The bell rang, its shrill sound cutting through the chatter of students. I gathered my things and slipped out of the classroom, weaving through the crowd until I reached the garden. It was my sanctuary, a place where I could escape the chaos of school, even if only for a few minutes.

I climbed onto the hedge, balancing precariously before leaping onto the roof of the adjacent shed. It wasn't the most comfortable spot, but it was mine—a hidden refuge where I could steal a moment of peace. The janitor's closet used to be my go-to, but after Mr. Okochukwu caught me smoking there, he started locking it whenever he wasn't around. The school roof had been my next choice, but the biology teacher had threatened to report me to the principal after catching me one too many times. So, here I was, perched on a cold metal shed, lighting a cigarette and gazing out over the school grounds.

The solitude was short-lived. Voices drifted up from below, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Tomorrow?" one voice asked.

"Yeah. Apparently, the meeting got postponed to next month," replied another.

I recognized the second voice immediately—Evelyn White. She was the kind of girl who turned heads wherever she went. Beautiful, wealthy, and effortlessly confident, she was the heiress to the White family fortune, a name that carried weight in the city. Everyone either wanted to be her or wanted to be with her.

"The place is a disaster after last night's party," Evelyn said. "There's no way I can clean it up in time."

"Just hire a cleaning service," her friend suggested.

"I spent everything on the party. I'm a grand short."

"Oh, boy."

"Can you lend me a grand?"

"I'm broke too…"

"I can help," I blurted out before I could stop myself. I'd always wanted to see inside the White mansion, but I'd never been invited to one of Evelyn's infamous parties.

There was a brief silence. "Who's there?" Evelyn demanded.

"A ghost!" her friend exclaimed.

"Someone's on the shed," Evelyn said, her voice sharp.

I jumped down, landing in a crouch before standing and brushing myself off. I tossed the cigarette to the ground and crushed it under my shoe.

"Whoa… where did you come from?" Evelyn's friend asked, wide-eyed.

"You have a grand?" Evelyn cut in before I could respond.

"Well… no. But I can help you clean the mansion," I offered.

"You'd do that for me?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"For a price, of course," I said, trying to sound casual.

Evelyn's expression shifted. "Of course. How much?"

"How much were the cleaners asking for?"

"Four grand."

Four grand? That was extortion. "I'll do it for two," I said.

Evelyn's eyes narrowed. "No hidden costs? No favors?"

"None."

"Fine. Come to my house after school."

"Great. See you then," I said, turning and heading back to the building. I couldn't help but feel a thrill of anticipation. Finally, I'd get to see the inside of the White mansion.

...

After school, I rushed to the clubhouse to grab my overalls. I stuffed them into my bag and was about to leave when my sister's voice stopped me.

"Where are you going?" Maya asked.

I turned to see her standing with Hendrick, her boyfriend, and two others—Martin and Sasha—lounging on the couch. How had I missed them when I walked in?

"Since when do we tell each other where we're going?" I shot back.

"Since I saw you talking to Evelyn," Hendrick said, smirking.

"Are you following me?" I demanded.

"It doesn't matter," Maya interrupted. "Where are you going?"

"The White mansion. I'm helping Evelyn clean up after last night's party."

"Bullshit," Hendrick said. "You're probably going to score some rich-girl drugs or something."

"What the hell are 'rich-girl drugs'?" I snapped.

"I'm coming with you," Maya said firmly.

"I haven't relapsed!" I protested.

"Am I supposed to just take your word for it? I'm coming."

"We all are," Hendrick added, glancing at Martin, who nodded.

"Fine," I muttered, knowing there was no point arguing.

...

We arrived at the mansion and stood at the gate until it buzzed open. The place was massive, and as we walked inside, I immediately regretted only asking for two grand. The aftermath of the party was worse than I'd imagined.

"Was there a war here?" Sasha muttered, echoing my thoughts.

Evelyn met us at the door, her arms crossed. "I didn't ask you to bring your entourage," she said, glaring at me.

"They're here to help. You didn't expect me to clean this whole place by myself, did you?"

Evelyn sighed. "Fine. But if anything gets broken, I'm calling the police and blaming all of you."

"Do you want us to leave?" I asked, freeing my wrist from her grip. When she didn't respond, I added, "Then let us do what we came for."

...

I found an empty room and changed into the overalls I had picked from the clubhouse earlier; I was wearing white and did not intend on getting them dirty.

I returned to the living room and began grabbing whatever plastic I could find and dumping them in the recycle bin.

There were several items I didn't even know what to do with. Bottle, boxers, baseballs, c— wait, who do hell even brings a baseball to a party?

I grabbed the baseball to toss it into the trash but heard a sharp voice cut through the air. "Don't!"

I turned, startled, to see Evelyn standing on the staircase, her arms crossed and her expression stern. "Why not?" I asked, holding up the ball. "It's just an old baseball."

"That's my dad's," she said, descending the stairs with quick, deliberate steps. "Someone must've found their way into his storage last night."

"Your dad keeps a baseball in storage?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Evelyn sighed, taking the ball from my hands. "He has a hard time letting things go. Especially things that belonged to… well, people he cared about."

"People?" I asked, curiosity piqued.

"His parents," Evelyn said, her tone softening. "They passed away years ago, but he still holds onto everything they owned."

Evelyn turned to me, her expression shifting as she glanced at my overalls. "You changed," she said, a small smirk playing on her lips. "I like this much better than the white shirt you had on."

I raised an eyebrow. "And does that have anything to do with the fact that this reveals much more than my previous clothes?"

She laughed, a light, melodic sound that seemed out of place in the chaos of the mansion. "Maybe. Or maybe I just appreciate a practical outfit."

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't help the small smile that tugged at my lips. "Whatever you say."

I followed her as she walked across the living room to a door on the far side. She opened it, revealing a room filled with dusty, forgotten items—old books, flip phones, shoes, and even toy cars. It looked like a museum of the past, frozen in time.

"This is his storage?" I asked, peering inside.

"Yeah," Evelyn said, rolling the baseball into the room. "He calls it his 'archive.' I think it's just his way of coping, but… it's a little much, don't you think?"

I nodded, though I couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. "I guess everyone deals with loss differently."

Evelyn gave me a small, almost grateful smile. "Yeah. Anyway, if you find anything else that looks old or out of place, just put it in here. He'll notice if something's missing."

"Got it," I said, closing the door. "Rich people are weird."

Evelyn laughed, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. "You have no idea."

Evelyn glanced at her watch and sighed. "I need to run to the store and grab some groceries. The fridge is completely empty after last night's party. You guys can hang out here for a bit, but… try not to break anything. And if you get confused about anything, call me."

"You do realize I don't have your number, right?" I said, half-joking.

She paused, then pulled out her phone. "Give me yours. I'll text you."

I rattled off my number, and a moment later, my phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number. The text simply read: "Don't burn the place down."

"Funny," I said, pocketing my phone.

Evelyn grinned. "I'll be back soon. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

With that, she grabbed her keys and headed out the door, leaving the six of us alone in the mansion.

...

The cleaning took hours. By the time I finished the inside, I was exhausted. Maya and the others had taken care of the outside, and they wandered back in, looking just as worn out.

"All done," Maya said.

"You did a good job in here," Sasha added.

"Can we leave now?" Maya asked.

"Why the rush?" Hendrick said. "I'm sure Evelyn wouldn't mind if we hung out for a bit."

I ignored him. "Evelyn's not here right now. I'll wait for her to get back. You guys can go if you want."

"Yeah, I think we should—" Maya started.

"No!" Hendrick interrupted.

I narrowed my eyes at him. He'd been acting suspicious since we left the clubhouse.

"Remember why we're here, babe? Rich-girl drugs?"

"I haven't relapsed!" I snapped. "You left me alone with Evelyn earlier. If I wanted to do something, I could've done it then."

"Unless she already gave you something…" Hendrick said, his tone accusatory.

"Is that true?" Maya asked, her voice tight.

"No! I haven't fucking relapsed!" I shouted.

"Then you won't mind if I pat you down," Hendrick said, stepping closer.

"Back off!" I said, shoving past him. "I'm going out for some air."

...

I stormed outside, lighting a cigarette as I went. Masha was sitting by the pool, her glasses reflecting the fading sunlight.

"What are you doing out here alone?" I asked, sitting beside her.

"They don't really want me around," she said quietly.

"You know Maya and I started the club so people like us could stick together, right?" I said. "Strength in numbers."

"Maybe at first," Masha said. "Now it's just about how long Hendrick and Maya can make out before coming up for air."

"Gross."

"You're not around much. You don't know what it's like."

I took a drag from my cigarette, staring at the horizon. "You're right. I guess I don't."

Masha glanced at the cigarette in my hand but said nothing.

"This isn't an addiction," I said defensively. "It just helps me calm down."

Before she could respond, a scream echoed from inside the mansion.

"AARGH!!!"

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