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That’s when the fire alarm cahts went out

Chaos reigned People screamed and called out, and there wasColbie was pushed into a wall and she shrank back against it, not wanting to get traht and a hand grabbed hers and tugged, hard

She tried to dig in her heels

"Conized this voice

Elle

Someone else came up at her back

"Just me," Willa said cheerfully

"Andlike she’d just run a marathon

"Pru," Elle called out sharply "Haley Tina"

"All right here," Tina chi as Elle led theh the back, past a kitchen, and out a side door into the night

"Da her ar her head to her knees "Damn, damn, damn"

"She’s claustrophobic," Willa murmured to Colbie

Colbie dropped to her knees in front of Kylie "Chocolate," she said and snapped her fingers before holding out her palm to Willa

Willa dropped a piece of chocolate--also wet--into her hand and she passed it to Kylie

Kylie cho slowed "How in the world did you know that would help?"

"Chocolate fixes everything," Colbie said

Everyone laughed but Elle, who gave Colbie a long speculative look Colbie tried to give it back but she was more than a little tipsy, so she ended up cross-eyed, which had her losing her balance and falling to her ass on the sidewalk

Kylie laughed and hugged her "Perfect re drunk to cheer et to her feet and wobbled Dauys are the only actors here"

Willa winced "Colbie--"

"No" She pointed at them collectively Or at least she hoped she did Hard to tell since her vision onky "I’ now"

"Sorry, ma’am, but you’re not"

This from one of the two police officers who’d shown up out of nowhere "No one’s leaving until we find out who set off the eht’ve been a joke, but the building’s got a lot of da wrong," Tina said, putting herself between the girls and the cops "We’re patrons here and were lucky to get out without injury We’re going to walk away"

"Not yet," one of the cops said, a hand on his baton, eyes on Tina

"Oh hell no," Elle said and stood aro, Elle," Tina told her "Just drop it"

Elle jabbed a finger in the cop’s chest "Are you racial-profiling my friend?"

The cop yanked his cuffs out "Okay, face the wall All of you"

"Bite me," Elle said

Which was how they all ended up in the back of a squad car

Later they sat in lockup long enough for Tina, Willa, and Haley to make friends with everyone else in the cell Pru and Kylie were more muted but still friendly Elle didn’t make friends

Shock

Colbie told herself to relax and take in the entire experience for research but she couldn’t Because tonight hadn’t been their idea They’d invited her only because Spence had asked

She felt her face fla so hard your hair is s to," Colbie said

"Fine I’ll talk Watching you handle yourself tonight, I realized I’ve h and smart, and you care That co a bitch, but I can’t proain, so I’ll just say that I think you’re good for Spence"

Colbie shook her head That was the thing She wasn’t good for Spence She kept hiraphical proble there," she said softly "I’ll hold hirace to wince