Fantasy The Godfather's School (Me & Moronface)

[Pipsqueak]

Alicia's POV
"Awesome you guys, we really appreciate you all being here today. We'll be doing callbacks tomorrow, so please be looking out for those! Have a good rest of your day!"

The student's dispersed, leaving only Alicia and a few other kids alone outside of the theater. Classes didn't start for another ten minutes, and being the only one in her small social group that actually bothered coming to school at a decent time, Alice was left to her own devices. Digging her phone from her backpack she nestled herself against the wall across from the theater's entrance and began scrolling mindlessly through Twitter. The three other students who had stayed behind as well formed a small group to talk among themselves.

"You guys were so incredible! I honestly think I might land Maria's role. I've been begging Mr. P to give me a lead this year, and he said as long as I worked hard on holding out my notes he would consider!" Alice couldn't help but risk a glance at their little group. A pretty brunette girl with a childlike face was the one who had spoken. Her eyes practically sparkled with excitement. The blond girl that stood above the other two sneered at her friend's comment, making an ugly face.

"I mean maybe. That'd be cool, but you know how much he doesn't like to change the lead roles too much. It just puts too much pressure on the entire cast, you know? I don't think anyone would be able to handle a change of pace this year. I'm sure he'll just end up choosing me again. Maybe you'll get Anita! I mean that's basically a lead role!" Ouch. The comment's harshness reached all the way over here, and she wasn't even the one who said it. The brunette's face fell, but it was clear the other two didn't feel comfortable speaking against what she said. Whether they realized the truth in her statement or simply didn't want to get in a fight Alice couldn't tell, but it certainly wasn't her problem. Besides... what if she got the role? She had never been in theater before and took the opportunity to hopefully break out of her shell this year. She didn't want a repeat of Freshman year. Shuddering at the thought she decided it would be best to find another spot to chill out in case anything did happen between the three.

Her luck seemed to run out exactly then however. As she was about to round the corner into the Main Hall she heard the blond girl pipe up. This time it was directed at her.

"Hey! Hey, you look new. I don't think we've met, I'm Emma." Alice's eye twitched uncomfortably before she pivoted on her heel to meet with the girl. Yikes! This was a situation she was hoping to avoid. This girl was even more intimidating up close.

"Uh... yep. I mean no, I'm not new. Well, I'm new to theater, not to the school. I'm Alicia, but most people just call me Alice."

"Nice! Theater is such a great activity to get into. It's a lot of work and the director is kind of hard on new people, but I'll let him know to go easy on you!" Emma laughed. Alice would have thought she was kind if she hadn't overheard the conversation just then.

"Awesome. Thanks." She gave a small yet forced smile, hoping the girl would take that as a sign to leave. She didn't.

"I'll walk you to class, just lead the way! I love meeting the newbies. If you ever need anything just let me know, Mr. Pelner- that's the director- and I are super close so he'll let me help you out as much as you need. What role were you going for? I noticed you tried out for Maria, but usually the new kids don't get the lead right away you know?"

Alice suppressed a sigh.

"Yea, I heard... Um I'm not sure. I think getting Maria would be cool, but who knows."

"Totally. Well no hard feelings if I end up getting it!" She laughed again as if she had just said the funniest thing in the world.

"Y-yea. Um, well this is my class."

"Oh you have Mr. De Leon! He's cool, one of my favorite history teachers! Well I guess I'll see you later, tell him hi for me! Bye!" Emma waved and headed back the way they had come.

"I hope to God not." Alice muttered before heading inside.

moronface ​

 

[moronface]

Nia
....An entire swimming pool? Nia anguished, That asshole wants me to convince the school to build a whole ass swimming pool...just so some guy can live out his girls-in-bikinis fantasy...?!?!

One hand pressing her palm to her head, Nia choked her textbooks tight against her chest with the other, frigidly striding to her next class. She hummed and hawed as she made her way there, turning a few concerned heads her way. Nia didn’t notice this, as she never does, being far too preoccupied in her stress-filled world as the treasurer for the student council. Normally, that wouldn’t beget THIS much outward stress, but due to some precarious...circumstances...she’s begun stretching herself — and the schools budget — suspiciously thin.

Not like I have a choice! After all, if I don’t do what HE asks... She turned a corner, shaking her head from the dark thought. ...Well I suppose I could take some funding out of the theatre club.

Speak of the devil. Around the corner she witnessed as Emma retracted her claws and flew off from Alicia’s side, like the terrifying bird of prey....or popularity...she’d become.

“...They never turn out right, huh.” She mused to herself while entering the classroom alongside Alicia, loosening her grip and nearly dropping her textbooks at the girl’s sudden stare.

“Huh? What? Did I...say that out loud?” She struggled to find the right words, and in her fumbling failed to notice a little piece of paper slip out from between the pages of one of said books. The paper had, sprawled in boyish handwriting, the number of an unused janitors closet on the second floor tucked a bit beneath the stairs...as well as a cheeky drawing of a busty girl in a swimsuit by a pool, much to Nia’s initial displeasure.

“What I meant was, um, oh you know! The school play! You and Emma are in theatre right? I feel like the casting never turns out right for those. I mean, no diss on Emma or anything...Right...uh..Alicia?” Nia smiled sheepishly at this classmate she’d never spoken to before, thanking god or some higher power she actually remembered anything about this girl...probably from her campaigning days before being elected into the student council, when her main tactic of getting voters was getting to know as many names as possible.

She settled into her desk, which she just now realized was directly across from this Alicia girl. If she remembered correctly, they’d more than likely be paired off into a group project today. Which would mean no time for budget planning, she sighed dramatically, clicking her pen in anticipation for the teachers arrival. She opened one of her textbooks searching for the piece of paper earlier, only to be hit with a pang of anxiety once she got to page 300 and there was STILL no trace of it. Glancing back at Alicia with a forced smile, she pondered for a minute why she had never noticed this wallflower and the bothered expression on her face, before falling back into her own world of worries.

“...Y-you didn’t happen to see...um...a little doodle I dropped, did you?”​

 

[Pipsqueak]

Alicia's POV
Alice had nearly gotten to the door when another girl joined her.

'They never turn out right?' Her classmate's odd mumbled words didn't register until they stepped inside.

"Oh uh, you mean that Emma girl? Yea she's real full of it." She stared at the girl curiously. Her name was... Nila? Or Nia? Something like that. It wasn't a surprise to her that she didn't remember. She usually tried to simply mind her business in class. Get in and get out was her motto. The girl seemed to get self-conscious however, fumbling awkwardly with her books and dropping a slip of paper in the process. She seemed to not notice and continued to her seat. Alice hesitated before deciding to pick it up. It was the nice thing to do, right? Looking back on it she didn't think it was really her fault. I mean, picking up a piece of paper off of the floor... at that point you have to read it! On the slip read the number 4 with an embarrassingly drawn picture of a girl in a swimsuit by the pool. Alice grimaced, wandering why someone like that girl would draw something like this. Oh well, it wasn't her business. Joining Nila- Nia?- she proceeded to sit at her desk, where the girl decided to strike up a conversation about Emma and herself being in theater.

What did come as a surprise was that this girl seemed to know her name. Alice couldn't help but feel a bit ashamed now. How was she supposed to speak with this girl properly when she didn't even know her name? She would just have to wait for rollcall.

"Yea, I agree. I mean I've never been in theater, but just the way she spoke to her friends it seems a bit... unfair." Awkward silence followed soon after her statement and she was just about to turn back around when the subject of the paper came up. She felt her cheeks heat up.

"O-oh, yes! I-I didn't look at it. I mean I did, but it was an accident, I wasn't trying to snoop or anything. Here." She reached across and set the paper down on her desk. Offering a small, sheepish smile she finally turned back to her own desk, gathering her class materials and adjusting them accordingly. There wasn't a thing as being too neat. The bell rang to indicate the start of first period. Everyone was here except Mr. De Leon. It was typical though, so most didn't worry too much. He was never on time. As the seconds ticked by the thoughts of that slip of paper filled her mind. What was the number 4 about? It obviously wasn't a phone number. It seemed odd to just have one number scribbled down. Gritting her teeth, Alice couldn't help herself.

"Listen I don't mean to be rude but what's with the number on that paper? You-you don't have to answer or anything... obviously. Just curious."

Benjamin's POV
The only sound in the office was that of his pen scratching hurriedly on paper.

"A. B+. B... DONE!" A sigh of relief escaped the student-teacher as he gathered the test's back in order. He hadn't done any of the grading last night and had to spend his whole morning making up for it.

'Ah. Next time I'll have to just get it done the day of.' He thought, mentally scolding himself. He hadn't even had time to grab his cup of coffee. How unfortunate. The bell had rung about five minutes ago and Ben had to rush to get to class. Bursting through the door, trying to catch his breath, he managed a big smile to his class.

"Hola Clase! So glad most of you could make it today, I apologize for my delay. I've graded your papers however and I'm pleased to say many of you did very well." He set his stuff on his desk and began handing out the results.

"Today I plan to talk more on the Cold War and how that shaped our history. After that we should only have a few minutes of class time where I will assign partners for our group project that I was talking about yesterday and then I'll get you all out of here, yes?" There were a few murmurs of approval and he nodded happily.

"Awesome! Let's get to it then!"

Class went by slowly. Too slowly in fact. Perhaps it was because he was nervous. Things always seemed to go by that much slower when you were anticipating something didn't it? The principle had asked him to meet up with him after first period, aware that he didn't have a class for second. What did he want to discuss that would take so long? The pit in his stomach only grew as the speculations came. Was he getting fired? Maybe he wanted to sit in on a class today?! God he wouldn't be ready for that. Ben was so preoccupied in his thoughts that he had nearly missed his opportunity to assign the groups until Adam spoke up.

"Sir? What about the group projects?" A few annoyed glances were cast his way, which Adam didn't seem to notice.

"Oh that's right! Um... yes. Here are the sheets with your names on it. It will let you know who you will be paired with along with further instructions. I will be free after school if anyone has questions about anything! Otherwise please sit quietly until the bell rings." The last few minutes were faster, and that only seemed to put Ben more on edge. When the bell rang he finally wished everyone a good day and began making his way to the principle's office.

'Please don't let me get fired, please don't let me get fired.' When he reached the door he knocked hesitantly.

"Come in! Ah, Benjamin, good good. Please sit, there's an important matter I'd like ta discuss with ya." He took his seat across from the principle. Principle Mc'Canlon was always sharply dressed, his brown hair slicked back like some high class mafia member. It only seemed to make the situation that much more tense. Ben couldn't stop his hand from shaking, a common thing that happened when he was nervous or scared.

"Sir, I do not mean to interrupt but... I'm not getting fired, am I?"

"Fired?! Nah, nothin' like that, don't you worry. I just have a small matter that I discuss with every staff member!" Oh good. So it was mandatory for every teacher.

"Benjamin, have you ever heard of what the students refer to as the Godfather?"​

 

[moronface]

Nia
Oh god, Nia thought, It’s apart of my job to help spread the rumors of what room he’s in, but...If I tell her and this pool thing goes down, won’t that just be a dead giveaway I’m involved?!?! Clearly Nia was prone to overthinking even the smallest of details.

“Ugh, erm, well...” she began clicking her pen even more rapidly, running through all the possible ways this one note could be her downfall. Finally, she blurted “I-I found it!” happily, as if she solved the answer to the hardest math equation. “Like, in the hall. On the ground. Somewhere... Uh... it might have something to do with those rumors going around...you know, about that person who fulfills wishes. M-maybe the ‘4’ is a room number or something! H-haha...maybe....” She spoke loudly and awkwardly, both trying to let people overhear for the sake of furthering the rumor, but also still nervous about the doodle that could be her downfall.

Note to self. Tell him not to doodle such incriminating evidence next time. She thought, ignoring the small itch in the back of her head that screamed how that would only encourage him to doodle even more specific, incriminating evidence. She glanced around the classroom, to see if the rumor had peaked anyone’s interest, but was surprised to find only Alicia still at attention.

“Did you... have a reason to go?” She pondered innocently, curious as to what this wallflower was thinking. Normally, a persons wish would be written all over their face. A snobby girl who overdoes her makeup and just wants to be popular. A geeky shut-in too scared of the outside world to go to the beach but still wants to see a girl in a swim suit at least once in his lifetime. Jeez, why not just coach him to be okay going outside? Why build an entire swimming pool?! She shook her head in anguish again, only realizing she got off track yet again by Alicia’s odd stare and the sound of the teacher entering.

Class went by as usual. Nia barely noticed how on edge their teacher seemed, entirely because she herself was also consistently as nervous as him. When the subject of the class project came up, she hoped to god she didn’t wind up partners with Adam, or Alicia for that matter, as she had to immediately beeline it to the janitors closet to prepare....things...after class. Adam would either demand they started the group project right then and there... and if Alicia wanted to make her way to the mysterious secret behind No. 4 as well, then that might cause all sorts of problems. She glanced at her backpack, remembering the mask her ‘boss’ always forgets to bring along with him, and his tendency to just wait around fully-exposed until she brings it to him. Does he WANT to get caught?!

She peered at the sheet, and immediately remembered her terrible luck with lotteries. Adam and Alicia....
both of them.

Theo
“C’mon Miss Thomas, it was only ten minutes till the bell,” Theo whined, from outside the Principal’s office.

“Ten minutes, 30 seconds, it doesn’t matter! You tried to up and leave class in the middle of a lecture. You try this every day!”

“What can I say? I got places to be! Can’t help it if I’m popular.” He retorted with a boyish smile, “Now, Miss Thomas, I know I’m charming and you love our banter. I do too! But really, do you think we should be seen having a lovers quarrel at school like this?”

“Lovers- I-“ Miss Thomas stammered over her words in anger “That’s IT.” She said, barreling into the Principals office with Theo’s shirt collar in hand. “I’m sorry Principal Mc’Canlon, I know you said your busy for a bit, but you HAVE to deal with this boy’s terrible conduct NOW. I’ve TRIED detention. It doesn’t work!”

“So handsy.” Theo remarked, fixing his shirt and taking a moment to ponder to himself. Ah, Nia’s going to be so upset when I show up late... At the word ‘Godfather’, he perked up and let a small grin slip. “Wait wait, wait, my bad conduct aside, what’s this about a ‘Godfather’?” He said, pulling a seat over and sitting with both hands cupping his chin in a child-like manner. His instant comfortability in the situation only peeving Miss Thomas further. If her anger could be measured in heat, the corner of the room she took up would already be ashes.

​

 

[Pipsqueak]

Alicia's POV
Alice squinted as Nia stumbled over her words. It was hardly convincing, but it's not like she really had anything that could prove otherwise. For now she would go along with it. As the paper for their group work was being passed around, Alicia took one and passed it on before turning back to the question at hand. Did she have a reason to go to that mystery number 4 room? What even was it, and why was Nia acting so strangely about it? Maybe she was simply thinking about this too hard. She didn't know practically anything about the girl, let alone her real personality. Maybe Nia was just surprised that she asked about it. Hell, she herself was surprised she asked about it. Normally it would have been a one and done deal. Get in and get out. But it was bugging her. Just the number 4 on a piece of paper that was so important that Nia had looked a bit panicked about losing it... Strange indeed. Finally she shook her head.

"Well... I don't think I do... I mean I don't think I've ever even seen the door, let alone know what's in there." Mr. De Leon's voice rang out suddenly, informing them all to make sure to ask questions after school if they had any. Oh right, the project! Who would she be partnered with? Looking at the sheet...

Group Project- Section C
Adam
Nia
Haley
Alicia

Alice looked over the names at least three more times before realizing just how weird the coincidence was. She just started talking to one of her classmates and all of a sudden she was put into a randomized group with that exact person? She normally didn't believe in a higher power, but something about this whole situation seemed like it was falling in line for a reason. It wasn't like her life was anything exciting or weird. Alice liked to think maybe one day she could finally have cool adventures like in the books she read one day. Hell, that was part of the reason she wanted to become more confident and join the theater.

"Welp looks like we're in a group then?" Adam spoke up behind the girls now.

"Looks like it. What were you guys thinking? Looking over the options I would be interested in doing ours over the Arms Race." Haley suggested.

"I'm good with anything," Alice said quietly, "We should go ahead and exchange numbers just in case."

After they had all written down their phone numbers the bell rang, dismissing them to the next period. Without saying bye to the others Alice got up and left. There was something she had to look into now.

Benjamin's POV
"The Godfather? Is that a book?" Certainly it was odd that the principle was asking the staff about something the students were talking about. Maybe that was an American thing? Principle Mc'Canlon laughed.

"No no. Uh... how should I put this... it's-" The door behind them burst open so suddenly it made both men jump. Ben glanced around to find one of the teachers barging in, dragging a student quite roughly in tow.

"Should you be touching hi-"

"Ah, back again are we Miss Thomas? Not a surprise to see Mr. Theo with you. How many times have you two been in here this past week?" The kid seemed to brush both of them off, instead focusing on the question that had been meant for Ben a few seconds ago.

"I don't think that's any of your concern Theo. This is more of a matter with our staff, I'm sure you understand. Miss Thomas thank you for bringing him in, I'll deal with him. However I am a bit busy with Mr. De Leon, if you wouldn't mind?" The principle stood up and gently ushered her out of the room, closing it behind her. With an exaggerated sigh he turned back to both of them. Ben couldn't help but feel like he was in trouble too.

"Theo how many times do I have to tell ya to not antagonize her 'till you get it? As much as I love company, I've seen you one too many times in here. Please go take a seat in the waiting room until I'm finished with the meeting." Principle Mc'Canlon stayed quiet until Theo left.

"Sorry Mr. De Leon. That happens more than I care to admit. Theo's a good kid but I feel like he doesn't take well to authority. There's tons of kids like that here. Now where were we?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt but why didn't you tell the kid about it? The Godfather I mean? Didn't you say the kids were talking about it?"

"Yes, but this matter isn't for the kids. Ya see, as I was tryin' to explain... From what I've seen and heard, the kids practically worship this person. But whoever it is, they cause a lot of worry for the staff, ya know what I mean? We are trying to locate this person to put an end to it all, but nobody but the students can seem to find them." Ben stared quizzically at him. What was he talking about? He couldn't say he understood any of what it meant.

"I don't think I get it. So... the students say the Godfather is good, but the staff and yourself don't like it, so you're trying to stop it?"

"That's the gist. The Godfather somehow... gets things done for the students. Whatever they want. Someone wants to be popular? The quietest kid becomes the most outgoing, social person. Do they want a statue built for them? Well... I couldn't tell you how many times I've noticed things that should've cost a lot of money suddenly in the school without my knowledge. I didn't tell Theo because I believe some kids here don't know about the Godfather yet, and I'd like to keep it that way."

"So... this is all a hunch?"

"Excuse me?"

"I mean... No disrespect! I do not think you are lying, but it sounds like you are trying to chase after something you are not even sure is real, you know? It's just something the students are saying. Maybe all of these things are just a coincidence?" Principle Mc'Canlon shook his head.

"I thought so too until it started happening almost every day. The word gets around fast, so we are trying to stop it as soon as possible. We really need your help Mr. De Leon. I don't want to be that guy but this is very important to us. If you aren't willing to help you might as well be against us, if you know what I mean." Ben couldn't help but tense up at that. What was he trying to say? This sounded more like a silent war between the staff and students. That certainly wasn't something he signed up for...

"I'll look into it." Was all he managed to offer. Mc'Canlon smiled.

"Good good! I'm so glad to hear that! Now I think second period is starting and I'm sure you'd like a lunch break. Please see yourself out, and let Theo know to come in." Ben did as he was told and finally went back to his classroom. What was he even supposed to do first?​

 

[moronface]

Nia

Nia watched as Alicia abruptly left, frozen with her fight or flight instinct. Even though Alicia didn’t sound interested, Nia was almost certain Alicia was to make her way to the mysterious door labeled four by the direction she chose. Maybe it was something in Nia’s poor acting that triggered the decision. It’s not like I signed up for this!! She lamented before quickly reviewing how to stop her. Should she follow her and claim she wants to go too? Or try to beat her there by cutting through some classrooms? Maybe stall her for time?

“Agh! There’s no time!” She exclaimed much to the surprise of those around her, one hand clenching her hair in stress and the other slinging her backpack over her shoulder forcefully. Beelining it for the door, she raced to catch up to Alicia, tugging at her sleeve to get her attention.

“H-hey! Uhhhh, we should test out our numbers. You know, sometimes group texts don’t work for me!” She panted. To her relief, she managed to come up something. Fumbling for her phone, she took her time in creating the group chat with her project mates and texting it, as to formulate her next move.

Testing testing this is Nia! Just checking cause my phone is bad at group texts... she wrote, slowly.

“...Did you get it? Can you try sending something back?” She asked meekly, smiling and slowing her walk to a snails pace, hoping Alicia would match her to not be rude.

“Y-you know, speaking of the rumor I told you earlier, if I could get my own wish fulfilled...” it would be to NEVER HAVE TO WORK FOR HIM AGAIN!!! She thought, before finishing out loud: “...it’d probably be to, um, learn how to act better. So I can, uh, do better with student council stuff. Do you...think you could give me some tips? Yanno, since you’re in theatre and all.” She beemed, mentally patting herself on the back for picking something that would not only actually be helpful in her second ‘job’, but made sense for her first and would hopefully get the girl talking a little longer.

Shortly after speaking, Nia stopped, placing herself in between Alicia and the mysterious door that was now in sight, slightly ajar. With her eagle-eye vision and the lack of staple fruity-scented vape fog lingering in the air, she realized her ‘boss’ was late for work.

She whipped out her phone and, to contrast her earlier fumbling with texting, typed aggressively and quickly. In a flash she was finished and looked up at Alicia with a forced smile.

Theo
"Aww, lame." Theo responded to the principal's quick dismissal of him as he headed into the waiting room. Miss Thomas, still enraged, shot him an intense warning glance from the hallway door, before leaving to prepare for her next set of classroom troublemakers. A small chill ran down his spine, perhaps a reaction to the various punishments the teacher was imagining for him right about now. Maybe the Principal is right, I should stop messing with her... A beat, as he contemplated it and remembered how boring her lectures were. ...Nah, it's way too fun.

Being mostly alone now, Theo glanced both ways before taking a moderate drag from his vape, the cloud of which could most likely be seen from the window of the principal's door. But he wasn't too worried about that. Instead, he strained his ears hard, trying to make out exactly what the Principal might know about this so-called 'Godfather' figure. The door being unusually thicker than most of the other doors around the school (something Theo imagined showed the status of the patriarchy he was destined to topple), he could only make out so much from the muffled voices, but the smooth voice of the Principal did come through here and there.

Awh, it doesn't really look like they know much of anything, he mused, almost disappointed. Though the nickname 'Godfather' has a nice ring to it.

Originally, this 'godfather' didn't go by anything, he was merely just someone people would accidentally stumble upon in an empty classroom. One way or another, this mysterious figure in a mask would pry out their desires, and then make it a reality. People never believed it until it happened, of course, and just thought he was an oddball from the theatre club with some really bad reality-escaping coping mechanisms. ...Well, they weren't totally wrong. Eventually, talk of his infamous deeds lead him to need to be more and more tactical about his methods, which in turn brought him to his current deal with several of the Janitors around the school. He'd heard Phantom, Joker, Ghost,... but Godfather was a newer one. And it felt particularly fitting, as he was usually sitting with his feet propped up on a stolen Teacher's desk with the window shutter partially cracked, illuminating the stripes off his illegally-bought (with school money) suit, and puff of smoke from his vape...

A buzz from his phone redirected him to reality. It was a text from Nia, in all caps. WHERE ARE YOU?????

He smiled and texted back, taking his time to shop around for the perfect text emoji to add on, as he always does. Got in sum trouble, the Godfather will b there son! ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)

A response came in almost immediately. The...,. what???/? If you have time to come up with names and emojis you have time to type properly and get over here, jeez!!!!!!!!!1

Nia was a fast typer when she was nervous. Theo cackled at the response, before lazily slinging his bag back over his shoulder, preparing to sneak off. If Nia was worked up enough to even text him, that must mean there was an important customer waiting. And the Godfather can't have an unhappy customer weighing down on his conscience. Just then, Mr. De Leon opened the door, finished talking to the principal.

"Ah," he mustered, hand already on the door to the hallway "I, umm, gotta go pee?"​

 

[Pipsqueak]

Alicia's POV
She had gotten maybe two feet away from the classroom door by the time she heard her name being called.

'For someone who doesn't talk to a lot of people I sure seem to be popular today...' The thought popped into her head when she spun around. Nia had tracked her down, pulling on her shirt like a kid in need of attention. Internalizing a groan, Alice put on her best social face.

"Oh, what's up? Something happen?" The "something" turned out to be a a potential issue with their phone numbers. Without realizing her classmate's intent, Alice stopped in her tracks, pushed her glasses back up on her nose, and glanced down at the phone. She watched as the girl made a group chat, although Alice was sure she had never seen someone text so slow before in their life.

"Oh uh... yea I get it, no worries." The pair moved off to the side as the hallway began to fill with other students trying to scurry to their next class before the bell. She tried to fill Nia's request as fast as possible too. If it took too long she wouldn't be able to investigate that mystery number 4 door! After a few seconds she received the text as expected. Texting back, she put:

'Hey, it's Alice! Just checking up to see if we are all getting it!' Again it took almost no time at all for Haley and Adam to text back, confirming they had gotten both messages.

"Awesome! I think-" Her statement trailed off when Nia spoke again. When she mentioned the rumor, Alice stiffened a bit. Had Nia realized what she was going to do? She supposed she hadn't been too subtle about it, but she had never had anyone take too much interest into where she was headed so she never really had to be discreet about anything before. Had it been too obvious? It wasn't that she disliked Nia, but it felt awkward if the girl saw that she had taken her rumor seriously. However, the question had taken a different turn, much to her relief. Tips for acting, huh? Alicia hadn't realized the two went hand in hand.

"Oh um," She began walking slowly to her locker as she spoke, "I-I mean I've never really been in theater before. This is kind of my first time. It's supposed to help me feel more confident but... who knows. With Emma around I'm not so sure that'll happen as easily as I was hoping. Although if I did have a wish I think... Yea, I think it would be to take that lead role. It would really help with putting myself out there, not to mention it wouldn't feel so bad taking that spot out from under her." That last bit came with a lot more malice than she had intended. It had even surprised her, and her cheeks grew red.

"Sorry. That sounded mean. I just mean... it would be nice to get it. Scary, but nice." When she glanced back over to Nia again she saw her face had grown annoyed. Alice was about to apologize before she realized her classmate was texting someone. Her fingers flew across her keyboard like a pro.

'Whoah, what happened to being slow about it?'

"Uh... Who are you texting so... aggressively? Sorry, I didn't mean to ramble. I don't often do that." Without noticing until now, Alice realized they had stopped at the number 4 door. Nia had hopped in front of her with a bit too much excitement, and she finally began to grow suspicious. It seemed she wasn't the only one who had to work on subtlety.

"Nia, why don't you want me to go in there? Weren't you the one who told me about it?" Something didn't feel right about the whole matter. This girl hadn't been worried about getting texts, she was just stalling for time. What was in that room?!

Principle Mc'Canlon's POV
"Would you keep an eye on Mr. De Leon please? I think he'll come around, but he seems to wishy washy 'bout the whole thing right now... Yes, thank you. I know, I know. I will. Thanks." Hanging up, he heaved a sigh. Time to deal with Theo for the fourth time in a row. How tiresome...

He stood and headed for the door, opening it a crack to call Theo into his office. Glancing around however, the kid was nowhere in sight.

"Theo?" No response. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he went back inside the office. Ok, time to make a few more calls then...

Benjamin's POV
'The Godfather. Seems a bit out there... I have nowhere to even start!" Biting the inside of his cheek, he began to devise a plan. Since nobody seemed to know where this "Godfather" was, it was best to assume nothing had been caught on the cameras inside the school. Then his next option was to seek out some suspicious individual by foot. He had this period to himself, so he had about an hour to look around right now. Not that he wanted to... Why take away something the students enjoyed, if there even was such an individual? He supposed it might be a problem if it was some random person sneaking into the school to talk to the students, but from the principle's account nobody had gone missing or been hurt. The staff is just annoyed about things randomly popping up around the school...

But he had also alluded to the fact that something bad might come of it if he didn't investigate. Besides, it was just investigating right? It's not like he had to put an end to it the minute he saw something weird.

Ok, it was decided. If he managed to find anything and it wasn't hurting anyone, he would keep quiet. He was going to be the last person to end his student's happiness.

"Mmm... First, coffee."​

 

[moronface]

Nia
"Well, that's...!" Nia squealed, extremely anxious. "I'm....I'm a...FAN!" She blurted, with an embarrassed look on her face. "O-of this godfather character, I mean." Mentally, she was punching herself, agonizing over the words she'd just forced herself to say. Who'd want to be a fan of that asshole?

"A-And I heard that, you know, he only takes one visitor at a time." She slammed her fist into her hand, completely unable to hide how proud she was for coming up with yet another great excuse. "Sooo, if ya wouldn't mind letting me go first...it would mean the world to me!" She beamed, slowly ushering the girl closer and closer to the women's bathroom around the corner. "You should wait in here. You know, so that it doesn't look conspicuous to any teachers passing by! I'll come back for you, I promise!" She was on a ROLL. Smiling proudly, she gently shoved Alicia into the bathroom, before turning and gasping, nearly stumbling into the bathroom herself.

Theo
Theo had been able to make his escape without a hitch. Neither the Principal nor Mr. De Leon noticed him leave. As he walked his way leisurely to the mysterious no. 4, several people greeted him along the way. He smiled back at each and occasionally stopped to exchange a few words, sometimes stopping even longer if a phone was out. He loved keeping up with the memes all his friends exchanged. It wasn't necessarily that Theo was popular, more he was someone that anyone could do with or without. Which meant a lot of people would greet him, a few would invite him out, and almost all of them would forget about him just as fast. He didn't mind this, of course, as it gave him ample opportunity to sniff out everyone's dirty laundries.

When he wasn't outwardly solving people's problems as the godfather, he was making thinly-veiled remarks about everyone's problems anyway. "Hey Jessica, have you 'fessed up to Keith yet?" "Oh Greg, I heard everyone aced Miss Smith's exam save for one person...hm? Didn't you too?" His innocent tone never let anyone catch on. Perhaps he did it to make sure business kept flowing, or maybe he just enjoyed being a little too personal with everyone. Either way, no one ever caught on to his tricks.

Well, save for one person. He rounded the corner, noticing Nia quite aggressively backing a girl up into a corner.

"I'm....I'm a...FAN!" She let out. He couldn't help but let out a cackle and watched as the rest of the scene played out.

Theo + Nia
Theo was leaning up against the corner with a smirk on his face, "A fan, huh?" He teased, to which she growled back. His timing had always been terrible, and the blush Nia could feel forming on her cheeks only furthered her anguish. Not wanting Alicia to overhear, she quickly grabbed him and pulled him into the janitor's closet with her. Rummaging through her backpack, she threw his mask and suit at him, which had been weighing her down all day.

"I'm not a fan, that was just me acting. Ever heard of it? I'm getting quite good at it, too." She peeked an eye at him, "Hurry up and change!" She barked, turning away to give him privacy.

"If you say so..." He grinned, before taking a shocked look at his suit "Aww, the suit's all wrinkled now..." He whined, taking his time to undress. "Soo...who's the client today?"

Nia calmed slightly, remembering the girl she was with only moments before and her meek demeanor. "Ah, her name's Alicia...she's actually in my class. Said something about...wanting to be the lead in the play." She replied with an empathetic tone. "I think you should take this one. She might find me out otherwise, plus... I dunno, she looked...lonely?"

"...Well we can't have that, now can we?" Theo glanced at her momentarily, before adorning his mask and swinging her around by the arm. She gasped and moved to cover her eyes, then relaxed when realizing he was fully dressed. "By the way, any progress on the pool?" He cackled, behind his forever-grinning mask. Waiting for a response, he plopped himself into the old, stolen teacher's chair that lay in the middle of the cramped space, propping his legs up onto the equally ancient desk, which rivaled only the principal's in odd intricate detail along its wooden edges, his vape between his fingertips.

Nia only glared at him and his show of superiority in response, before making her way out to the bathroom door. She hoped the waiting time had seemed just long enough to get. "...Alicia?" She called out, "He's ready to see you now."​

 

[Pipsqueak]

Alicia's POV
"W-what? A fan? I-I thought you said you didn't even know about this whole thing for sure in the classroom!" Before she could get further into her own little investigation into NIa's weird behavior the bell rang to indicate the starting of class. Alice grit her teeth, unsure whether to turn back now before getting into anything crazy or just skip class. She had never skipped a class in her whole Freshman year, and she had been doing pretty well for the first few weeks her Sophomore...

"Ugggh," She slapped her face into the palms of her hands, "I don't understand what's going on!" Her dramatic outburst was only greeted with Nia's urgent rush to get her into the bathroom.

"What are you doing?" Her classmate explained to her to just wait in here until she was done in the closet.

"Oh my god... Nia I hardly know you, I don't think- ooookay." Alice was left alone now. Of course. How could she even believe that Nia would come back for her? What if this was all just a huge setup. She didn't know what crowd that girl ran with, she hardly knew her from their actual class. She seemed nice enough, but so did Emma while the two of them were talking! Nia was probably getting paid to stick Alice in this bathroom alone and look like an idiot while she went back to class and laughed about it with her buddies... She had already told a lot of lies for their first few moments of meeting, and if that wasn't suspicious then-

She was called to come into the closet now. He's ready to see me? Who was he?

"Oh um... ok." She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. So she hadn't left her. That was great and all, but the anxiety that had been welling up in her chest hadn't disappeared. In fact it was probably worse than the waiting.

Stepping into the closet, she made eye contact with Nia. Alice's gaze was wide and terrified, unsure about what she was getting into, but Nia seemed calm and collected. That's when she noticed the him that Nia had mentioned. He was sitting at a desk, leaning back on his chair as casually as if it was his couch at home instead of an office chair in a high school janitor's closet. His face was covered with the classic theater mask, and it managed to draw a disbelieving chuckle from her. A fancy suit was worn as well, and she couldn't help but feel that the whole thing was overdone. Still, that didn't wash her nerves away.

"You can't be serious." She turned back to Nia, ironically the person she now was using as comfort. What was she even supposed to say?

"Uh...you're the Godfather then, huh? Nice to... meet you? I'm Alicia. Er, Alice. You can call me Alice."

Benjamin's POV
The coffee, per usual, was bitter. The sugar had been taken and was currently being held hostage by the nurse who, as Ben had figured out his first day of being here, felt the need to sell them back to the staff for a quick buck or two. It was certainly a hassle, but principle Mc'Canlon didn't seem to be too bothered by it. Then again, he didn't drink coffee.

"Alright... Where to start first." The History teacher began his exploration in the back of the school, starting at his own classroom. As expected nothing was out of the ordinary in there. The next few classrooms were locked, which wasn't a big deal either. Ben went down hallway after hallway, coming up with absolutely nothing. It was already fifteen minutes until third period when he decided to stop his search for now. He hadn't been able to eat his lunch, and honestly it was making him a bit grumpy. No, this whole search was making him grumpy. It felt unwarranted, and with no guarantee of any suspicious individual actually being in the school, the whole thing felt like a waste of time.

Heading back to his own classroom to eat quickly and get prepared for his next class, he decided he would try again after school. ​

 

[moronface]

Theo + Nia

"Oh trust me, he's serious." Nia replied flatly, completely forgetting she was meant to act as Theo's biggest fan.

Trying to be dramatic, the Godfather let out a long drag of his vape, which puffed up all around his mask and made him hack up a storm. He waved his arms about trying to whisk the cloud away, before settling back into his role oh-so-cooly. Nia looked on at him annoyed, hugging at her backpack which she cradled against her chest. He tapped his vape down twice as if putting out a cigarette, before slowly leaning forward, letting the momentum off his rolly chair build. Suddenly, he shot up, his arms out straight in both directions in a grandiose gesture.

"Welcome, Alice! You've stumbled upon a place not many will be blessed to see in their lifetime." He beamed, adapting a theatrical voice as he tried to enchant the girl, "The strings of fate have lead us both together, you see. Whether through your own heart's desire to change your life, or just of chance..." He paused momentarily, to settle back into his chair and cup his hands together, leaning forward over his desk. "...You now have the opportunity to bring anything you want into fruition. And I do mean anything." He spoke a bit cheekily at the last part, side-eyeing the Treasurer who began to sweat under his words. Please nothing expensive! She pleaded to herself, pulling one hand behind her back to cross her fingers in hope.

"I am the Godfather, and the one who shall carry out your request. However, be forewarned! Every wish comes with a price." He twirled his arm about, pulling forward a cheap notebook that looked beaten and battered by use. "Sign your name, and pray tell me. What is it you desire out of your young high school life, and exactly what is worth that price?" Nia rolled her eyes at his fancy language and watched as the girl gazed down at the tattered notebook. She'd offered to replace it with a prop more fitting for his role, like a fake contract or ancient-looking book, but Theo insisted they used the tattered thing. For what reason, she didn't know, as no one was allowed to look at anything save for the current page. It was probably better this way, though, as it was a lot less conspicuous looking.

Suddenly, her eyes widened as she realized even though she'd told this girl that she was going first, her name would not be written in that book. "Ah..." She let out, "I'm, uhh...still deciding! I'll sign it later!" She waved off her worry, hoping that made sense. The Godfather tilted his mask at her quizzically, mimicking a dog who'd just heard a word they didn't understand. Nia forced a fake smile, "Oh...you know...because I came here to get my wish first and all." she let him in on her ruse through her gritted teeth.

The Godfather chuckled at this, adopting a more casual tone while playing into Nia's lie. "Ah, yes. Her request was a real weird one; a foursome with Mr. De Leon and--" Nia quite briskly shut him up by throwing her entire backpack at his face. Theo reeled, the force wheeling him back a bit. Adjusting his mask, he held out the backpack upside down, pettily emptying it of all its contents. Nia let out a shrill wheeze as several tampons and other embarrassing things fell out. As she fumbled around trying to pick everything up, Theo cleared his throat and turned back to Alice.

"Now, where were we....oh yes, your wish and your price?"

One of the things that flew out of Nia's backpack was a paper with an auspicious plan for various odd commodities that have been popping up all over the school. It slipped right out the crack of the Janitor's door, completely unnoticed by the trio. The paper was swept here and there by a few late students who hurried about the hallway, before coming to settle by Benjamin's feet. Since Nia was in his class, it wouldn't be that hard for him to pick up on her distinctively neat handwriting.​