The teens got out of the classroom as the bell rang. 

Cassie and Adam went to the school’s store to get him a binder and a new sketchbook. Meanwhile, David went ahead to the playground, to join the older students in their basketball game.

Half of the recess was already over when they got to the front of the line.

“A binder and a sketchbook.” She ordered, opening her wallet.

Adam looked at the price and then stared at her. 

What was he doing, letting her pay him for such expensive stuff? Mark would probably just ruin that stuff too! He had to stop her… But that would be rude! She would probably think he was being ungrateful or that he was patronizing her!

“Hey, Adam!” Cassie called, snapping her fingers in front of his nose.

Adam blinked and looked around. He was out of the store, and Cassie was trying to hand him the brand-new art materials.

“Thank you.” He said taking the binder and sketchbook and storing them away in his backpack “I…”

“Is everything all right?” she asked putting her hands behind her back and leaning in closer to examine his expression, or at least what could see of it with his bangs in the way “You were spacing out so hard, I swear I could hear a computer fan going overdrive in there.”

“I…” his cheeks turned pink as their eyes met “I own you one. Thank you,” he finally managed to say, averting his gaze and pulling his beanie further down.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. Consider it an early birthday present or something,” She hated making people feel like they owned her something. It made her feel like a manipulative bitch.

“Oh, ok…” his birthday wasn’t that far away anyway.

“Hey, Adam. I’ve been thinking and... Why don’t you defend yourself?” It just didn’t make sense. According to what her employees had told her, he was a decent fighter and could handle himself. No one in that school really seemed to like Mark enough to lift a finger to defend him, in fact, everyone seemed to want him gone. If he and David joined forces, it would be a 3-second long fight of two against one... It just didn’t make sense he hadn’t put Mark in his place yet. Maybe he was afraid of him for some reason? Did Mark have dirt on him or something?

“You mean Mark?” Adam thought for a while “He didn’t tell you yet? Weird, he always makes sure to wave his money in the face of everyone he meets...” he said with a hand on his chin “Well, you see, his father owns more than half of the city's real estate or something. Retailers, hotels, restaurants, offices... They all run on properties owned by him. He also owns a lot of the city's apartments as such, so most of this school’s kid’s parents pay rent to him... So, yeah. Long story short, he owns everyone’s parents. He has the power to shut down their businesses, get them fired, kick them out of their homes...” he explained with disgust in his voice “He's the city's landlord. And there’s also rumors that he runs a supposed mafia? I personally think that one is just a rumor, but... No one really wants to risk it.”

“Ok... So Mark has been threatening you with his father’s power, is that it?” How? Did he own the orphanage?

 “Yeah pretty much. Well, fortunately my mom didn’t work for him or at one of his properties, so he never really went ‘Do what I want, or your mom gets fired’, but he could easily fire some other kid’s parents, you know? And I don't really want that weight on my consciousness.”

“I see… Well, thank God my father works in a nationalized journal then. Mark’s father can’t touch him without risking getting the government up his ass,” she reassured, “But… How can you be sure that he’s not just bluffing? Would his father really honor his threats like that?” she questioned, snapping her fingers.

“Pretty much, yeah... There was this one time I snapped at him and...” He sighed and clicked his tongue with a regretful look on his face  “Yeah... Basically a few days later this girl in our class walked in crying and saying that it was my fault her parents got fired. She ended up having to move away... But even if he can’t fire your father, he can still punch you and stuff. He once made David trip and--”

“Oh yeah, he gave him a really bad contusion, and you kept him company at the hospital, right? David told me that story already. But I can take a punch, so don’t worry,” she reassured again, with an aura of confidence. 

“I still prefer that you don't get punched...”

“You know... My offer is still up~” Spice whispered.

“Just one moment please...” he excused himself, taking out his phone and writing “no” in the app search bar.

“And you need to stop being a sociopath,” he wrote.

“Please just shut up” His ears started turning red.

“Sorry, but am I bothering you?” Cassie asked, crossing her arms and tapping her finger while looking him in the eye.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry. I was just answering David, he’s asking where we are.” he lied.

“Right...” She clapped her hands together and looked at him “Well, do you want me to help sort out those drawings?” she asked with a forced kind smile, still annoyed with how long he ignored her and wondering what he was actually doing on the phone, since it was evident that he was lying…

“Sure, why not?” he thanked.

“Oh, what a helpful girl. Guess you’ll never have to worry about being the only one working around the house once you two have kids.”  the ghost said, making Adam blush more and more as his mind jumped from one concept to another.

“Ah... Adam, is everything alright?”

“I doooOO AM! I AM! COME ON, LET’S GO!” he said, walking away with movements stiffer than a soldier’s. 

“Ok...” She said, ignoring that the glass next to them just shook for some reason, and following him, slowing down her pace to be able to stand side by side with him.

Why was he walking like that? Did he pull a muscle or something? Oh, wait! He had a crush on Cassie, right? Maybe she was being too cute? Yeah, probably... Perhaps she could try to tone it down a bit, but then Adam might drift away from her, and she needed to keep him close to complete her mission. Still, she felt terrible making the boy fall for a fake person that wouldn’t be around for long... 

Oh well!

The three of them arrived at the stone bench where Adam usually sat during recess, and the two teens started organizing the papers.

Adam’s imagination slowly came to a halt as he flipped through the drawings, and his heart stopped racing. Still, his face felt painfully hot.

Cassie ended up calling Adam’s attention to a cartoonish drawing of their gym teacher being chased by demons with shaving machines tied to their pitchforks, and they talked about how much they hated that creep for a few minutes and went on about how ironic it was that a gym teacher, looked so unfit, before getting back to their job in silence. 

A few seconds later, she asked about a torn drawing of what looked like an angel reading a bedtime story to a child-like silhouette. He was quite embarrassed by the picture. Until Cassie pointed out how kind and loving the angel looked, how she just radiates warmth. 

“She looks really motherly.” She commented.

“Yeah. I guess.” Adam turned a little pink again. She was quite motherly.

Once they were done, Adam flipped through the ruined drawings with haste and then did the same to the ones in the binder, making sure there was nothing out of place. But instead, he discovered that one of them was missing.

“What’s wrong?” Cassie asked.

“A drawing I did a few weeks ago is missing,” he informed with a concentrated frown while flipping through the papers again. 

“Maybe you passed through it? What did it look like?” she asked, picking up the pile of torn drawings and putting it on her lap.

“It was a light study based on this Polaroid I have in my room. It's a selfie of my parents and me.”

“I need more details…”

“They both have curly hair, slightly dark skin. It’s from an upwards perspective… My mom has her hair in a ponytail and… Oh, my father has an undercut with his hair falling to the side and one of those… Doughnut earrings!” he said.

“Donut earrings?”

“Yeah, those things that stretch your earlobes…”

“Oh yeah! Those…” she snapped her fingers a few times, trying to remember the word “What are they called?”

“Oh well, it doesn’t matter, it was just a study, anyway.” He said, hearing the bell ring.

“So, how many did you guys manage to save?” a breathless David asked, running up to them. He had tied his track jacket around his waist, leaving him only with a sweaty white t-shirt.

“About thirty, I think?” Cassie answered.

“Thirty-seven.” Spice corrected.

“How are you that sweaty?” Adam asked, getting up from the bench “It’s like, seven degrees.”

“Hey, those pancakes are caloric as fuck, and since I don’t have a fast metabolism like yours, I actually have to sweat to burn that shit.”

“Well, either way, you should go to the lost and found so they can give you a clean-- a dry shirt… And go wash the sweat off your face, I can practically see my reflection on your huge forehead.”

“I’m not a four-year-old, you don’t have to remind me what basic hygiene is.” He said, approaching Adam.

“Cassie and I will go ahead-- No!” He yelped, trying to get away, but it was too late “David, let go of me!” he said while David rubbed his face against the orphan’s “Come on! I took a bath this morning!”

“So did I, but I’m still sweaty! And you know how it is. Allies must be equals, so if I'm sweaty, you’re sweaty! I don’t make the rules.”

“Yes, you do! And I know where you sleep you pIIIIiiiIIIG!” his playfull threats became a scream when David grabbed him by his sides and started tickling him, making the boy fall back into the bench “You fucker, I’ll have mY REVENGE!” Adam wheezed between involuntary laughs.

“What are you doing here?” asked the hall monitor from before.

“We’re minding our own fucking business!” David exploded, softening his grip on Adam and stopping his torture “How about you do the same, you stuck up piece of shit?”

“He… Hey...” Adam tried to regain his breath and got up “Don’t pick a fight with him, he’s basically a toddler.” His face muscles were still locked in a painful smile as he placed a hand on David’s shoulder for balance.

“A pretty annoying one!” he said.

“Hey, boys!” Cassie called, getting up from the bench, while holding the ruined drawings “Let’s just go to class, ok?” she suggested with a smile.

“Sure thing.” Adam managed to mumble, still breathless.

“Ok...” David grumbled.

“Not this time, I want your names right now!” the kid ordered, but the teens just ignored him and entered the building, Cassie dropping the papers into a trash can on the way “Hey, did you hear me?!”

“Oh shut up, pumpkin head!” Spice said, revealing herself to the boy.

“What?! What are you?” The kid asked, slowly backing away.

“I’m the demon that will eat your soul if you continue to be a narc!” she yelled before disappearing and following the teens, leaving behind a crying kid that, hopefully, was no longer on the path to becoming “that guy” in the office.

Meanwhile, Mark, and the two classmates he chose to laugh at his jokes and agree with his “hot takes” during that recess, emerged from behind one of the trees surrounding the courtyard.

“What the fuck...” said one of the boys “You saw that too, right?!”

“You saw it too?” said the other boy, with a trembling voice.

“Our school is haunted, huh?” Mark let out a nervous chuckle “Ah lol what the fuck...” He was starting to feel light-headed.