The second Ricki heard the shrieking bell he bolted out of the room. He didn't wait to see if Mr. Copingham wanted to talk to him after class; Ricki knew he would. So Ricki got the hell out of there. He had a shift at Ten Floors Down, the bookstore he worked part-time. The last thing Ricki needed was to be late and get killed by his manager. 

"Ricki!" Ezra shouted at him from down the hallway. Ricki paused and looked at his friend. Ezra smiled and came running at him, ignoring the warnings of the hall aide telling him to stop. Unfortunately, Ezra would always be Ezra, and he tripped on air and crashed into Ricki, sending them both tumbling to the ground. 

"Sorry," Ezra whispered. Ricki grimaced and tried to push him off. 

"You're so heavy. Get off," Ricki said, pushing Ezra away. Ezra was up in an instant, smiling and laughing as if he hadn't just publicly tripped in front of everyone. He reached out his hands to help pull Ricki up and pulled a little too hard. He lost balance and fell backward, pulling Ricki down on top of him. 

Ricki didn't know what to think. How did he end with this human? How was Ezra strong enough to pull him backward? Why did he smell good? Ricki mentally reared back at that question. He was getting too far off topic for his comfort.

"Sorry again!" Ezra laughed as he pulled himself up into a standing position. Shaking his head, Ricki stood also. 

"Dude," Ricki sighed. "We need to get you lessons on walking like a normal human." That statement might have been rude to anyone else. But Ricki and Ezra teased each other all of the time. And Ricki was halfway to being serious. Yesterday, Ezra had bumped into a senior girl holding a Starbucks cup, sending the hot drink flying over her white sweater. The day before that, Ezra had swung his arm in the cafeteria and knocked someone's tray up into their face. 

"I know, I know, I'm sorry." Ezra checked his phone. His face slackened as he read something on the screen. "Ah, shoot. I have to go! I'm going to die if I'm even one second late!" Ezra waved goodbye to Ricki and bolted down the hall before he could react. Ricki almost applauded him for making it out the door without falling or causing someone else to trip. 

As Ricki walked towards the bookstore, he wondered where Ezra had gone in such a hurry. As far as Ricki knew, he didn't do any extracurriculars besides math club. Ricki had jokingly asked why Ezra hadn't joined the theater club- he certainly had the personality for it. But that had gotten Ricki a ten-minute lecture on why that was a stereotype and how stereotyping ruined society. Ezra was more of a nerd than one might have guessed. He was wicked good at math and all things science. 

A hand on Ricki's shoulder shook him from his thoughts. "Hey kid, don't you know better than to walk alone in LA?" A husky voice breathed into Ricki's ear, making him shiver. Who was this person? Why did they smell so bad? Ricki had walked by himself many times and had never gotten mugged once. This day did not seem to favor Ricki. 

"Let go of me," Ricki retorted, his voice hard. He tried to remember the steps his mom drilled into his brain when he was young. First, Ricki, you tell them to let go. If they don't, ask one more time, but shout as loud as you can. If they still don't, kick them or hit them to get away. If they follow you, call the police. Right. 

The man's stench was intoxicating. The horrible scent of cigars and beer made Ricki scrunch his nose. The heavy hand did not budge. "Let go of me!" Ricki shouted as loud as he could. He reached for his phone in his pocket but remembered a second too late that he had put it in his backpack after class. Wonderful.

"Shut up!" The man hissed. He yanked Ricki into the alleyway- really, where did the alleyway come from?- and slammed him against the wall. The man's face was obscured by a large black hood. But his hulking frame told Ricki that he had a fat chance of escaping if he fought back. The man reached into his jacket and brought something out. Ricki's heart dropped as he saw the cold glint of a knife. He angled the weapon into Ricki's middle. "Now... if you don't do what I say, you'll feel it. Understood?" 

Ricki hesitated too long- the man slapped him hard. "Yes," Ricki gasped, his face throbbing in pain. Ricki prepared to knee the man in the balls before a voice called down from the roof. 

"Let him go."