The school bell rings, signaling the end of the day. I jump up, head to my locker, and drop off my books.

Walking down the hall to the school’s front entrance, brushing past the other students, I push open the front double doors, step outside, and take in a deep breath of fresh air.

As I head towards the parking lot, digging through my purse for my car keys, I hear someone yell, “Hey!” I come to a sudden stop and look around to see Tim walking towards me.

“Geez, Tim, you scared me! Don’t do that.” I snap.

“Sorry.” He looks sheepishly down at the ground.

We were good friends in grade school, but lately have drifted apart.

“I need to get home,” I say, starting to step around him, but he’s standing in my way.

“Wait.” He throws up his hands to stop me. He appears anxious, which makes me feel a little nervous.

“Is something wrong?” I ask.

Tim’s eyes look over my shoulder, making me turn and look. I see Marcus approaching.

Marcus was one of my closest friends up until he graduated three years ago. Since then, we haven’t had any contact with each other.

“Marcus! What are you doing? Where have you been?” I ask as he meanders up to us.

He looks like he’s aged way beyond his years since I last saw him. I feel my smile slip away when he doesn’t smile back.

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“It’s good to see you, Robin,” but his words sound hollow. I look back at Tim, who is beginning to look unsure of the situation.

“So, what’s going on?” I ask, trying to sound casual.

“I need your help with something, and I think the payoff will be worth your time.” He struggles to make eye contact with me. This is not the Marcus I knew growing up.

“And what’s that?” I cautiously ask.

“You’ll have to see it.” Then his eyes meet mine, and I catch a glimpse of the sparkle in them that was always there when we were kids, getting into trouble but having a lot of fun doing it. This is the Marcus I know, and I can’t help but smile.

“Okay, where is it?” I ask.

Marcus gives me a big smile and says, “Where’s your car? You’re driving.”

—

Since we left the school’s parking lot, Marcus has been looking out the window and reading street signs. I’m becoming more anxious with every turn he tells me to make.

“So when will you tell me where we’re going?”

“We’re almost there. I’ll tell you when we get there.” Letting out a sigh, I’m wondering if I’ve made a mistake in coming.

“This is big, and it’s better to see it for yourself instead of me telling you.”

We enter an abandoned neighborhood, and he directs me to one of the rundown houses, showing me where to park.

I get out of the car. “This is it?”

“Yes and no. It’s in the basement.”

I look at him with wide eyes and then at Tim. “Are you kidding me?”

Tim gives me a half smile, which does little to reassure me.

We head into the house. It’s obvious no one has lived here for years, maybe even decades. Marcus goes to a door, opens it, and I follow him and Tim down a flight of stairs to the basement.

“Okay, what am I supposed to see?” Suddenly I feel silly for letting Marcus talk me into coming here. It’s dark and hard to see.

Marcus flips on a single hanging bulb, and an almost empty basement appears before me. “There’s nothing here, Marcus.”

“Over here.” I follow him to the far wall but all I see are a few pieces of furniture covered with old dusty sheets.

“This is why we’re here?” Marcus pulls off one of the sheets to reveal a giant antique safe hiding under it. He looks at me and smiles.

I cross my arms in disbelief. “And why do you need me here?” I question.

“You’re going to help us open it,” still smiling at me with a smirky grin.