«Alright Sophie...» the last member of the computer club said, checking the time «I think I'm going home now.»
«Go, go. I'll tidy everything up and lock the room as soon as I'm done here.» Sophie replied, stopping her keyboard tapping for a second.
«See you tomorrow then!» they said, leaving the room.

Sophie checked the time.
It was fairly late and had to return home... but she was also having some good momentum and wanted to keep on coding.

"Hrmh... it's always when I get to some fun part that I end up having to pull the brakes..." she thought, annoyed, then sighed "Well... I'll continue tomorrow I suppose..."
Sophie saved a copy on her USB drive as a backup, then begrudgingly turned the PC off.
She was SO tempted to continue at home, but she had a rule: never bring work home.
Besides school homework... which she disliked as a concept already.

She then stood up and stretched a bit.

"Ugh... I sat for too long." she thought, rubbing her own back "That's what getting lost in the creative process does to a nerd..."

She turned her attention towards one of the workstations: there was a graphic tablet still plugged in.

Sophie groaned, annoyed.

"I told Zach to put it back in place after he's done at least six times. Of course, he didn't listen this time either." she thought, as she went to unplug it "I'm so done with his carelessness, I'll give him a warning. Next time, I'm kicking him out of the club."

After unplugging the tablet, she put it back in its box. Then, she turned around towards one of the bookcases, the tallest.
She had to put that box at the very top.

"... The principal really is a cheapskate, though." Sophie commented in her thoughts "He's leading one of the most funded schools in the state, and he still wants to save as much money as possible. How much does a cabinet with a locker cost anyway? Or... even just a fricking ladder, at the very least; one's gonna snap their neck someday. At least the uproar against him would be hilarious..." she continued as she dragged a table next to the bookcase, then looked at the table and checked its stability and sturdiness with her hands. She appeared unconvinced.

"... As long as it's not MY neck..."

She went to grab some cardboard from a corner and put it on the table, then took her boots off, as she usually did in those cases.

"... I hope this thing doesn't decide to crack now. I don't think we're gonna get a replacement anytime soon..." she thought, as she climbed on the table "Zach would have to kiss his art career goodbye... and so would I, to my own coccyx..."

Sophie stood on top of the table, then remained still and widened her eyes as soon as she felt it shake slightly, on top of hearing a sinister creaking that the table never did before.
She remained like this for a few seconds, then sighed in relief and relaxed upon being sure it wasn't gonna break... yet.
She grabbed the box with the tablet inside and attempted to place it at the very top of the cabinet.
It was just barely within reach, and she was trying her very best to resist the temptation of hopping.

«Come on, you piece of...» she uttered under her breath «... dead... Cretaceous... beast...»

As Sophie struggled to push that box, standing on her toes, someone silently entered the room.
A boy of her age.

After one last push, Sophie finally managed to put the box back in place.
She sighed in relief, again.

«Yeah... no, I'm not gonna do this again...» she commented as she pulled her phone out and started typing in the club group chat.

All the while she still didn't notice the intruder.
Said intruder, was starting to take something out of one of his pockets.

Sophie
| "@Zach, I told you several times already: PUT THE GOSH DARN TABLET BACK TO ITS PLACE AFTER YOU'RE DONE."

Zach
| "oh right. forgot"

Sophie
| "No, you didn't. This isn't forgetting anymore, you straight up don't give a dang, because I refuse to believe that you forgot it for the seventh time."
| "Not the first, the second, or the third; The SEVENTH."

As she kept typing, the intruder revealed to have taken out a roll of tape, then silently moved closer to the table.

Zach
| "ok"
| "i just dont wanna climb up there"
| "im scared to get hurt"

Sophie
| "And so, it should be me the one who has to get hurt, huh?"

Zach
| "your lighter than me"

Sophie paused, then let out a deep annoyed sigh.
Meanwhile, the intruder slowly pulled a stripe of tape from the roll and aimed for her ankles.
He looked at her, seemingly waiting for her to be done with the phone.

Sophie
| "OK, here's my deal then: tomorrow, together, we're going to talk with the principal and try to get some better equipment like a cabinet or AT LEAST a ladder. However, after that, I don't want any more excuses. If I see this gosh darn tablet out of place again after you're done, you're out of the club."
| "This is your last warning."
| "Clear enough?"

Zach
| "ok"

Sophie rolled her eyes "He's not gonna do it anyway, is he...?" she thought "Well, I warned you Zach. If you still don't care, tough luck."

Sophie was about lock and put her phone away.
It was in that moment that she realized something was wrong.

But she didn't get enough time to elaborate.

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