoes into the elevator. The lights flicker on and everyone in the elevator stares at each other for a moment. 

“You guys better not have made me late to class!” a girl yells as she runs out the door and down the hallway, her face red. 

“So uncomfortable,” someone mutters as they shudder and walk in the bathroom's direction. 

“We got out!” I cheer, running down the hallway and waving to everyone as I leave. The gray-eyed boy walks next to me as I slow my pace. I stare at him. 

“Are you following me?  I thought you disliked me”

He looks at me, his eyes wide and his eyebrows furrowed. Three lines form on his forehead. “Hell to the no!  I don’t like you, I’m going to class.”