THE CONFUSION

Kailani noticed a bunch of bulky figures standing in the doorway. "What the...?" Suddenly, the party music screeched to a halt. There were confused murmurs and somebody's voice rang out. "Cops!" "Everyone, freeze!" one of the figures called out at the same time. Pandemonium ensued. Students shoved toward the doors, nearly knocking Kailani to the ground. Several police officers ran into the gym and grabbed students. Sirens whooped outside, and microphones blared instructions to freeze and stay calm.

She cut through the mass of kids. Girls hobbled towards the door, unsteady in their heels. Guys took shortcuts over the bleachers, stumbling over the risers. A lacrosse player who'd had too much to drink bumped against Kailani. Students poured into a hallway that lead to the parking lot just as a police car screamed up the entrance. Wheeling around, she sprinted in the opposite direction, down an unfamiliar passage.

Then she continued down the hall, the sandals she was wearing was rubbing blisters on her feet. The hallway was dark, and she could barely see in front of her. She thought she could make out a door at the end of the hall, but what if it led to nowhere? Suddenly, there were footsteps behind her. "You!" a voice called. Kailani spun around, to see a police officer holding a club. She couldn't let him get her or find out who she was. She sprinted faster, her lungs screaming. "You there!" the police officer's voice sounded even closer. "Stop!" Kailani's hands reached out and touched something hard just seconds before she crashed into it. She pulled away, seeing a bookshelf lined with old texts. She felt around for a door, but there was none. "Oh my god," she whispered. She'd hit a dead end.

The officer's walkie-talkie squawked. "I've got one," she heard him say. Kailani looked down, then up. Her heart lifted. A small window glowed a few inches above the shelf. Even better, it was slightly ajar. Her fingers grasped a middle row of the bookshelf, and she set her feet on the bottom row and started to climb. The structure swayed back and forth as she shimmied up the shelves. "Stop!" the officer's shape was visible down the hall. He was running at a full sprint, his club raised above his head. Kailani pulled herself up to the top of the bookshelf and cranked the window as wide as she could. The space was just big enough for her to fit.

She turned onto her stomach and stuck her legs through the window. Her fingertips caught the metal grooves of the window frame as she pushed herself though and dropped to the ground. Her knees bent to absorb the impact, and her hands hit the grass hard. Then she took off running. She was free and the police officer didn't know who he almost caught.