Fire drills were... definitely not your thing. Long queues to shuffle out of the school, following protocols you knew you’d never use in real life because, honestly, you just didn't care. And of course, they chose the worst possible day for it—a rainy, freezing mess. The idea of a fire during a storm? It was laughable. You just didn’t get it.

You’d tried skipping, but of course, you got caught and sent to the back of the line. Away from your friends. Stuck with Ellie-fucking-Williams and her little group of friends. To make things worse, Ellie had managed to snag the last fire blanket, not even meaning to. You were annoyed, sure, but part of you was almost… relieved. At least she had one. It felt like some weird, accidental sacrifice you’d made for her, your girl (ahem, the girl you bullied on the daily).

That’s how you ended up sneaking off toward the storage room. You’d heard the emergency items were kept there, including spare fire blankets. Finally, you found one: a fire blanket, tucked away between some dusty boxes. Just as you reached for it, you heard the faint creak of the door opening behind you. You turned, expecting a teacher ready to give you detention, but instead, it was her.

Ellie. Your Ellie.

She was standing there, looking both afraid of your reaction and concerned. “Are you trying to skip classes again? Because I don’t think here is the best—”

Her sentence was cut short by the loud thud of the door slamming shut behind her, the wind from the cracked window forcing it closed. You both froze for a moment, staring at the door. It didn’t budge. The room was already colder than you’d realized.

Ellie stepped towards the door, frowning as she tried to manipulate the doorknob, which handle was missing. “It’s stuck,” she said flatly. Then, with a sigh, she turned to you sheepishly. You would probably guilt-trip her for weeks after this, as every other time she makes a mistake.